*Photo Credit: dbking
Karl Mecklenburg
Former Denver Bronco, All-Pro and Inspirational Speaker
SPEAKER FEE RANGE: $12,000–$14,000 [FEE NOTE]
TRAVELS FROM: Colorado
Karl will help your organization by delivering a message of teamwork, courage, dedication, desire, honesty and forgiveness, and goal setting. As an NFL speaker he will tell football stories of perserverence and leadership along with family stories that are every bit as motivational. His message of universal, unchanging keys to success is tailored to your organization to inspire the best qualities in your team members. As a former NFL team captain and current professional speaker, Karl understands what it takes for a team to work together for the good of all. But, the message doesn’t stop there. Karl addresses what it takes to be successful in all aspects of life; at work, in relationships, at home, and personally. Karl is a respected professional speaker as well as a NFL celebrity whose name recognition helps drive attendance. He is a member of the National Speakers Association and approaches speaking in the same way he approached football in the NFL; with effort, intelligence, and passion.
Karl Mecklenburg excelled as a student and an athlete. His writing and presentations will teach your students, facility, and parents the "Six Keys to Success" that he used to complete his premed curriculum while playing major college football. Karl graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Biology, allowing him to choose between a career in medicine, or in professional football.
A Former Denver Broncos captain and All-Pro, Karl Mecklenburg rose from being a college walk-on and a 12th round draft pick to a pro career that included six Pro Bowl and three Super Bowl appearances. Considered the NFL's most versatile player, Karl played all seven defensive front positions. Bronco coaches wanted him at the point of attack and would move him throughout the game. There were many games where Mecklenburg played all 7 positions in the course of a single game.
Since retiring from pro football in 1995, Karl divides his time between family, motivational speaking, and his ongoing charity involvements. Karl and his wife Kathi have three children. The Mecklenburgs still live in Littleton Colorado and attend West Bowles Community Church. In 2001 Karl was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. He also serves on the Broncos Alumni Council.
The Mecklenburgs have had a strong commitment to many Colorado charities through the years, which they continue to uphold. In 2006 they formed the Karl Mecklenburg REACH Foundation in an effort to further impact the youth of Colorado. REACH stands for rewarding experiences for all children. A reading program and hands on experiential learning opportunities for Denver area youth, develop lifelong passions for learning and a willingness to take on new challenges. Join us for our third annual golf tournament on June 30th, 2008.
Karl has had numerous speaking engagements with church, school and civic groups. Karl and Kathi have both served on the board of directors for Pros With A Purpose. Pros works with Denver Rescue Mission to pair homeless families with community mentor-teams [volunteers]. These teams help the families to help themselves by providing budgeting, spiritual and vocational guidance as well as financial support such as apartment security deposit funds. Karl is a Trustee of Colorado Youth Outdoors. CYO brings high schoolers and their parents together to learn about and experience traditional outdoor sports. Karl has also served as an honorary board member with The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Aspen Youth Experience.
Both Karl and Kathi are deeply involved with A.Y.E. A.Y.E. brings inner city kids out of their normal urban environment to Aspen, Colorado. Most are leaving the city for the first time. This is a horizon broadening experience for the kids, in which they not only enjoy the beauty of nature, but also participate in many counseling, therapy and physically challenging situations. Through various activities such as camping, rap sessions, learning to ski, a ropes challenge course, and spending time with stable host-families, these at risk kids learn not only how to set goals, but more importantly, how to challenge themselves to reach their goals. The Aspen Youth Experience philosophy is that every wall contains a door to a better future. Karl says, "A.Y.E. makes a long-term commitment to the kids that go through the program. Many of these children come from unstable families and knowing that we believe in them and are following their progress intently makes a huge difference in their lives."
Karl is a member of the National Speakers Association. He has enjoyed speaking to a variety of groups over the years, and his story is both humorous and inspirational. The lessons life in the NFL taught him about teamwork, courage, dedication, desire, honesty and forgiveness, and goal setting can be applied anywhere. Mecklenburg has used his special brand of motivation as an assistant football coach at Kent Denver High School, the independent School that his son attended. He has hosted a radio program, done television sideline reporting and studio work, written columns for the Denver Post and had magazine articles published. He is the coauthor of Meck For The Defense and the author of Heart of a Student Athlete.
A Former Denver Broncos captain and All-Pro, Karl Mecklenburg rose from being a college walk-on and a 12th round draft pick to a pro career that included six Pro Bowl and three Super Bowl appearances. Considered the NFL's most versatile player, Karl played all seven defensive front positions. Bronco coaches wanted him at the point of attack and would move him throughout the game. There were many games where Mecklenburg played all 7 positions in the course of a single game.
Since retiring from pro football in 1995, Karl divides his time between family, motivational speaking, and his ongoing charity involvements. Karl and his wife Kathi have three children. The Mecklenburgs still live in Littleton Colorado and attend West Bowles Community Church. In 2001 Karl was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. He also serves on the Broncos Alumni Council.
The Mecklenburgs have had a strong commitment to many Colorado charities through the years, which they continue to uphold. In 2006 they formed the Karl Mecklenburg REACH Foundation in an effort to further impact the youth of Colorado. REACH stands for rewarding experiences for all children. A reading program and hands on experiential learning opportunities for Denver area youth, develop lifelong passions for learning and a willingness to take on new challenges. Join us for our third annual golf tournament on June 30th, 2008.
Karl has had numerous speaking engagements with church, school and civic groups. Karl and Kathi have both served on the board of directors for Pros With A Purpose. Pros works with Denver Rescue Mission to pair homeless families with community mentor-teams [volunteers]. These teams help the families to help themselves by providing budgeting, spiritual and vocational guidance as well as financial support such as apartment security deposit funds. Karl is a Trustee of Colorado Youth Outdoors. CYO brings high schoolers and their parents together to learn about and experience traditional outdoor sports. Karl has also served as an honorary board member with The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Aspen Youth Experience.
Both Karl and Kathi are deeply involved with A.Y.E. A.Y.E. brings inner city kids out of their normal urban environment to Aspen, Colorado. Most are leaving the city for the first time. This is a horizon broadening experience for the kids, in which they not only enjoy the beauty of nature, but also participate in many counseling, therapy and physically challenging situations. Through various activities such as camping, rap sessions, learning to ski, a ropes challenge course, and spending time with stable host-families, these at risk kids learn not only how to set goals, but more importantly, how to challenge themselves to reach their goals. The Aspen Youth Experience philosophy is that every wall contains a door to a better future. Karl says, "A.Y.E. makes a long-term commitment to the kids that go through the program. Many of these children come from unstable families and knowing that we believe in them and are following their progress intently makes a huge difference in their lives."
Karl is a member of the National Speakers Association. He has enjoyed speaking to a variety of groups over the years, and his story is both humorous and inspirational. The lessons life in the NFL taught him about teamwork, courage, dedication, desire, honesty and forgiveness, and goal setting can be applied anywhere. Mecklenburg has used his special brand of motivation as an assistant football coach at Kent Denver High School, the independent School that his son attended. He has hosted a radio program, done television sideline reporting and studio work, written columns for the Denver Post and had magazine articles published. He is the coauthor of Meck For The Defense and the author of Heart of a Student Athlete.
- Six Keys to Success
Success is overcoming obstacles on the way to your dreams. It doesn’t happen by accident. There is a pattern, a template that these accomplishments have in common. Karl’s speeches give you the Six Keys to Success that he used to rise from a college walk-on to the most versatile player in the NFL. His presentation will be tailored to the needs of your group, and is full of humor and the life lessons that the rigors of the NFL taught him.
-Teamwork– leadership is the ultimate form of teamwork, “think we not me”;
-Courage to try new things and the courage to be decisive;
-Dedication– hard work, constant learning, and refusing to quit;
-Desire– your dreams, your passion, your mission;
-Honesty and Forgiveness, with others and in self evaluation; and
-Goal Setting– the short term, reasonable, specific steps that take you to your desires. These are the keys that you can apply at work, in your relationships, in your personal life, and anywhere that is important to you.
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