For Baker alumnus Tanner Purdum, heading to the NFL was the ultimate goal for his post-football career.
With the advice from many coaches and even NFL veteran Louis Aguiar, Purdum began his tedious workout regimen after graduating in 2007.
Three years and 128 homemade DVDs and envelopes later, Purdum received a call from the Chiefs to come try out as a long snapper.
“Within two weeks (of mailing) I got a call from the Chiefs to try out,” Purdum said. “Taking the initiative and doing it myself, with the help of my wife, really helped.”
Only a few days later, Purdum signed on the dotted line.
After graduating from Baker with his undergraduate degree in education, Purdum connected with Aguiar, a former kicker for the Chiefs, and a family friend of his wife, Kara.
After attending Aguiar Kicking Academy in Las Vegas for two years, Purdum said he was about to fly out for the third time when he received the call from the Chiefs.
“(Aguiar) told me to come out to the camp the spring after my senior season,” Purdum said. “He told me to put on weight, and I’m now at 270 (pounds).”
Junior David Foltz, who caught snaps from Purdum, said the transformation was obvious.
“The most obvious change was when he put on weight,” Foltz said. “You could tell he was really pursuing his dream hard. That summer before I came in, the summer before his senior year, he wasn’t much over 200 pounds. He’s always had a really powerful arm, which translates really well in snapping.”
After graduating, Purdum moved on to Avila University where he served as a graduate assistant. A year later he transferred back to Baker where he was a GA for the football team during its 2008 campaign. He will graduate in May with a master’s in education.
Head coach Mike Grossner, who Purdum played under for three years, said his time at Baker has helped other players see the rewards of hard work.
“They know he worked hard. They’ve watched him snap, and now that he’s made it, I feel like they’re saying ‘Wow, he’s one of us,'” Grossner said. “He was right there next to us, and it proves that point that if you work hard and set a goal, you might have a chance to land at the highest level.”
NFL tryouts weren’t anything new to Purdum. Last year, he was given the opportunity to try out for the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks.
“Green Bay flew him out last year and almost signed him,” Grossner said. “A lot of people liked him in that organization but didn’t pull the trigger. Seattle almost did, too. It was ironic because Seattle traded their guy to KC, which opened the door for Tanner, and now he was released from KC, which opened another door.”
Purdum said although he was working hard to enter the NFL, he knew he needed something else to fall back on.
“I had just planned on coaching after I was done, along with finishing my master’s and getting that paid for,” he said. “Once I set my mind to it, there was nothing holding me back. Along with coaching and getting my master’s, I’ve accomplished it.”
As Purdum begins his rookie career in the NFL, Grossner praised him for his good character and work ethic.
“Tanner will never change,” he said. “Some guys, all the sudden fame hits, but he won’t forget where he came from.”