So our readers know who you are and can learn something about your background, can you briefly share some of those details with us:

Well, I am now on my second career, having been a Federal Agent for most of my adult life. I now work as a consultant, I also am a partner in a business and cherish being able to enjoy my grand children. My wife and I raised four children, and experienced every level of sports. I hope I can do the same with our grand children.

At first you were reluctant to be interviewed for the Beyond Sports Network site. What changed your mind and why?

By nature, and occupation, I have always been somewhat of a "private person". However, being part of Beyond Sports since its inception, and seeing all of the young athletes in the system, I was convinced that some of the information that I could provide, from the perspective of a parent, and then an NFL Agent, might assist an athlete, or a parent, understand how difficult it is to make the next level. I attended countless soccer games, since all four played high school soccer, and travel soccer, and three of the four played football. One went on to play college football on the national level, arena football, NFL Europe and NFL preseason. I went to every game, including the red-shirt year, since he dressed and traveled, five Bowl games, College All Star game, every Arena game, and flew to five of his NFL Europe games. Thank God for frequent flyer miles! Our daughters were very competitive, and both ended up playing soccer at the college level, one daughter even played four years of high school football, starting on the first day of freshman summer workouts, JV, and two years of varsity. Not sure if ANY female athlete has accomplished that. Watching your daughter kick a 32 yard field goal to take the lead, with young men trying to knock her head off, is not for the faint of heart.

Were you an athlete when you were younger?

I played high school baseball for four years, and played two years of "club football", as there was no NCAA football team when I attended college. It probably would not have made a difference, since I ran the forty in about "12.2"! So before you ask, Yes, I lived vicariously through the athletic endeavors of all of my children.

It sounds like you have seen a lot, on all levels. Let us start with high school. Any stories or words of wisdom you can share for the high school athlete looking to go to the next level?

Well it might be easier for me to answer in a bullet format otherwise this will be a twenty page interview. But sometimes a story is worth a thousand words. So I will tell some stories, most relate to my son and kickers, but the stories are applicable for all positions.
---Our oldest son learned to play soccer while we lived in Madrid, Spain. As a result of being hit by a motorcycle at age 8, he was in a body cast for months. Part of the prescribed therapy was kicking a soccer ball with both legs. When we returned to the US he could kick a soccer ball with either leg, with equal velocity. He had calves the size of most adult men. He also had speed. He became a Kicker on the football team, but could also catch very well. This proved to be a drawback as well. Most high school coaches do not have the time to worry about whether or not your child makes it to the next level. They care about winning the Friday night game. (Remember this!). The first game of his senior year, he runs a short crossing pattern, makes the catch and turns up the field and goes 60 yards for a touchdown. They don't throw another pass to him for three games. In the next game we are on the 20 yard line, the coach calls a post pattern on a "third and whatever", and he runs down into the end zone. No pass comes his way, the coach calls for the FG unit. He is racing back from the end zone to set up, he is not settled, and shanks a 37 yd FG that was well within his range. The moral of the story is, if you want to play at the next level, you cannot be the kicker, punter, wide receiver and bus driver. That night he made a decision, with my help, to pick a position and excel at it.

---Another thing, for a parent that is out there thinking that the season is going to finish and then you will get a nice neat print out of the season stats, to send off with a tape to a university, nine times out of ten that is not happening. I sat at every game and made notes of every kickoff, every FG, I kept a record. When colleges did start inquiring with questions like "How many kickoff's did he put in the end zone?, I had the answer, and the yardage. The coach at the time did not have a clue. That wasn't his job. For a wide receiver, how hard is it to keep the record of catches and yardage or for a running back his carries and yardage. How hard is it to borrow the tape of the game and make a copy. It takes time, it takes effort, but I ended up with no college bills for this son. Anyhow, I could not imagine being any other place then at a child's high school or college game, I cannot imagine any other thing in life being more important than this. But not everyone thinks like that. It worked for me.

---Sometimes you have to "make your own breaks and some times it is just good fortune". I remember speaking to co-workers about my son's exploits on the field. Unbeknownst to me, a close friend played tennis with, and was a neighbor to ex NFL kicker Scott Norwood, who lived in Northern Virginia. He offered to speak to Norwood and the next thing I know is that the phone is ringing one evening, and it is Scott Norwood. He arranges to come down and see him kick. He spends an hour or two of his own time, and provides some invaluable pointers. For a kicker, there is a lot more to being successful then just pounding the ball. An experienced athlete understands that, and can provide the "mental" part of the game. Fifteen years later I still appreciate this man taking the time to help my son.

---I remember researching summer camps on where to send him to kick. He worked with former NFL kicker Mark Moseley at his camp in Virginia and he learned a tremendous amount from Mark. One summer we sent him to Ray Pelfrey's camp in Texas. He flies down to Dallas, he has a telephone credit card that we gave him (before "cell-phone mania"), and I am dying, waiting for his call each evening to find out how he did. After the second night he is somewhat evasive on the phone and I come out and ask him, "how do you match up against the other kickers?" He responds "Dad, everyone is good here! Moral of the story: It is not a bad thing to be "humbled", especially if you are a big local star. Remember, there are thousands of high school football teams throughout the country, and they all have "star players". When it comes down to it, there are just a limited amount of spots on college football rosters. When, and if, as an athlete you are lucky enough to get to play for a major program, almost every player there has been "All State- All World-All Universe".

--When looking at colleges, or when they are looking at you, remember, that college coach is most likely saying the exact same thing to five other athletes at your same position. Never "go to the bank", on one of these conversations, because things change, and in a hurry. Jimmy was being looked at by UNC, and it was down to the "final two".
About a week or two before Christmas, we have friends over for dinner, and the "Dear John" call comes in about three minutes before dinner. The conversation is short and goes like this "Please pass the word on that we have a verbal commitment from the other athlete, we wish him the best". I have to suffer through dinner while everyone else talks about the great program at UNC and I can barely swallow my food, and decide to break the news to our son alone, when our friends leave. I wanted to throw up. However, about a week later, VT called, and Jimmy went on to have an outstanding experience, played for the National Championship and has five Bowl rings. Moral of the story: When one door closes, another one opens. Not every time, but for us it did. If you decide to pursue this career, I promise you there will be a lot of "ups and downs", and you have to be ready to deal with it. The pressure is tremendous especially for a young athlete.

---Another "up and down" emotional roller coaster story. I will give you the abbreviated version. Jimmy gets signed to a full ride as a kicker, gets red shirted, but dresses and travels every game. About the sixth game, VT's senior year kicker, Atle Larsen, misses three FG's before halftime. Jimmy comes out early at half time to warm up and gives me a look and a "hand signal", and I know he is going to replace Larsen on the next attempt. Goodbye red-shirt year six games into the season. Strangely enough there are no attempts for the rest of the game and his red-shirt status remains intact. The following spring VT signs Shayne Graham to a full ride. (I never played big time college football, but I did know that only one kicker at a time goes on the field). During the summer competition Graham wins the PK job and Jimmy wins the KO spot. Certainly not what either of them wanted, Jimmy and Shayne were both unhappy. Obviously Frank Beamer knows what he is doing. Shayne Graham is playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, and today is one of the best kickers in the NFL. Jimmy was an athlete and a competitor, and out of necessity became the punter and the rest is history. Moral of the story: Just because you get there, does not mean it is going to be easy or that you are going to stay there.

---One other story for the high school athletes: When my son was a senior, rumor was floating around that Syracuse was looking for a kicker and had contacted one of the local athletes. We had also sent a tape and resume to Syracuse and I naively could not understand why we had not been contacted. I had left messages but no one returned my call. Don't assume you will ever get a call back, you have to keep calling.
I kept calling the University and finally got through to a "live coach", a feat in itself. This coach was very friendly, and I explained my dilemma. He asked me to hold on and he would look for the tape. In the background I could hear him and I could visualize the coach fingering though tape after tape (not CD's), as they were making that plastic on plastic "clacking sound". It is comical now thinking back, I must have been listening for two minutes as he "pawed" over 100 other tapes. When I think about it, how many other quality kicker's tapes were in that box. Moral of the story: You have to be persistent and even if you are, you still might not get that opportunity. I am sure there are some athletes sitting on the couch on Sundays, when they should be on the TV.

Well some of those experiences should help some of the high school athletes in the Beyond Sports Network.

I hope so, sorry they were not brief, but I thought I was getting paid by the word!

You later became an NFL Contract Advisor (Agent). Was this a rewarding experience for you?

Not at all, and probably one of the most difficult ways to earn a living. I certified with the NFL because my son wanted me involved. I did it for love, not money. Anyone that thinks it parallels the movie "Jerry Maguire" should revisit their career choices. Thank God I had a government pension, otherwise I would have starved. In reality, I learned a great deal, and how the top of the athletic pyramid gets tougher and tougher to climb.

Why did you give it up?

I had a business and other obligations. I felt that I did not need to do it anymore. Believe me, this is a tough business, and I knew I was only doing it for my son.

You have had experience with the Arena leagues as well. Any insight?

It is a great place to play to stay sharp and hone your skill. For anyone looking to make it in the NFL, you cannot have a 2 or 3 year hiatus after college. You have to play somewhere, and that is one of the first questions an NFL coach will ask you. Now I believe it has changed recently, but I do not believe that the several years ago the NFL was giving a lot of credibility to Arena players. I believe that is very different now. But you will run into the same thing depending on the team and the personnel. What stands out in one coaches eyes, might not interest another coach. It always amuses me to see a player come in, and get released in a hurry because a coach evaluated the player poorly, and then that athlete goes on to become an outstanding star on a different team. I have had coaches hang up after I introduced myself on the phone. Persistence has to be part of your make up, you cannot have "thin skin", when it comes to being released. If you are an athlete at any level, that is going to happen, sooner or later. And, if you read what some moron is saying on a message board about you, then you are as stupid as he is. That person for the most part is a "wannabe", not an athlete, someone who played rag-tag sports in the street. You never see an athlete bashing another, or if it does happen, it is a rarity. One thing that amazes me, is how some people take pleasure in seeing someone else falter.

You say your son also played in NFL Europe. Can you tell us something about that process?

Most of the player that were going to NFL Europe in 2005 were already allocated by an NFL team. For kickers it was no different. However, I was persistent in at least getting the NFL Europe director to invite him down to Tampa to compete, based on the film that we sent, and he went there well prepared. The old expression, "you don't get a second chance to make a first impression", is very true in this business. So being prepared is critical. He went in with a mission, and proved himself and ended up being signed by Cologne (Germany) and had a good season. Based on that season he was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2005 preseason, behind David Akers. We knew Akers was not leaving, but it was great exposure. A great experience all around and I was sorry to see the NFL Europe League recently shut down. Plus I had lived in Europe for several years, so I enjoyed the trips!

We appreciate the time and stories.

Well when I went through this as a parent, I did not have a road map and there were not too many people that helped along the way. I made every mistake possible, but I did not make them twice. Hopefully some of these stories above will help an athlete or player weave their way through and make it to "their next level".
I spent so much of my free time on the athletic field with my kids, and it helped form a lasting bond that still is there today. One final thing I will say. During the way, many people, and some are friends, would say, Geez, he's lucky! And my response would be, yeah, the harder he worked, the luckier he got!