Being a long snapper in the NFL is hardly a glamorous job. Instead, it's one that's very easy to be taken for granted. With a 100% success rate expected, the only kind of attention long snappers have the potential to receive is by making a mistake. If they're doing their jobs as well as they're expected, long snappers are essentially anonymous.
But while Philadelphia Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos may not be best known for his mistake-free, consistent long snapping performance on the field, that doesn't seem to bother him. Especially because Dorenbos is very accomplished off the field. He's a popular magician, a motivational speaker, and a husband to the very beautiful Julie Dorenbos.
What people may not know about Dorenbos is the darkness he had to overcome in order to achieve success. When Dorenbos was only a child, his father brutally murdered his mother. In the latest episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Dorenbos talks about the tragic memory of his past and how he was able to fight through those times. The episode airs tonight on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 at 9 PM EST on HBO. Watch the video trailer above this post.
Here's a summary of the program:
Magic Man.
Now in his 12th NFL season, Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro long snapper Jon Dorenbos has been a largely anonymous but steady special teams player in a league known for constant personnel turnover. Despite his success on the field, however, Dorenbos’ love of magic has defined his life, offering the salvation that helped him through the darkest moments of his childhood. During a seemingly picture-perfect upbringing in the suburbs of Seattle, his life changed forever when his father beat his mother to death with a power tool in a fit of rage. Attempting to cheer up the reeling adolescent, a friend introduced Dorenbos to the art of magic and he instantly became hooked. Host Bryant Gumbel sits down with Jon Dorenbos to hear about the impact of magic and football on his life and witness firsthand his mastery of trickery and illusion.