Lomira Pro Football Player Overcomes Obstacles to Reach His Goals

As a kid, everyone has a dream, and for some, it is to be a professional athlete, but how does someone achieve that dream of playing at the highest levels?
Here is the story of a local player, Jeremy Unertl, who built himself into a ten-year professional football player due to his work ethic, determination to stay on the right path no matter what hurdles came his way, discipline, and possibly being the best athlete ever in the area and beating the odds where fewer than two percent of high school athletes become professional athletes.
Unertl’s athletic journey started at Lomira High School as a three-sport star athlete playing basketball, baseball, and football for the Lions.
“Football wasn’t my favorite sport at the beginning because I wasn’t exposed to it until my freshman year of high school, because we didn’t have the youth opportunities that kids have currently,” said Unertl. “Baseball was the best sport at an early age, but my senior year was marked by great success in playing football as a quarterback and defensive back.”

“Coach Hatlen came to give the program structure and winning-culture environment at Lomira, plus we had a good crop of kids, which is important with the right timing, hard work, and a little luck to build a winning team,” said Unertl.
“Jeremy was a very talented and hardworking player. The light bulb went on in his senior year as an All-State defensive back by helping us win a couple of playoff games that year,” said former Lomira Football Head Coach Randy Hatlen. “Players looked up to him and followed his lead because he worked hard with nothing given to him on a silver platter.”
“I played in the 1997 Shrine All-Star Football Game after my senior year and discovered that I could hang with the elite players in the state,” said Unertl. “I noticed at that time some high school athletes had most of the athleticism but didn’t want to work to get the most out of their ability; they self-selected out because they didn’t want to work and fight to get better.”
“Jeremy is an amazing success story from our area with the resilient journey he went on through his career,” said KFIZ Sports Director Chuck Freimund, who covered Lomira during the 1996-1997 seasons.
Unertl went to college at UW-La Crosse for the sports management program, and the Eagles had a good football program.
“I discovered the weight room full-time at La Crosse by adding 15-20 lbs of muscle due to the discipline of the sport and attention to detail because football is the ultimate team sport,” said Unertl. “You have to fight for your position, and I was committed to the grind of the process in the sport because the hardest jump at any level was the jump to college from high school.”
Unertl tore his ACL in the spring game after playing seven games on the JV team during his freshman year, and it was the first time he had gotten hurt in his career, leading to another obstacle in his football career where he had the opportunity to quit (some players don’t respond to this adversity in their careers).
“The redshirted year was the best thing for me because it allowed me to mature and to be a year older by sophomore year,” said Unertl. “It took me over a year to get over the injury mentally, but I never considered quitting the sport.”
“One of the best things that happened to me was when my long-time respected UW-La Crosse defensive back coach, Barry Schockmel, pulled me aside after the surgery and told me, ‘You are going to be an All-American here,’” said Unertl. “That statement fueled my internal flames because it gave me confidence, and I felt obligated not to fail him, which drove my work ethic...”
By the time Jeremy’s UW-La Crosse career ended in 2001, he fulfilled Coach Schockmel’s prophecy by becoming an All-American his senior year, making the Third Team, and he was a two-time WIAC conference player with a First Team selection his senior year.
“Jeremy was certainly one of the most highly skilled athletes that I have ever coached, being the fastest athlete who ever played in our secondary,” said former UW-La Crosse Secondary Coach Barry Schockmel. “He was very coachable with his exceptional preparation, where Jeremy was able to process information very quickly before each play and was usually in the right place at the right time on each play.”
Other career highlights per the UW-La Crosse football record book are sixth in school history with 15 interceptions, tied for a single game record with three interceptions against UW-Eau Claire on October 30, 1999, and 209 career tackles as a safety.
Unertl was also a productive punt returner, sixth in school history with 716 return yards and seventh-best career return average at 11.3 yards for the Eagles’ program.
“I really didn’t think too much about playing professionally until my senior year when scouts started coming around and I was able to work out for the Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, and Indianapolis Colts,” said Unertl. “I had a great combine number with running a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash, but I wasn’t prepared mentally and scheme-wise coming from a small school, so I became an undrafted free agent.”
Jeremy signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted player out of UW-La Crosse in 2002 as an athletic free safety, who was best in open space and could cover ground in the secondary, to try to earn a spot on the roster (fewer than 0.01% of undrafted Division three players make an active NFL roster).
“I learned more in the first three days of mini-camp in Green Bay than at any previous time in my career by watching film three times a day,” said Unertl. “I discovered that I could hang with the Packers, but I got cut before training camp because I hurt my quad and discovered the business side of football for the first time.”
Unertl had another opportunity to quit, but signed with the Baltimore Ravens for another opportunity in the NFL before he signed back with the Packers at the end of the 2002 season, where he was assigned to NFL Europe allocated to Frankfurt in the Spring of 2003.
“NFL Europe was the best situation for me, and it taught me how to be a professional during my four months in Frankfurt, plus I learned a new position as a cornerback,” said Unertl.
Jeremy led the World League with four interceptions and won a World Bowl Championship with Galaxy to wrap up a productive year in NFL Europe before going back to the Packers Training Camp in 2003.
Unertl was on the first team special teams and making plays in preseason for the Packers, but he pulled his groin in the middle of training camp.
“Head Coach Mike Sherman pulled me aside before the last preseason game to see if I was able to play because roster cuts were coming up and we had a very long lightning delay in the game, which wasn’t best for me when playing through an injury,” said Unertl.
The Packers kept only eight defensive backs, with Unertl being the final defensive back cut in 2003, and he was given the option to play in NFL Europe again in 2004, but decided to look at other options.
Unertl was facing another opportunity to give up his journey as a professional football player. The odds were stacked against him as fewer than 1% of Division three players make it in any pro football league.
Jeremy chose to play in the Arena Football League in 2004, first with the Las Vegas Avengers in 2004-2005 (where he suffered another potential setback with a PCL injury to his knee in his first year with Vegas), and the Columbus Destroyers in 2005-2006, before he was traded to the Chicago Rush in 2006.
“I got traded to Chicago, where I hit my stride as a player and became one of the highest players in the league,” said Unertl. “It was where I found the right opportunity and coach, where I was able to use my ability to make plays on the field.”
Unertl was Chicago’s Team MVP in 2006 with eight interceptions, and he won another championship as an Arena Bowl champion. In 2007, he was a second-team All-Arena player.
“Jeremy was an intelligent player with great ball skills and a mature competitor who played with a chip on his shoulder,” said former Chicago Rush Head Coach Mike Hohensee. “He was a great communicator and always had us in a good position as far as the secondary goes.”
He had a productive three seasons with the Rush, totaling 331 tackles, 21 interceptions, and 7 overall touchdowns through the 2008 season, before he was ready to sign a two-year free agent contract with the Utah AFL franchise.
“Jeremy always brought a great attitude to any team-related function,” said Hohensee. “He was able to help us wherever he was needed because of his intelligence and athleticism, including making some huge plays for us on special teams.”
There was another wrench in his football journey when the Arena Football League ceased operations for the 2009 season after 22 years of playing quality football (the AFL did return in the 2010 season).
The next stop in his football journey was playing for the California Redwoods in the UFL to start the 2009 season, before crossing the border to play with the Toronto Argonauts in the historic Canadian Football League for his final two seasons in 2010-2011 to beat the odds of being a professional player for ten years.
Unertl had a productive two years in Toronto, finishing with 52 tackles, two interceptions (including a 69-yard touchdown), and one sack while playing as a safety and linebacker for the Argos.
“Jeremy was an extremely versatile player with his ability to play both as a defensive back and a linebacker, which gave our defense flexibility, with that being crucial in the CFL where hybrid players can make a real impact,” said former Toronto teammate and current Argonauts Alumni President Jason Pottinger. “Jeremy understood the game at a high level; he knew how to position himself to make plays rather than relying solely on athleticism.”
“Jeremy brought intensity to every rep, every practice, and every game by leading through preparation and performance, which resulted in moments of making a key tackle,” said Pottinger. “He was very well-liked by his teammates, and he was a great teammate in every sense. His journey from a small-town athlete to playing in multiple professional leagues is a great example for young players about what persistence, adaptability, and preparation can achieve.”
“Toronto was a great move for me to finish up my career,” said Unertl. “I could have played another few years, but I was able to leave on my terms and I was ready to start the next chapter of my life.”
“My football journey of 20 years went fast, but I loved the preparation and training during the week to get to the game, and I embraced the process because I love the grind and work of the journey,” said Unertl.
“For young athletes, be the best athlete you can be, and even if you are at a small school, they (colleges and professional teams) will find you if you are determined and work hard,” said Unertl. “Every kid matures and grows differently, but you need time to prepare yourself mentally and physically during the process.”
Unertl currently lives in Northern Orange County with his wife (Kasie) and their kids (ages 11, 9, 5), working as a sales manager for the past 14 years after retiring from football.
“I have had a seamless transition after football because my identity was much more than football, because the sport gave me the discipline, structure, and mentality of showing up every day,” said Unertl. “Physically, I am in good shape after playing football with only five surgeries (two elbow and three knee), and I still train six days a week.”
“I am most proud of making ten professional rosters during my ten-year career because you had to prove yourself every day to stay on the roster,” said Unertl. “You make yourself mentally and physically stronger because I was driven internally to never give up during the journey.”