A small town kid with big dreams

GREEN BAY – With fewer than 1.5% of collegiate football players making it to the NFL, the chances of realizing what is most young boys’ biggest dream are slim, but never none.

St. Norbert College Tight End Mitch Van Vooren’s journey has been anything but conventional.

Though he didn’t get the big call during this year’s NFL Draft, conveniently held in Green Bay, a few days later, Van Vooren received an official invite to participate in the Cleveland Browns’ Rookie Minicamp later this month.

“I know they expressed interest in me before — they’re one of nine teams that reached out to my agent — and I talked to them and they saw me work out a couple times. I definitely knew that they’re one of the teams that wanted me, but then I saw that they drafted another tight end and then signed another one after, so I thought maybe that wasn’t going to be the case. Regardless, I’m definitely grateful to have the ability to compete against those guys and show them that I can do anything,” said Van Vooren.

Not his first NFL Draft

Anticipation swirled around the Green Bay community for the first-ever Green Bay Packers’ hosted NFL Draft, as it would be the first opportunity for many people in the area to share in the excitement that stems from merging college and NFL football fans.

However, for Van Vooren, the excitement of the NFL Draft is something that he has experienced once before — up close and personal.

“Me and my friend and our dads went down to Chicago my freshman year of high school for the 2016 Draft and I think it was like one of the first times it was in a different city, so it was pretty cool. We were there for Day Two and Day Three and then during Day Three we were sitting there and they were picking people out of the crowd. My dad tapped someone on the shoulder and asked if I could do it and they brought me backstage and then let me announce the pick,” said Van Vooren.

Coincidentally, the pick that Van Vooren announced was the 231st overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft — Thomas Duarte, a tight end out of UCLA.

Little did he know that close to a decade later, he would be a tight end prospect at the NFL Draft hosted less than 40 miles from his hometown.

Van Vooren said that as he stood on the NFL Draft stage, he thought about how cool it would be to one day be drafted himself or have the chance to sign with an NFL team.

“It was a pretty cool experience. It’s hard being a freshman in high school being like ‘yeah, that’s for sure going to happen,’ but it’s every little kid’s dream, so it was definitely a very cool possibility to think about.”

An unconventional journey

“I ran track at Marquette University for four years and then in the back of my head I was still kind of missing playing football. I entered the transfer portal my senior year after I graduated from Marquette and then transferred to play football these last two years at St. Norbert.”

Van Vooren said that being a player of his ability at St. Norbert created a unique opportunity for him that many people at other DIII schools don’t always have.

“Being that it’s St. Norbert, they have a good relationship with the Packers, so we got to practice there a couple of times and then I just learned that I am the third one in the last seven years to get a rookie minicamp invite, so I think that they have a great coaching staff. Coming from a DIII school it is a lot harder than a DI or DII school but they definitely gave me the opportunity,” said Van Vooren.

Van Vooren has been defying the odds his whole life, particularly in finding ways to be successful, no matter the environment he is in.

According to Van Vooren, he is proud to be able to represent his small hometown of Peshtigo on such a large scale through the success he has had with his sport.

“It means a lot, I mean, I grew up in a really small town, so not a lot of people really make it out of there and go on to do crazy things outside of just our area. It means a lot to a small town like that so just knowing that you can go do that maybe gives hope to other kids in smaller cities,” said Van Vooren.

Getting his shot

“You know what you’re called to do and if you think that you have a real shot, definitely go chase your dreams. It started for me when I got invited to a CGS showcase down in Texas which I think was the biggest factor for me, just being able to show that I can do it.

Getting an invite to those showcases is huge,” said Van Vooren.
Van Vooren said that the biggest reason he feels he has been put in this position today is because he has learned the importance of believing in himself.

“I think just having faith in myself and confidence in my abilities. I always thought watching TV and in the combine the last couple years that I have the body size and the track speed to do it, so I just needed an opportunity to go do that. When I was down in Texas at the CGS showcase going against those Division I guys, I knew that I still could still stand it out,” said Van Vooren.

“I didn’t hear a lot the last day of the Draft or the Sunday after, so I was a little down, but still kept having faith that it would happen for me. I woke up Monday morning to that call and it was a great way to start the week.”

Van Vooren has to report to Cleveland for the camp next week and said he is looking forward to possibly the biggest opportunity in his career so far.

“It’s May 8-11, so next Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Honestly, I’m just grateful for an opportunity to show what I can do. Obviously, it’s just a mini camp, so it’s kind of a long shot to make the team, but I definitely have faith that I can do it and a lot of belief that you know just given the opportunity to compete with the other people that’s what I’m really looking forward to,” said Van Vooren.

In his experience, Van Vooren said that the best advice he has for young athletes coming from modest backgrounds and taking an unconventional path is to continue to pray and keep up your own belief in yourself.

“These guys from Division I and Division II schools play on national television and often have good connections with people. It may seem like the odds are stacked against you. Just keep praying. You have to work a lot harder than other people. Some people are just in some better situations and have more opportunities but I mean if you work hard and you get that shot then you got to make the most of it. Obviously there’s there’s ups and downs of every every road and there’s turns in every every path so just knowing that if you are if you do believe that you’re called to do something and you think that you can go do it I say you know go chase your dreams. There’s no one else that can stop you — just keep doing what you think is right for you.”