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Schubert: Small stature, big promise
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Chris Schubert (22) makes a catch against Clarence Curry during The Mahoning Valley Thunder practice at the Chevey Centre on Tuesday March 25, 2009.
At 5-9, 190 pounds, the 22-year-old rookie was talented enough to get invited to the Cleveland Browns’ mini camp and make the Thunder’s permanent roster.
YOUNGSTOWN — Chris Schubert is the Mahoning Valley Thunder’s youngest player at 22 and the former Oberlin football player may be the smallest at 5-9, 190.
But he was good enough to get invited to a Cleveland Browns mini-camp last May and he gave the Thunder coaching staff reason to keep him when cuts were made last Saturday after a 10-day training camp with the af2 team.
“Coming out of high school, I got a lot of looks by Mid-American Conference schools,” Schubert said. “I got offered by Ball State but their coach went to Cincinnati before the fall. At that point, I said ‘I’m just going to go to Oberlin.’
“There was a good scholarship in place between the high school and the college where, if you graduate from Oberlin High and go to Oberlin College, you don’t pay any tuition. So, I wanted to get a great education.”
That made plenty of sense and it also paid dividends for the Yeomen, who benefited from Schubert’s career-record receiving yardage (2,536), touchdown receptions (23), kickoff return yards (2,867) and punt return yards (343).
As a senior, he earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors as both a receiver and return specialist.
“I thought, ‘If I can get a shot with the Browns, I’m sure I can play somewhere,’ ” Schubert said of keeping his options open after May, 2008.
“I just stayed in shape and went to Arena Football League tryouts. Luckily, coach [Mike] Hold was at a few of them. In November, coach Hold called me and said he’d like to offer me a contract.”
Schubert said his ability to comprehend and digest receiver routes and plays is a quality that served him well.
Despite being a rookie, not only during his time around the AFL but overall, Schubert adjusted quickly.
“I studied the playbook, worked with coach a lot and got input from guys who have been around arena ball. Coach liked what he saw and, luckily, I made the team.
“It was good having the [AFL] tryouts because I adapted to this style of game and got little preview of what it was like. So I came in with a bit of a background in it.”
Schubert’s tryouts were with the Cleveland Gladiators, Grand Rapids Rampage. Orlando Predators and Columbus Destroyers.
For the Thunder, Schubert will be used as a wide receiver and kick returner.
His indoctrination to the Chevy Centre’s walls was Monday during the Thunder’s first post-camp practice.
“At least it’s padded,” Schubert said of being knocked into it a few times by defensive backs. “It’s just a matter of learning how to go into the wall and how to use them.”
Combined with football attributes such as speed, hands, mind and moves, Schubert believes that his best trait is his work ethic.
“Being diligent and making sure you know the plays is huge if you want to get in the game faster.”
Schubert, who refers to himself as the “younger brother” of the rest of the players, graduated last spring with a degree in sociology.
If he weren’t with the Thunder this spring, what would he be doing?
“I was looking into being a social worker or become a personal trainer or getting into football in some other way,” Chris said of his time as an assistant football coach at Oberlin while trying out with the AFL teams.
Schubert’s acceptance to Oberlin was only the beginning of a regimen that required a steady workload.
“It was tough to get in. It’s a prestigious school but I had to work at it. That really helped me because our playbook in college was in-depth. Being able to do that, along with work, was really tough but it was good that I got that degree to back me up.”
To compensate for his lack of size in the game, Schubert says he stays after practice and works on little things.
“It’s the chance of a lifetime that most people don’t get, so I’m trying to do the best I can.”
bassetti@vindy.com