Rosenfels Took it One Step at a Time

AMES, Iowa – Former Iowa State quarterback Sage Rosenfels has the tiger by the tail. Even the possibility of no NFL season can't overshadow what has been an extraordinary 10-year career in pro football. His is the story of a step-by-step climb from a small Iowa town, built upon the belief that work ethic would take him as far as he could go. Rosenfels shared his unlikely climb from being a five-letter athlete in a town of 6,000 to the highest strata of football with Iowa high school football coaches at the Iowa State Coaches Clinic Friday at the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center.

Rosenfels lettered three times in basketball and baseball and four times in tennis. He also lettered in track and field. He won two letters in football.

“We weren't a team that played a lot of sophomores and freshman,” Rosenfels said. “Not that I would have played anyway. Football was something I thought about around August 1 or the start of camp,” Rosenfels said. “I never did any weight training and weighed about 185 pounds.”

Rosenfels was by no means a total unknown after the fall of his senior season. He completed 76-of-148 passes for 1,122 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior, making first-team all-district honors by the Quad City Times and the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. Street and Smiths magazine recognized him as one of the nation's best high school quarterbacks.

(Former Iowa State assistant coach) Mike Woodley had seen Rosenfels compete against his sons and had an appreciation for the young Rosenfels' athleticism. Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney offered Rosenfels a scholarship.

“I was thrilled just to get my college education paid for,” Rosenfels said. “I focused on just working as hard as I could and trusted that would allow me to climb up the depth chart. I spent the first year running the scout team. By the start of my second year I weighed 220 pounds and had beaten out other challengers to earn the No. 2 quarterback position.”

A career in the NFL was not on Rosenfels' mind as he backed up Todd Bandhauer at Iowa State in 1997-98. In 1999, he became the starter.

“My thoughts were still about getting a job in Iowa, even after my junior season. We were 4-7 in 1999 but we had chances to win in several games,” Rosenfels said. “Heading into my senior season, my personal goal and the goal of our team was to make a bowl game.”

Iowa State had not been to a bowl since 1978. Led by Rosenfels and a fellow group of Cyclone seniors, Iowa State went on to a 9-3 season, including a 37-29 win over Pittsburgh in the Insight.com Bowl. It was only then that Rosenfels began to set goals with the NFL in mind.

“Again, I decided that I would do everything I could control,” Rosenfels said. “When I made the team and got my signing bonus, I thought 'now I can buy a house in Des Moines.' Having made the team I set my sights on contributing.”

What has followed is a NFL career that would start its 11th year this fall. He has done tours of duty with Washington, Miami, Houston, Minnesota and currently the New York Giants.

What does he take from his experience? He has an interesting focus on high school athletics, where the pool of multiple sport letterwinners continues to decline as prep athletes often feel compelled to concentrate and train for one sport or two sports year round.

“I am glad I played five sports in high school and had the opportunity to enjoy playing each sport,” Rosenfels said. “The NFL is a business, college football has tradition, but in high school you just play. I will never look back and say 'I wonder how good I might have been in this sport and that sport.'”

Rosenfels said the simple goal to get better every day has served him well in an athletic career that far exceeded what was thought to be possible back when he was playing tennis at Maquoketa.

“There are a lot of things that happen that you can't control,” Rosenfels said. “Just concentrate on what you can control. I will take that same attitude with me in this business.”

Iowa State University Athletics

Rosenfels Took it One Step at a Time

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