Now in the NFL, three former Rockford high school football players.

The odds of making it to professional sports is very low. There are so many great players across the country trying for a limited number of spots in the NFL, NHL, MLB. NBA, and more.

Then, if you're one of the few lucky ones, once you get there it's even harder to stay. Don't even bring up having a long successful career because that's darn near impossible.

My friend from high school, Mike Sheldon, played offensive line in the NFL for a few years. I know how hard he worked. He played for the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. He also spent time in NFL Europe and the XFL.

So, when I hear about local kids that get a chance in the big leagues, I get excited for them. I understand a little bit about what it takes to get there. Of course in the state line area, we've had Fred VanVleet in the NBA and Danica Patrick in NASCAR. Now, Rockford has made an impact in the NFL.

According to rrstar.com,

"Three locals were once again productive for their NFL teams on Sunday."

Currently, the big story is James Robinson. He played running back for Rockford Luthern and Illinois State University. He was an undrafted free agent that signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's already made a huge impact on breaking records and making history.

Dean Lowery has played defensive line in Green Bay for a few years now. He had a successful career at Rockford Boylan High School and went on to play at Northwestern University.

Dan Arnold is a starting tight end for the Arizona Cardinals. He also played at Boylan. His college career was at the University of Wisconsin, in Platteviile.

I think that's pretty darn exciting to have that kind of representation of Rockford in the NFL. Hopefully, we will keep seeing more and more athletes from our community in professional sports.


 

Video: Green Bay Packer Dean Lowry discusses going from Rockford, Illinois to the NFL

TACKLE THESE: Check Out the Best Uniforms In Each NFL Team's History

 

More From 97 ZOK