This week’s Faith, Family, & Football feature is: Jacob Tamme, Current Denver Bronco.
Jacob is currently in his 5th NFL season and 1st year with the Denver Broncos. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2008 draft by the Indianapolis Colts and signed with the Denver Broncos as an unrestricted free agent this past off-season. After playing a significant role on the Colts special teams and filling in for an injured Dallas Clark, Tamme became a favorite target of QB Peyton Manning. When Manning was acquired by the Broncos, Jacob services were immediately requested and he has been very involved in the Broncos offense early this season.
Off the field, Jacob and his wife, Allison, created the “Swings for Soldiers Classic” which is a charity event that helps raise money for our wounded heroes. The money raised from the event goes directly towards their “Homes for Our Troops” program that builds specially adapted homes for wounded veterans. Jacob is highly committed to living out the word of God and doing everything within his power to make an impact in the community. NFLPE was glad to have Jacob take a few minutes out of his busy game week schedule and discuss his Faith, Family, & Football.
PE: Why is faith important to you?
Tamme: My faith is important because it’s the core of why I believe we exist as humans. Faith allows us to spend an eternity with God and it fuels my every day actions. I’ve seen how having faith in God can change lives and it certainly has changed mine.
PE: Tell us about your family and the impact they’ve had on your life?
Tamme: I’ve been blessed with two great parents who taught me how to do things the right way and that provided a great foundation for my spiritual life. Today, I am very thankful to have a life partner in my wife and a newborn son. This has given me a great responsibility to lead my family in our faith, relationship with Christ, and provide the same foundation that my parents provided for me. To me, this is the thing that matters most in life.
PE: How has your faith and family helped you develop off the field?
Tamme: It’s good to have support no matter what happens on the field, and through my faith and my family I know that I have that. As a NFL player you have so much pride in your on field accomplishments, but to have family support you when times aren’t so great is essential to my development. Last season, when I was with the Colts we lost 13 straight games and that wasn’t easy to go through. In spite of the circumstances, my family never left my side and I was able to find strength in them as well as my faith during that time.
PE: How do you balance faith, family, and football?
Tamme: God has to come first in all of our lives, then family second. Everything else that we chose in life comes after. Football is very consuming and I love being able to go out and compete week in and week out, but you have to elevate the other two (faith & family) because they are most important and the cornerstones of our lives.
PE: What advice would you give to student athletes and current professional athletes in regards to their faith, family, and football?
Tamme: If I could share one thing with student athletes and upcoming pro players as they progress in their athletic careers, it would be to “figure out what’s important.” It’s not always easy to prioritize faith & family when you are a student-athlete, especially on college campuses. You’re exposed to a lot of social pressures, trying to balance athletics and academic work, and maintain a social life. All of these factors can distract you from your relationship with God, but at the end of the day your actions will show where your faith and focus is.
Check out Jacob’s testimony here.
Learn more about Jacob Tamme's Charity "Swings for Soldiers Classic" here.
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