Whether indoors or out, Tackmann finds success

By Joe Scalzo

The avid outdoorsman has made an early impact on the Thunder.

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning Valley Thunder linebacker John Tackmann grew up in Altoona, Wis., a little town in the southwest part of the state about 90 minutes from the Twin Cities. He’s an avid hunter, and fisherman, so living in Youngstown has been a different experience.

“I’m used to having lakes and rivers everywhere,” he said. “To not be able to take a boat out and be in the water in five minutes is a bit of an adjustment.”

As much as he loves being outdoors, he’s found some success indoors, too.

Tackmann, a two-time All-America linebacker at Division II Winona (Minn.) State University, made a team-high 61‚Ñ2 tackles and added three rushing touchdowns to help Mahoning Valley to a 59-33 victory over the Albany Conquest last Saturday. The af2 named him its U.S. Army Ironman of the Week.

“We’ve known since day one that John could play this game at a high level,” Thunder coach Mike Hold said. “Saturday night he was all over the field and the rest of the team fed off his energy throughout.

“His versatility is his biggest strength; we’re able to move him all around the field and create match-up problems for the opposition. Those players are hard to find.”

Tackmann had never been to an arena football league game in person before joining the Thunder this winter, although he’d watched a few on TV. After going undrafted last year, he had a tryout with the Minnesota Vikings and, later, the Colorado Crush of the Arena League. Neither worked out, but Tackmann wasn’t ready to stop playing football. He shares an agent with Thunder quarterback Josh Swogger, so when the Ursuline High graduate joined the Thunder, his agent sent Tackmann’s info to Hold.

“I think I got a call the next day saying they were interested in having me come up,” said Tackmann. “It’s always been my dream to play professional football, so as long as I’m still able to play, it’s a dream I’m going to keep pursuing.”

Like all players, he’s had to adjust to arena rules. Tackmann plays the “Jack” linebacker, meaning he cannot blitz (only the “Mac” linebacker can blitz) and is limited to playing within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. (A fisherman, he might call it his tackle box.) It’s different, but his opening night performance shows he’s got a short learning curve.

“It’s still football,” he said. “You read and react. It’s a quicker game on a smaller field, which is an interesting combination.

“I’m still learning. I wouldn’t say it’s tough [the adjustment], but it’s different.”

Tackmann also sees spot duty at quarterback, using his 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame to bull his way to 25 yards on five carries against Albany. He also serves as the team’s placeholder on kicks.

“It’s been awesome,” he said of the experience. “I don’t know what it’s like from a fan’s standpoint, but for a player it’s constant excitement.

“It’s everything I thought it would be.”

Tackmann graduated with degrees in ecology and biology education and worked as a substitute teacher in Minnesota last fall. He also worked the door at a bar on the weekends — “Something low-key,” he said, adding, “there’s not much to do on weekends” — and did his best to stay in shape, while breaking in a new hunting dog in his free time. Youngstown is bigger than his previous homes — he’s also not used to being within driving distance of two major cities — but he’s already tried a few Italian restaurants, which shows he’s adjusting.

“I’m a big Italian fan,” he said.

His eventual goal is to keep getting paid to play football — preferably at a higher level.

“That’s what we’re all looking to do,” he said. “You want to win games for the team, but you also want to do your best to move up to the next level.”

scalzo@vindy.com