by Jorge Jaramillo

Aaron Bauder, a former semi-professional football player and current Cornerstone student, never played football in school until 10th grade.

Football was a game that Bauder enjoyed. By the time he retired his jersey for the last time to do what God called him to do, he had played in stadiums with several thousand people roaring in their seats, hit players who played professionally and even signed his autograph on a few footballs.

Before donning shoulder pads and football cleats for Boyceville High School in Boyceville, Wis., Bauder first tried his hand at other activities, including basketball, soccer and baseball. After joining the Boyceville football team, he became a one-sport athlete focusing all his attention on football.

After high school, Bauder said he had no intention of playing football professionally or semi-professionally. He said he did not care much, and it was not a big deal to him.

“The only reason I played in college is because I love the game,” Bauder said.

His parents desired that he attend a Christian school. So long as he did, they would pay for all his college expenses.

The first collegiate stop for Bauder was Maranatha Baptist Bible College.

“It’s a totally different game than in high school — a lot more intense. Regardless of what division you’re in, it pretty much controls your life,” Bauder said. Sunday was his only day to rest and do homework.

In college, Bauder said the practices are a lot more mentally tough than in high school. The coaches expect the athletes to stay in shape by themselves. In college, you have different defensive schemes each week for different teams, because college football is so complex.

During his freshman year, he was redshirted due to a serious illness. He spent that year working out in the weight room.

“I went to play football, but I wasn’t even thinking about my life or what I wanted to major in,” Bauder said.

As a sophomore, he was in the starting lineup on defense.

“Coming out of high school, I wasn’t good enough to get a full ride anywhere. I was getting the best football program as far as Christian schools go, and getting it for free because my parents were paying for it,” Bauder said.

Even though he did not know what he was going to do, he said he knew that he needed to get away from Maranatha because it did not have his major. He said it was more of a business and Bible school, but Bauder was falling more and more in love with sports.

When Bauder decided to transfer to the University of Wisconsin-Stout, he thought his football days were over. Unexpectedly, he received an e-mail invite to the combine (a place where they do testing and training and decide who makes the cut) of the Chippewa Valley Predators, a semi-professional team, but that fell through due to class schedule conflicts.

After reading an online article, he discovered the Northwest Wisconsin Wolverine’s. He could not make their combines, either. Instead, he got invited to their mini-camp where he made the team, also semi-professional, without trying out.

At that point, Bauder was officially part of the NEFL (Northern Elite Football League). The NEFL had a deal with the NFL that players could not be paid salaries. A lot of guys wanted to play in the NFL, but Bauder said he did not think that way.

The crowds at each game would vary from a few hundred to several thousand fans. The Chippewa Valley Predators ironically turned out to be the Wolverine’s arch-rival.

Player’s received perks like 20 percent off at Dunham’s, and one time they received $10,000 to go out to eat. The team would even sign footballs that would be auctioned off at halftime.

“It feels weird to sign your name on something just to sign it,” Bauder said. “Nothing made me more important or better than the person I was giving it to. It was never going to be worth anything.”

Bauder managed to start every game except for one due to injury. He said there was a big steroid issue in the NEFL, because players did not have to be tested.

“There were originally 53 guys [on the team], and because of steroids and the recklessness of the league, we ended the season with only 30-something guys,” Bauder said. “Some people were so ‘roid raged that they would hit people so hard, they would hurt themselves.”

The owner of the Northwest Wisconsin Wolverines, Lee Metheny, had this to say about Bauder: “Aaron is a very outgoing hard worker who doesn’t know the word ‘quit.’”

Bauder said he eventually got sick of the atmosphere of driving his drunken friends around. He also did not want to go back to another Christian school with football and feel obligated to play.

“I wanted to do what God wanted me to do, and go where He wanted me to go. And it actually worked out down to the dollar that I was able to go here [Cornerstone University].”

He said his parents are not paying for his college expenses anymore, but they are helping out. He is currently majoring in exercise science and has a double minor in biology and coaching.

“I plan on coaching on the side when I can [after college],” Bauder said. “But I don’t want to make a living as a coach. My dream job would be a strength and conditioning coach at a Division I college. I want to train athletes.”