The Baltimore Ravens’ Sean Considine on the Outdoors and His Future
John E. Phillips 02.02.13
On Sunday, February 3, 2013, when the Baltimore Ravens come out of the tunnel to face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, one of the men to keep your eye on is number 37, Sean Considine. Considine, an avid outdoorsman who is on Mossy Oak’s Pro Staff, will be living the dream he’s had for most of his life and his entire football career.
When you have a big longbearded gobbler coming to you, and you know within only a few seconds you’ll have to make the shot, you must subdue your emotions, remember how you’ve trained for the shot and be ready to squeeze the trigger. Once the opportunity presents itself to take a trophy buck standing 20 yards from you during bow season, you can’t let the emotions of buck fever take charge of your shot. You have to mentally go through your shooting routine and calm yourself down to hold the pin on your bow steady and get a clean release and a smooth follow-through. Sean Considine, number 37 for the Baltimore Ravens, has faced both of these hunting challenges, throughout most of his life. As Considine prepares for tomorrow’s XLVII Super Bowl, we wanted to know how he handles the emotions of playing in the biggest game of his football career.
“Just as when deer hunting and turkey hunting, I’ll have to rely on the fundamentals that I know lead to success,” Considine emphasizes. “The Super Bowl will be won by the team that pays close attention to the fundamentals of football and doesn’t give way to the emotions of the event. This type of football game is where many players believe they have to go on the field and do something extraordinary, like make a big play. I’ve learned that this kind of thinking causes a team to lose. I know that the team that stays focused and relies on the fundamentals of football that the team’s players have used all season long to get to the Super Bowl will be the team that comes out on top at the end of the game.
“I know that when I come out of that tunnel and step out on the field to play in this Sunday’s Super Bowl, my heart will be racing. I’ll be excited to play in this game, but I’ll also remember the hard road I’ve traveled to get to this day and this game. I didn’t receive a scholarship to the University of Iowa. I was a walk on (non-scholarship athlete). I didn’t even start in a college football game until my junior year. To be able to make it to the NFL and now have the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl is a real dream come true, after all the work, the pain, the disappointments and the victories.
“I pinch myself every day, since I’ve learned my teammates and I will be going to the XLVII Super Bowl. My appearance in the Super Bowl this Sunday is not just about me. It’s about all the people who have helped me all along the way to be able to get to this point in time. Many of those same people who have coached, encouraged, taught, and spent time with me will be in the Super Bowl stands this Sunday watching me. By performing well on Sunday, this will be my way of saying thank you to all the people who have helped me get to where I am.”
Every football player knows that at some point in time, he’ll leave the game and have to transition to being a person who loves the game of football but can no longer play it. We wanted to know what Considine plans to do when his playing days are over.
“I’ve been fortunate to meet numbers of very successful businessmen and businesswomen throughout my college days of football and my time in the NFL,” he replied. “When my playing days are over, I plan to reach out to some of these people and learn what type of opportunities I have. Perhaps I’ll start a business. I’ve built a home in my hometown of Byron, Illinois, which has about 5,000 residents. So, I want to try to find something to do in that area.
“When my football days are over, I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do. I want to spend a lot of time improving the property I’ve bought for wildlife. I enjoy building food plots and improving habitat for wildlife, besides harvesting animals. Since I’ve been in the NFL, I’ve spent time applying for preference points, in drawing for big game animals out West, in a wide variety of states. I’d like to go on a Yukon moose hunt. I’d love to hunt elk and mule deer in the western part of the United States, tpp. I’m looking forward to having some time off and getting back to my hunting roots.
“As I’ve mentioned earlier, I love to create green fields on my property and plant the many different crops that Mossy Oak BioLogic has for wildlife. While I still have some playing days in front of me, I want people to know I’m just a small town guy with a strong work ethic and a love for football and the outdoors. I’ve learned I can be successful, when I learn all I can, and work as hard as I can. Although football, hunting and fishing are my passions, the most-important thing to me is my family, including my wife and four children.”
Many people don’t realize that Sean Considine has 19-month-old triplets, a little girl named Hadley and two boys named Cohen and Corven. And, Considine quickly adds, “We also have a five-year-old son named Caden. I have an exceptional wife. If you have triplets, you have to have an exceptional wife who loves children and loves caring for them, like my wife does. All four of my children will be at the XLVII Super Bowl on Sunday. I feel my entire family’s being a part of the Super Bowl with me is very important and really special for me.”
Number 37 Sean Considine for the Baltimore Ravens will be playing in XLVII Super Bowl, and we can watch the plays he makes. We’ll know the man inside the helmet and under the black and blue uniform. Sean Considine is: a family man; an outdoorsman; a kid from a small town who’s made his way to playing in the biggest football game in the world of the year through hard work; and a Mossy Oak Pro Staffer who loves to hunt and wear the same Mossy Oak clothing that makes him a part of all that’s Mossy Oak.
To learn more about Mossy Oak, go to www.mossyoak.com.
John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.
Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.
The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.
Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.
While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.
Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.
EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.
EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.
WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."
