Rob Bironas grew up wanting to be a soccer player. But it was in high school when the placekicker for the Tennessee Titans fell in love with football.
Bironas attended Trinity High School in Louisville, Ky., where lettered two years in football, four years in soccer, two years in swimming and one year on track.
Bironas originally signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent on April 26, 2002. After signing with Green Bay in 2002, Bironas also had stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004.
“Wanting to be in the NFL, I kept knocking at the door,” Bironas said. “The last two years have been good seasons for me. I’ve had some big kicks. It’s definitely been a good experience for me. I’m looking forward to continuing that. The team put me in situations to help them win games.”
Bironas has fond memories of playing high school football at Trinity High School.
“We’ve had some good players come out of that school,” he said. “Growing up playing soccer, I didn’t come out for football until my junior year. I was going to try out for football my freshman and sophomore year, but it didn’t work out. I didn’t realize they had training camps.
“In eighth grade, I learned how to kick from my older brother Greg. I played soccer through my senior. But in football, they told me before the first game of my junior year that I’d be kicking for the varsity and my younger brother Blake would be kicking for the JVs. We were in the backyard growing up kicking through the gates all the time.”
Bironas once kicked a 50-yard field goal in high school.
“We played Shaun Alexander’s team (Boone County in Florence, Ky.) for the state championship. We held him to 98 yards in the first half and two yards in the second half,” Bironas recalled. “My senior year, we lost a lot of guys and got beat in the first round of the playoffs. When I was a freshman, we were on a 51-game winning streak.”
In soccer, Bironas was known for his versatility.
“I played every position on the soccer field,” he said. “My dad grew up as a halfback and blew out one of his knees. He wanted just to stay away from injury so he put us on a soccer field.”
But despite that decision, an NFL career was still in store for Bironas.
“I grew up wanting to be a soccer player. It went from there. For football, I walked on at Auburn. I knew if I got the opportunity, I could get a scholarship. At Georgia Southern, in my senior year, we were national champions. I knew I wanted to keep playing football. There’s nothing sweeter than being national champions.
“It’s a childhood dream to play in the pros. I knew I could play in this league. I was pushed to go harder and keep trying.”
And that’s the type of advise Bironas gives to high school players who also aspire to make it to the NFL.
“Work hard at what you do,” he said. “When you dream, dream big. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it. Always keep a positive attitude. Never let anyone question your pride. Learn from your mistakes and try not to make the same mistake again.”
Bironas said he visits his former school when the opportunity arises. He’s also been to some of his former school’s games.
“In 2005, the first week of the playoffs, I did the coin toss before the game,” he said. “That was really cool. They ended up going to the state finals.”
Story courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc.