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Leadership Corner for July 23
July 23, 2008
Green Bay Packers tackle Mark Tauscher is finishing his first year as an alternate Player Representative. This is his ninth season in the NFL. The 31-year-old Wisconsin native talks about teaching school, playing tennis and how a golf pro messed up his swing.
ON GETTING TO KNOW THE UNION: Going to my first Player Representative meetings in Maui was helpful, because I learned so much to take back to the guys. It was also good to get to know different people on staff, like [General Counsel] Dick Berthelsen and [Staff Counsel] Tom DePaso and to pick their brains about the history and what’s happened in the past, which can help us figure out what’s going to happen moving forward.
ON HIS SECOND CAREER: I think I’ll work as a school teacher after I retire. I got my Masters in educational administration, and I’ve always enjoyed going to different schools and speaking to kids. I like working with younger kids, because you can influence them more.
ON THE TENNIS COURT: I play with both of my brothers. It’s tough on the joints, but it’s actually good for football. It’s a lot of starting and stopping, similar to an offensive play. I probably don’t look the most elegant out there, but I like doing it.
ON THE GOLF COURSE: Golf is what I like to do to relax. I play a lot. I like to play with [PGA Tour golfers] Jerry Kelly, Steve Stricker and Andy North. I’m a self-taught guy, but I took some advice from Jerry, a Madison [Wisconsin] guy. He actually screwed me up, probably set me back two or three years with my swing. He’s a little guy and has a whole different swing, so what he taught me really didn’t work.
ON COMPETITION: I’m just as competitive on the golf course or tennis court as on the football field. It’s just the nature of the beast. Whether it’s a game, conversation or debate, it all comes down to wanting to win. Athletes are competitive about everything. That’s what makes us us.
