Chris Schubert will officially begin his third season in professional football when his Fayetteville Force will host the Carolina Speed on Friday (March 18) in the season opener. Goyeo.com contributor Hal Sundt recently chatted with Chris to find out what it is like to truly “live the dream.”

It's a good thing Chris Schubert has a long history of proving his doubters wrong.

I was supposed to interview Schubert over the phone, and I was skeptical, to say the least. Interviews over the phone are supposed to ineffective, incapable of revealing the subtle nuances of people; their facial expressions, the way they sit, their body language. And would an interview over the phone even work? Would the volume on the phone be loud enough? Would he be able to hear me? How could I possibly capture his personality and emotion as we were separated by over 500 miles, held together by an unsteady phone connection? And further, after a long day of class, I was exhausted and even considered canceling the interview 15 minutes before it was supposed to begin and rescheduling for another day.

I hesitantly dial Schubert's number.

“What's up Hal,” says a voice loudly, clearly and energetically.

Because of his preseason football schedule with the Fayetteville Force, a professional football team in the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL), Schubert could not be interviewed until the end of his practice day. The process begins around 8 a.m., when he grabs breakfast and stretches out. Team meetings and position meetings begin at noon. Skill position players, like Schubert who plays wide receiver, have practice from 1-3 p.m. Players report back to the facilities around 5:30 p.m. to get taped up and stretched out before a second practice in the evening that usually lasts from 6:15 p.m.-8:30 p.m. By the time Schubert is free to kick back and relax (or let me pepper him with questions), it is 10 o'clock in the evening and he has been working out over a period of nine hours.

But Chris doesn't sound tired.

So we begin with the basics; his height (5'9''), weight (180 pounds) and 40-yard dash time (4.45 seconds), before we move to the stuff that really matters.

“What's it like to play professional football?” I finally ask.

“It's most people's dream to do what they want to do,” Schubert says. “A lot of people don't have the chance to do what I am doing.”

It's true. Most student-athletes hang up their cleats at the end of their college careers, replacing their jerseys with business suits. But Schubert wasn't like most student-athletes. Following a four-year career at Oberlin College which saw Schubert become the school's all-time leader in receiving yards (2,536), touchdown receptions (23), kick return yards (2,867) and punt return yards (343), he decided to pursue his aspirations of playing professionally.

In May of 2008 Schubert attended the rookie/free agent minicamp for the Cleveland Browns. While the Browns decided to cut him at the end of camp, Schubert proved that he belonged playing with the best.

“I was pretty proud of my performance,” Schubert says. “The player personnel director at the time said that I did a very good job, better than some of the other guys they drafted.”

That summer and winter of 2008, Schubert hit the weights hard and worked out with top-tier competition, such as current New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham. Matching up with these other guys, Schubert knew he could play football professionally.

In November of 2008 Schubert signed a professional contract with the Mahoning Valley Thunder, a member of AF2, the Arena Football League's development system, where he played in seven games. He caught 20 passes for 204 yards and scored three touchdowns. The following season Schubert joined the Richmond Raiders of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) where he burst onto the scene. He caught 72 passes for 815 yards and scored 21 touchdowns on his way to a team-leading 132 points scored. At the end of the season, Schubert worked out for the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League, and was offered a contract by the team. However, Schubert and some of his teammates vowed to stick with their recently released Raiders head coach Charles Gunnings, who is now the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of the Force.

“It's really tough to find loyalty in professional sports,” Schubert explains. “We told him wherever you end up we would go with you.”

Even over the phone I can sense Schubert's quiet confidence. He's modest and humble, willingly offering up praise for his teammate and roommate Jerome Mann. “He's the best defensive back that I've ever played against. He's the truth.” but Schubert also possesses an edge like a player with something to prove. He turned down a scholarship at Ball State as well as the opportunity to walk-on at Kentucky, Purdue and every school in the Mid-American Conference, in order to attend Oberlin. Teams have labeled Schubert as “undersized,” and questioned his skill level for playing at a small school.

“I like challenges”, Schubert says definitively. “If you want to knock me for my size I'm going to prove to you that I can still get open.”

And yet, Schubert has found a balance that few athletes, at all levels, ever seem to fully grasp. He's confident, not cocky, tough not mean. He knows what past coaches and scouts have said about his size and that motivates him. He has harnessed his competitive edge to push him to new heights on the football field, but simultaneously possesses the ability to step back and relish that fact that he is still playing football. Over the phone he remains upbeat, almost giddy as he reflects on his current form of employment.

“While you're in it,” he says, “sometimes you kind of lose sight. And then you get recognized in a mall and someone asks you for an autograph. I've never complained for playing a sport for a job, being able to chase a dream, I'm going to do it until my body says that I can't, it's a dream.”

And for everyone else who is stuck in a cubicle from 9-5, cashing checks as they stare into a computer screen, Schubert can't help but feel fortunate that he is still following his dream.

“I've got a lot of friends who make a lot of money who say they'd trade it in in a second to still be playing ball,” Schubert says. “I know that this can be taken away from me at any point, but until then I'm going to go full speed ahead.”

Schubert's energy and passion are contagious, the effect of talking to a professional about doing what he loves. Following our interview, I feel invigorated. And then I sit back and wonder what Chris Schubert thinks when he's watching a college football game and he sees the commercial for NCAA Student-Athletes that reminds the general public of the future prospects of most college athletes.

"There are over 360,000 NCAA Student-Athletes, and just about all of us will be going pro, in something other than sports."

Does he remember all of the times he was told he was too small to play at the next level? Does he feel fortunate that he attended a world-class academic institution and earned a degree that he could always fall back on in case he was one of those 360,000 soon-to-be non-athletes?

Or does he quietly lower his head, tie his shoelaces extra tight, and make his way to the weight room with a small grin on his face as he thinks, Not me. Not yet.

Schubert's closest game to Oberlin will be on May 21 When the Force travel to Erie, Pa, to take on the Explosion at 7 p.m. The game will be played at the Louis J. Tullio Arena (2047 West 12th St., Erie, PA). For more information about the Force visit http://www.fayettevilleforce.net/