 "Photo: File photo")
The dream was the same for UW-Whitewater running back Justin Beaver as it was for thousands of other kids who grew up loving the sport of football. Most of the dreams died long ago, and some may have figured Beaver's would eventually be extinguished as well.
The thing is, he hasn't let the dream go. Similar to his knack for chugging through the first hit of opposing defenses, Beaver has not let his goal die easily. He has always held on to the hope of getting a chance at football's highest level, the National Football League.
Now, the chance he's wanted is his to win. On March 5 in Madison, with NFL scouts and representatives watching, Beaver will put his best on the artificial turf in UW-Madison's McClain Center for a combine-style workout, hoping to leave with the opportunity he's waited for since his days growing up in the 1,145-person town of Palmyra.
"I'm just trying to show [teams] I can be a playmaker in the NFL, and show that I can make plays wherever I am, as long as I'm on the field," Beaver said.
Brad Arnett, who has trained Beaver since the summer of 2005, thinks its just going to be a matter of what team is willing to select him.
"As far as across the board, Justin has what it takes," Arnett said. "It's just going to take someone to give him an opportunity."
However, Beaver will have to do more than just show up in Madison to reach the NFL. The professional combine workout he will be put through is an intense, physically demanding process, including tests in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and 20-yard shuttle run. Just a few tenths of a second or a few extra inches can separate football's next success story from the daily grind of nine-to-five.
"That's kind of the day where you can catch scouts' eyes," Beaver said. "I'm basically putting everything I [have] got into that day. I'm training as hard as I can for that one day and hopefully good things will happen."
To help bring his testing numbers into the company of some of the world's elite athletes, Beaver literally has gone to train at the next level. NX Level, a Waukesha-based athletic performance center, is where Beaver has gone to improve his skills since the summer of 2005.
"[Arnett] came here for a few months and helped [the football team] train," Beaver said. "I loved his training and I loved his enthusiasm. Ever since then, I said that it would be a place for me. I've never felt so good as an athlete."
Beaver has gotten more than just the ins and outs of how to run fast and lift a bunch of iron weights. He's gotten the expertise and advice of Arnett, who has trained athletes in the NFL in addition to his work as a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Arizona and the University of Minnesota.
However, Arnett is not the only NX Level employee to know what it takes to succeed in the NFL. Joe Panos, a former standout with the Wisconsin Badgers and seven-year veteran of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills, operates the facility where Beaver works out. While his path to football's premier league was a bit different, Beaver said Panos' encouragement has helped motivate and reinforce the long hours spent in the gym.
"Just from day one, he's been very supportive," Beaver said. "He's told me to just keep working hard and good things will happen."
Despite his accomplishments, including multiple All-American selections and the Division III single-season rushing record of 2,455 yards, critics will focus more on Beaver's undersized 5-foot 9-inch frame or the fact his records were set at the small-college level. However, UW-Whitewater head football coach Lance Leipold said he wouldn't bet against Beaver.
"It's Justin Beaver, the package … his work ethic, his determination, how he overcomes things," Leipold said. "Any time you're spending on him to evaluate him is time well spent."
"It's the intangibles that you can't coach or can't train," Arnett said. "Everything he puts into training is what's going to help him bring things to the table that's really going to put him ahead of some other kids."
The Division III barrier to football stardom may be crumbling as well, at least when it comes to players from UW-Whitewater. In 2007, former 'Hawks wide receiver Derek Stanley and tight end Pete Schmitt both turned a few heads within the training camps of the St. Louis Rams and the Washington Redskins, respectively. Similar to the knowledge Arnett and Panos have given him, Stanley and Schmitt have told Beaver to remain dedicated through the high and low points of getting to draft day.
"The main advice I got from Derek was everyday is going to be different … Just keep a positive attitude and just go with whatever happens each day," Beaver said. "I learned from Pete that you've got to work hard. He worked extremely hard to get his chance."
The same work ethic he had in college hasn't gone away. While hundreds of seniors have turned in their equipment and prepared for life after football, Beaver continues to do the same thing he's done every offseason. He throws on a cutoff t-shirt, a pair of shorts, laces up his shoes and resumes his training. Football's only three months away, and he is determined to be the hardest working guy on the field come May.
"Give me a chance," Beaver said. " I just ask for one chance. From there on, if I mess it up, it's my own fault."
"He just needs one team to give him that one chance," Leipold said. "One team has to give him an opportunity, and I think when they see that work ethic, they'll be plenty surprised."
The dream hasn't died yet. For Beaver, it's just beginning.
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