Franchise ResourcesBoehm triumphs over adversity
Adam Boehm’s football career was launched in the fall of 1990, when he enrolled at Milwaukee’s Vincent High School. After spending much of his time there flying under the radar, Adam broke out in a big way his junior year as he won All-Conference and All-District Player of the Year honors for his work at Defensive End and Offensive Guard, en route to becoming Vincent’s Most Improved Player of 1992.
In 1993, he repeated at both All-Conference and All-District titles before graduating. Propped up by his success at Vincent, Adam was accepted by Mt. Scenario College in Ladysmith in 1994. His first year was a relatively quiet one as he learned the new system, although his team, the Fighting Saints, won their first Conference title with him on the squad.
By the Fall of 1995, Adam had adapted to the rigors of college ball and, with a better understanding of Mt. Scenario’s defensive schemes, Adam flourished, racking up numbers so regularly, he not only was declared Most Improved Player that very year, but also racked up an impressive array of awards, including Team Defensive MVP, Don Hanson’s Weekly All-American, NAIA All-American, and was a First-Team selection to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) All-Conference Team. To cap it all off, Adam and the Saints won their Conference Championship.
Astonishingly, Adam repeated not only at Team Defensive MVP, but he capped off a highly successful college career by winning two more consecutive Don Hanson and NAIA All-American titles, was selected to the All-Conference First-Team twice more, and was named Team and UMAC MVP before graduating from “The Mount” in 1997 as a four-time Conference Champion.
After graduation, Adam tried out for the Badger State Vikings of the Midwest Football League and was signed. Not much is known about his time there, as records such as stats could not be located, but after his time with the Vikings, he went to play for the Madison Maddogs of the Indoor Football League in 2000. When the AFL purchased the Indoor Football League and had it dissolved, Adam returned to his semi-pro roots, signing first with the Milwaukee Marauders (Mid-States Football League) the following year, where he made the MSFL All-Star 2nd Team.
In 2002, Adam played for their MSFL rival, the Milwaukee Avalanche. It was during this season where Adam’s career was ground to a sudden halt, as he was shot in his right hand during an altercation at a local nightclub. Suffering major nerve damage, he was forced to undergo multiple surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy to restore the function in his hand. He would not return to play with the Avalanche.
When he was physically able to return to the field, he decided to get back into the Indoor scene. He did so by signing with the Lacrosse Night Train of the now defunct National Indoor Football League in 2003.
Adam moved yet again the following year, signing with the AF2’s Green Bay Blizzard when the Night Train itself folded just before the 2004 season. Life threw another hitch Adam’s way, however, as he received notification that he had been accepted into the Milwaukee Police Academy. He could not provide time for both but he did not give it much thought, however, as his wife, Jennifer, had just given birth to a baby girl which had elevated the bar for his personal responsibilities.
So, he once again hung up the laces to work on securing a better future for his young family. Football would, and could, wait. As it turned out, it would have to wait longer than he had anticipated, when the rotating shifts that accompanied his newfound occupation forced him to sit out another four years he quietly agonized over not being able to play, but his family would come first. There would be another time, he thought. He was sure of it.
That time came in January of 2009, when he braved a blizzard to join 60+ others in the UW-Whitewater Field house for an opportunity to play with the Burlington Blue Devils.
As he ran through the test battery, he met expectations of Burlington Head Coach and Co-Owner, Tom Hawkins, but he had one doubt. “Age was a concern,” Hawkins explained. “We weren’t sure of the impact it would have on his ability to perform.”
But that concern gave way to his reputation, which had preceded him.
“We had heard of his skill beforehand,” said Hawkins. “He looked like a pretty strong guy. He performed well (in the tryouts), so we’ll give him a chance by giving him a further look.”
That further look turned into a starting position on the Blue Devils’ newly retooled defensive line, and that chance paid huge dividends for Burlington that year, as Adam was a common sight in opposing teams’ backfield. In 11 games, he racked up 59 tackles; 10 of which were for losses, compiled 11 sacks, forced 3 fumbles, and recovering 1.
His stellar performance garnered the ‘rookie’ a spot on the Ironman Football League’s All-Star team.
“He was exactly what we had hoped for,” Hawkins said when asked about his thoughts on his new DE. “He brought a great knowledge of the game, and with it, a solid leadership role that strengthened the defensive unit as a whole.”
Hawkins has hopes that his defensive anchor will be back for the 2010 season. “Hopefully,” said Hawkins. “We’ve discussed it. “We have some new guys coming in next year, and Adam will be instrumental in refining what proved to be a solid defense last year.
“We fully expect him to play a big part in our continued hopes for an Iron Bowl Championship.”
