Most football players will never touch a ball again as part of a team after high school, and after college, it’s even more of a rarity. However, University of Idaho and Wenatchee High School graduate Mike Marboe may be getting a chance to play in the National Football League — the ultimate dream of most football players.

While Marboe didn’t make the draft, he did receive an exciting phone call inviting him to the Dallas Cowboys rookie camp, which he attended the weekend of May 9.

“The whole draft process is really stressful, every team is very secretive about it to everyone,” Marboe, who plays center, said. “It was a long, stressful process. It’s been a mental challenge, your mental toughness is tested every day. You don’t hear a lot of good stuff about yourself if you hear anything… [You have to] believe in yourself and focus on the task at hand. When you get a call, it’s relieving. Once it happened, it was nice to have a chance.”

While the draft system was taxing on Marboe, his family was extremely supportive.

“They’ve been great. All my friends and family have been supportive, every step of the way they got my back,” Marboe said. “It’s pretty great.”

Marboe’s sister and WHS graduate Ali Marboe agrees.

“It’s a really big deal, it’s so limited in the NFL,” Ali said. “A lot of people are done after college, but he went on and did the best he could. It’s a hard and rough system for him to go into but he loves football… My family is a total football family, my grandpa, dad, and brother played at the University of Idaho, definitely football is a big sport [for us].”

Since Marboe hasn’t been recruited by the Cowboys or picked up in the draft, he is currently a free agent, available to any NFL team. He has an agent who pitches him to teams and will notify him if he gets picked up by anyone. If not, he will just be “a normal American citizen,” Marboe said.

However, his ideal situation would be to “be picked up by a team, go to training camp, and play in the NFL,” Marboe said. “I’d feel very accomplished, and very proud – like I’m achieving my dream.”

“I think [Mike getting picked up by a team would] be amazing, I think he’d deserve every ounce of that,” Ali said, adding that he is not in it for money and is a great leader and role model. “He’s a good person on and off the field. My brother is the type of person who knows what a good football player is, he’s capable and he’s a good person.”

While Marboe doesn’t quite know yet what’s in store for him next fall, for now he is staying in shape and hoping for a call. Just being a part of the draft and going to rookie camp has been an accomplishment for him.

“At least I got this far,” Marboe said. “I wouldn’t trade the whole experience for the world.”