6.
Retirement. Retirement is something that many people look forward to their whole life. It means freedom of schedule, freedom from work, more time with family, and a change to travel the world. For professional athletes this comes at an earlier age than most, as well as with a larger payroll to fund a healthy and wealthy retirement. Adam Schell knew all of these things coming into the league. He's saved $20 million to live on and to bless his family and people around him with throughout his lifetime. But there is a deep sting to this retirement party.
Schell was never the kind of person to call it quits. Everything he starts he finishes and he is careful only to pursue things that he has a passion to see through to the end. His professional football career has been extremely rewarding, but in the end, he never accomplished his goal - to lift a trophy at the end of the year. Twice he came within arms reach, making it to the Ultimus game against the New York Silverbacks two separate times, but both times ended in defeat at the hand of those gorillas. As Schell reflects on his career, it is those two games that he remembers the most.
And yet, despite the bitter aftertaste of defeat, Schell's career was full of successes. He helped to launch an expansion team as a rookie, being an integral part of the early seasons of the Berlin Fire Salamanders. He set the bar high in Berlin for future defenders to work to surpass lofty career numbers and accomplishments over the course of his time there. It is hard to argue that this man wasn't worth the second round pick Berlin used to acquire him from the Arizona Outlaws before he even took his first snap in the ISFL.
And let's not forget the DSFL! It was there that Schell had his most noteworthy season in his second year, leading the league in tackles while also posting impressive numbers of sacks, TFLs, forced fumbles, recovered fumbles, and passes defensed, taking home the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award. Yet even here, his Luchadores led the league in regular season record and were unable even to advance to the Ultimini game.
The question that may linger around Schell's career is, "Was he not clutch or was he unlucky?" I tend to lean towards unlucky. It was Schell, after all, who got his first pick-6 in the closing minutes of the ISFL Conference Championship game that led the Fire Salamanders to their first Ultimus appearance. Schell was always found on the sideline, rallying the troops and on the field barking out orders in key moments of key games. So when we reflect on his career, I certainly hope we recognize how impactful he was in the biggest of games and on the biggest of stages.
As Schell hangs up his cleats, the question is what next? Rumor has it he's considered coaching, but wants to take a few seasons for himself before coming back into the game. In the meantime, he has a nephew, Really Creative-Name, who is on the cusp of being drafted into the DSFL. While Schell played Linebacker and his nephew is looking to play wide receiver, the experience of having gone through a fourteen year professional football career cannot be overlooked. Therefore, Schell has done all he can to help set up his nephew for success. He transferred his Twitter account to him in order to give him some early following from fans and is coaching him privately as he prepares for the prospect bowls, draft, and the beginning of his career. I'm certain we haven't seen the end of Schell in the world of the ISFL, but for now his legacy will live on through his family as he enjoys the beginning of retirement.
Retirement. Retirement is something that many people look forward to their whole life. It means freedom of schedule, freedom from work, more time with family, and a change to travel the world. For professional athletes this comes at an earlier age than most, as well as with a larger payroll to fund a healthy and wealthy retirement. Adam Schell knew all of these things coming into the league. He's saved $20 million to live on and to bless his family and people around him with throughout his lifetime. But there is a deep sting to this retirement party.
Schell was never the kind of person to call it quits. Everything he starts he finishes and he is careful only to pursue things that he has a passion to see through to the end. His professional football career has been extremely rewarding, but in the end, he never accomplished his goal - to lift a trophy at the end of the year. Twice he came within arms reach, making it to the Ultimus game against the New York Silverbacks two separate times, but both times ended in defeat at the hand of those gorillas. As Schell reflects on his career, it is those two games that he remembers the most.
And yet, despite the bitter aftertaste of defeat, Schell's career was full of successes. He helped to launch an expansion team as a rookie, being an integral part of the early seasons of the Berlin Fire Salamanders. He set the bar high in Berlin for future defenders to work to surpass lofty career numbers and accomplishments over the course of his time there. It is hard to argue that this man wasn't worth the second round pick Berlin used to acquire him from the Arizona Outlaws before he even took his first snap in the ISFL.
And let's not forget the DSFL! It was there that Schell had his most noteworthy season in his second year, leading the league in tackles while also posting impressive numbers of sacks, TFLs, forced fumbles, recovered fumbles, and passes defensed, taking home the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award. Yet even here, his Luchadores led the league in regular season record and were unable even to advance to the Ultimini game.
The question that may linger around Schell's career is, "Was he not clutch or was he unlucky?" I tend to lean towards unlucky. It was Schell, after all, who got his first pick-6 in the closing minutes of the ISFL Conference Championship game that led the Fire Salamanders to their first Ultimus appearance. Schell was always found on the sideline, rallying the troops and on the field barking out orders in key moments of key games. So when we reflect on his career, I certainly hope we recognize how impactful he was in the biggest of games and on the biggest of stages.
As Schell hangs up his cleats, the question is what next? Rumor has it he's considered coaching, but wants to take a few seasons for himself before coming back into the game. In the meantime, he has a nephew, Really Creative-Name, who is on the cusp of being drafted into the DSFL. While Schell played Linebacker and his nephew is looking to play wide receiver, the experience of having gone through a fourteen year professional football career cannot be overlooked. Therefore, Schell has done all he can to help set up his nephew for success. He transferred his Twitter account to him in order to give him some early following from fans and is coaching him privately as he prepares for the prospect bowls, draft, and the beginning of his career. I'm certain we haven't seen the end of Schell in the world of the ISFL, but for now his legacy will live on through his family as he enjoys the beginning of retirement.