Franchise ResourcesLast one standing: the last of the power backs
Derek Diehl, Ironman Insider CorrespondentDecember 19, 2008
While most football careers end after your senior year in High School; Eric Hansen’s career has survived 14 years and counting. On his 27th birthday, he just finished his final year of college eligibility at Concordia University at St. Paul, which is a NCAA Division 2 college located in St. Paul, Minnesota. While he was the second oldest player on the team (T.J. Prunty, an ex Miami Hurricane QB was 6 months older), he was still out there battling in the trenches with players 8-9 years younger than him.
“If you were to tell me a year ago that I would be playing college football again, I would not have believed it.” Hansen had to say. “The road to this point was a little awkward and unconventional.” Hansen added.
Hansen grew up in the football player breeding ground of Germantown, Wisconsin. “From a very young age you were attending all of the varsity football games, and expected to play football for coach Datka.” Hansen stated.
Well playing at Germantown would not be in his future as his family moved to West Bend once he started middle school. In middle school he was easily seen as a step ahead of all the other players as he played QB and the Hansen scramble would be good for a touchdown on most plays.
Once High School started, he attended West Bend West, a school that was not really known for a good football program, and by his sophomore year he was starting at free safety for the Spartans and also was a backup at the running back position.
That year the Spartans made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. As a junior and senior, Hansen was voted to be team captain which is very rare for an underclassman to hold such a high leadership honor. Hansen’s senior year he played running back in a passing offense and had 45 receptions for 854 yards and also added another 478 yards on the ground on only 78 carries with 9 TD’s.
Hansen was named to the All-Conference team and 2nd team All-County. After High School, Hansen was to attend UW-Platteville to play football, and while he went to school there, football just wasn’t something that he stuck with.
He said,” I just got caught up in too much other stuff and kind of outgrew football, I was ready to give it up at that point.”
After finishing up with school, he moved back to the Milwaukee area and seen a flyer at a gas station for a semipro team football tryout.
“I thought I would give it another try and my goal was to get back into shape more than anything.” Tryouts went well and he played the next three years as the “big running back” for the Washington County Patriots. At 5’11” 230 lbs, he was deceivingly quick on his feet and also had the ability to run defenders over.
After the Patriots team closed up shop in 2006, Hansen was looking for a new team to play for and this time he was looking at all of the teams in the IFL.
After talking to a few team owners in the Milwaukee area where he lived, he got in contact with Tom Hawkins of the Burlington Blue Devils. “Tom, had a good thing going and sold me to his team the first time I met him.” He said. “This was an opportunity for me to continue to get my touches as a running back in an era where teams tend to go with small, shifty backs.”
Although, in 2007 Hansen played primarily as the Devils Running back, he was voted to the All-Star team as a fullback. In 2008, Hansen gladly moved to fullback to make room for Adrian Davis, who was a college star at NIU.
“I feel with addition of Adrian to the team, it opens a lot of opportunities up for me and the entire team. I am still learning the fullback position, but having a guy like Adrian in the backfield makes it easy for me to make mistakes.”
In 2008, Hansen rushed for over 400 yards and had 7 TD’s while averaging 10 yards per carry and was named to the 1st team IFL All-Star team for the second year in a row.
Midway through the IFL season, Hansen had the itch to go back to college and get his master’s degree, so after a few calls and finding out if he had any eligibility left, Concordia –St. Paul did some leg work and found out that he could join them in camp this year and tryout for the team.
While competing for the fullback position, Hansen played in the first 5 games of the season before tearing his hamstring.
“It was hard to deal with, but we have great trainers up here that are helping me rehab and I will be back on the field in the IFL for 2009 in the best shape of my life...Guaranteed.” Hansen said.
Hansen will be earning his master’s degree in Organizational Management and Sport Management by 2010 in hopes of becoming an athletic director.
