John Welbourn, a first-team All-Pac-10 left tackle as a senior at the University of California at Berkeley who earned a master's degree in rhetoric, learned a couple things about the Philadelphia Eagles leading up to the 1999 NFL Draft.
They didn't lie and they kept their plans close to the chest.
"Going through the pre-draft process, I had a couple teams tell me that they wanted to take me with either their second- or third-round pick. And then the Eagles came and worked me out, and I didn't really get much of a feeling that they were that interested," Welbourn says.
"So when I did get drafted, back then the first day was three rounds, I had teams calling me and saying, 'We're going to take you with our next pick.' And then they didn't. So I went to bed undrafted on that first day and then the phone rang at like 6 AM and either my mom or my sister-in-law came in and said, 'Hey, they just drafted you.' I had to turn on the TV to see who drafted me, and it was the Eagles.
"It was definitely kind of a surprise. And with first-year Head Coach Andy Reid, and kind of a storied organization, the more and more I checked into it, the more excited I got."
Mentored by veterans Bubba Miller, Lonnie Palelei, and Steve Everitt, the fourth-round pick not only earned a place on the roster, he started at right tackle in the season opener against Arizona.
But then, with just over one quarter of NFL experience, Welbourn's foot was caught in the Veterans Stadium turf when he was bullrushed by an Arizona defensive lineman.
"I heard this huge kind of pop and looked down and my knee cap was sitting like four inches too far to the right and too high," Welbourn said. "I ended up rupturing my patellar tendon."
After having surgery on his left knee that evening, Welbourn was placed on Injured Reserve. He faced a tough rehabilitation, but also a tough question. Did the start and finish of his NFL career occur in the same game?
"I kind of figured that was the end of my football career and all I was doing was rehabbing for the future. There was a scholarship to go to Berkeley Law School, so that was kind of the path I was going," Welbourn says. "And also, it's kind of a weird deal when you get put on Injured Reserve, especially as a rookie. I didn't have any family, no girlfriend, I was out there by myself living in an apartment. I was on crutches for like three months. So there really wasn't much to do, or really anything.
"And then in the offseason, they signed Jon Runyan to like a $40 million deal at right tackle. So I kind of figured my career was probably over before it started and I wasn't necessarily anywhere on their radar. I went into it looking like I'm going to rehab and try to get my knee as strong as I can so I can go live a normal life.
"And that was it. It was just about rehabbing my knee, getting back to normal, and thinking about what's going to be the next chapter of my life. I'm just kind of in purgatory in this one. That was how I viewed it."
Welbourn's view would have a sun rising over the Grand Canyon-type improvement. The less-than-positive thoughts faded as his knee grew stronger. There was no why me? Instead, it was what's next?
And what was next was the Eagles' 2000 season opener in Dallas. Yes, Runyan was now where Welbourn had started in Week 1 the previous year, right tackle, but the one-game veteran had worked his way back and was starting at left guard.
An anchor at that position over the next four seasons, Welbourn helped Philadelphia compile a 46-18 record and become a regular in the NFC Championship Game.
"The interesting thing about the Eagles, as we went out to play, running out the tunnel, I remember there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to win the game," Welbourn says. "And I knew that nobody wanted to come play in Veterans Stadium. Nobody wanted to play in front of that crowd. I felt like the Vet was such a home-field advantage that nobody thought they were going to win there.
"It was tough, it was hard. In TV timeouts, you'd see people just throwing fisticuffs. It was just this, like, edgy, gritty, Philly. And once we started winning and the town got behind us, I felt like there was nobody that could beat us. And when they did, it was like my head was going to pop off because I was shocked."
Welbourn's five-year tenure with the Eagles came to a close when he was part of a 2004 Draft Day trade with Kansas City.
"I really enjoyed playing in Philly and I still joke now when I happen to find my way back," Welbourn said. "It's like opening a closet and seeing a leather jacket that you haven't worn in a long time and throwing it on and being like, 'Man, this thing fits great,' and finding $20 in the pocket."
Following four seasons with Kansas City, Welbourn went to Training Camp with New England in 2008, but was released after failing a physical. Rehabbing another knee surgery at home and contemplating what's next, he was contacted by a stranger who'd answer that question.
"I got a phone call from a small fitness company at the time, and the CEO of the company, a guy named Greg Glassman, had started CrossFit, and asked me if I would come and help them develop a technology on how to train athletes. And I thought that was such an interesting statement, technology training. I had never viewed training as a technology. So I agreed to do it," Welbourn says.
"I ended up as a specialty matter expert, teaching seminars, and then running a website and designing a program kind of educating the CrossFit community on how to train athletes. And the first day we launched, it was like 17,000 hits. Then I proceeded to teach hundreds of seminars around the globe, from the Arctic Circle to New Zealand and back."
He then developed and became the founder of Power Athlete, a strength and conditioning organization focused on helping athletes become stronger, faster, and more durable through education and training.
"The reason Power Athlete came about was we started doing a lot of military contracting, especially working with Naval Special Warfare. And we went in and worked with the U.S. Army 18th Airborne Corps, implementing our training program with them," Welbourn says. "So I started working for CrossFit and then that relationship kind of came to an end and we started certifying coaches and helping people develop fitness technologies.
"We do a little bit of everything. We still write all the programming for the development group. I train and work with some professional Jiu-Jitsu players, and I'll do a little consulting stuff with some NFL players and other pro athletes.
"But for the online stuff, it could be anybody. We have a program for high school kids. And then the one market that I didn't necessarily imagine that we would get real deep into is adult fitness, people that like to train in their garage and want a training program and follow a proven methodology on how to foster and develop athleticism."
Welbourn makes his home in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Kate, and their children: Jameson, Kilian, and Cash. Since 2013, Welbourn has also hosted a podcast – Power Athlete Radio.
"I've been very fortunate to run that podcast for a number of years and it's just been an amazing opportunity to extend my genealogy and just have amazing conversations with some of the smartest people who have walked the planet," Welbourn says.
"I like to learn. I always want to view myself as a forever student, where I'm always taking in new information, learning new things, and being able to continuously grow as an individual. I'd like to think that the best version of me is always around the corner, so I'm going to keep working."
