By Mark Eckel
Kafka, a fourth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 after setting quarterback records at Northwestern, has founded and is CEO of a new company called Roo Outdoors.
Roo’s website (roooutdoors.com) will tell you the company is an active lifestyle brand, founded on the brief that gear and apparel are than just accessories. They are part of you, your identity, and your lifestyle and can inspire you to embrace the elements.
Kafka’s signature apparel is the “Inferno Sport’’, a hand warmer which he developed for quarterbacks to replace the age-old one that has used well, almost forever.
“The game has changed so much, and the equipment we use has changed as well,’’ Kafka, who also has had stops with the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said. “But the pouch has never changed.’’ Until now.
“You see every quarterback from Joe Montana to Brett Favre to the guys today using the same one,’’ Kafka said. “We’ve improved on everything else, so why not that.’’
Kafka thought about it for a could of years and got to work on it last year when he spent most of the season on Tampa Bay’s practice squad, although he was on the active roster after starter Josh McCown was injured.
After long thought and some experimental procedures he came up with The Inferno Sport, which is a sleek “layer of armor’’ to protect a quarterback’s hands against the weather conditions.
“It’s slim and sleek,’’ Kafka said. “It’s not bulky at all, because that’s the last thing you want as a quarterback.’’
It also delivers warmth through enhanced technology by Polar Tec Insulation.
“We made it water-proof as well, so its protection in all kinds of weather,’’ Kafka said. “It’s really pretty good. It’s something that I think people are really going to like.’’
And not just quarterbacks.
“That’s what it was designed for, and I’m a football player so that was my thinking,’’ Kafka said. “But I have friends, who are outdoor type of guys, they hunt, fish, and then other friends who are golfers. They want it, too. It’s really an all-purpose hand protector.’’
The Inferno Sport is available in three colors — Jet Black, Victory Red and Nautical Blue — to fit most uniform schemes for football players or to match with most golfer’s schemes. For the hunter, it comes in camouflage, hunter green or blaze orange and includes a specialty belt that holds 10-15 rounds of ammunition.
“Two years ago when I was out of a football, I would work out in the morning, and then I’d have the rest of the day to myself. I was going out of my mind. I started to think about stuff I wanted to make, looking into different products. Figuring out how to manufacture them, what goes into building them.’’
Kafka began a kick starter campaign that provided $15,000 worth of funding. The item, along with t-shirts, hoodies and other gear is available on the company website. The hope is that they will be available everywhere in the next month, or so.
“At first, I asked myself if I would wear something like this,” Kafka said. “Then I started thinking about hunters and other outdoors people and golfers in the cold.’ Then I asked my dad, and he said, ‘I’m sure utility workers and policemen and firemen would like to have something like this. Any outdoor job where you can’t really wear big bulky gloves.’ Suddenly, I started to envision a market place for it.”
And now he has that place. But again, he’s not ready to give up career No. 1.
“I’m not calling it quits yet,’’ Kafka said of football career. “My agent (Mike McCartney of Priority Sports) is making calls. I’m hoping to be in a camp with someone.’’
Just in case, Kafka is completing his MBA at the University of Miami this winter and he has Roo Outdoors just getting started.
“Absolutely, you have to be prepared for life after football,’’ the quarterback said. “You know it doesn’t last forever.’’
Just like those old hand pouches that Montana and Favre used.