What’s the best thing Proehl took away from the NFL experience?
“I think just learning what it takes to be a pro, what it takes to come to practice every day. Your work ethic, your determination, the commitment when you don’t feel like doing it,” he said. “Those are the things that I’ve carried on to my kids, my business. It’s just commitment, just working hard, being resilient, and just being selfless as a teammate, as a husband, as a father, and now as a boss of my own business.
“It’s a different arena, but it’s the same thing. It’s building a team that you’re proud of, that you can trust, that you earn respect and not come in there and demand it. It’s how you come to work day in and day out and be consistent.”
His business is a fitness center and sports complex in Greensboro, North Carolina – Proehlific Park. Opened in 2008, it’s 22 acres with outdoor fields and a 90,000 square foot building.
“There are so many people throughout my journey, from my high school coach to my college coaches to my NFL coaches that believed in me, encouraged me, and helped me become not just a better football player, but a better person. I wanted to pass that on to the next generations,” Proehl said.
“I wanted to create equal opportunity for kids of all ages, of all ethnic backgrounds, in all sports. We’ve got lacrosse, field hockey, basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, performance training, weightlifting, we’ve got it all. And my foundation’s run out of there. We give scholarships for mothers and fathers who can’t afford to put their kids in afterschool, can’t afford to put their kids in AAU basketball. And so we provide opportunities for these kids to be their best.
“It was a dream after playing in the National Football League of what I was going to do, and I decided this is what I want to do. I want to give back. I want to help kids be their very best at whatever it is they want to do. And so for me, when kids come back, when parents come back, and tell me how much of an impact Proehlific Park has had on their children, on their lives, man, I get choked up because that’s as much of a legacy in life as I left in football. And it’s a legacy that continues to grow.”
Splitting their time between Greensboro and Charleston, South Carolina, Proehl and his wife, Kelly, the National Sales Manager for Juice Plus+, have three adult children.
Their daughter, Alex, is in marketing for Baker Roofing in North Carolina, and has twin daughters. Their son, Austin, is the receivers coach at Wingate College. And their other son, Blake, is a successful singer based in Nashville.
“Being married for 33 years, I love my wife more today than I did 33 years ago,” Proehl said. “And just being a father to three beautiful children and two great grandkids, I’ve got a great life. I pinch myself every day and thank the good Lord for just blessing me. All my dreams have come true.”