Green Bay Packer tight end Mark Chmura has been there, done that. As in: He has been voted to the Pro Bowl and snagged the most coveted accessory in pro football, a Super Bowl ring.
But the road to there has been long, hard and bumpy.
Nothing in professional football has come easy to Chmura, a sixth-round draft pick – 157th overall – in 1992. He discovered that the big leagues were a world away from college ball, where he had been a success. (He was a star at Boston College.)
“As a late-round draft pick I pretty much knew I’d have to prove myself to the Green Bay coaches,” Chmura said when we reached him for a chat.
Shortly before training camp his rookie year, Chmura suffered a terrible back injury while lifting weights. It was so bad that he even considered quitting football. But with Packer coach Mike Holmgren’s encouragement, he stuck it out and made a complete recovery.
In his next two seasons, Chmura distinguished himself on special teams and earned a starting position. Meanwhile, around the league he was beginning to gain recognition for his sure hands.
That’s just like another player whom Chmura admires and, early in his career, hoped to emulate: former Chicago Bear Tom Waddle. Before Waddle dazzled Bear fans with his kamikaze play at wide receiver, he was Chmura’s teammate at Boston College. “He never dropped a ball and he always made the tough catches,” Chmura recalled.
Chmura modestly credits a lot of his success to the throwing arm of his best friend, Packer quarterback Brett Favre. The two, who became buds in Chmura’s rookie year, sport identical Superman tattoos, room together on the road and hang out at each other’s houses. They don’t socialize in public much, Chmura said, because fans won’t leave them alone.
Not that he is complaining. He thinks Green Bay fans are the greatest, especially the young fans, who “love you whether you win or lose.”
In addition to raising money for children’s charities, Chmura enjoys just talking to kids, especially those who hang out at preseason practices.
“The past two summers I’ve been riding the same kid’s bike to the practice facility,” he said. “It’s great the way the kids are so into the team.”
He’s happy to share advice with them too. “I tell them to always hold on to their dreams and to never let anyone say they can’t do something,” he said. “I tell them to believe in themselves.”
We hope his young fans listen. After all, look how far that advice got him.
