A family tradition

NEW ULM -- Football in the Mary Jane and Martin Hoffmann family of Sleepy Eye is more than just a game.

It is a lifestyle.

"Football is what we love," said Martin Hoffmann. "We have six sons, and five of them (Luke now 23; Sam, 21; twin boys Joe and John, 19; and Marty, 17) all played."

Luke continued on to play football in college at Willmar and now lives and works in Nevada. Joe and John are sophomores at the University of Minnesota-Morris where they both play defensive end. This season, they saw playing time.

The Hoffmann's second-oldest son, Nick, did not play football.

"They used to all play nerf football in the backyard when they were little kids," said Martin about his sons.

And, having brothers play football at home can sometimes result in brothers getting hurt. "I tried to keep it so it didn't get too tough."

While the backyard football was a tough game physically on the brothers, it was also a tough game on the father. "I played with them in the backyard until John partially separated my left shoulder. Then I quit."

"I remember being a little kid and we would go outside on Sunday afternoons and play football," said Marty Hoffmann, now a senior linebacker with the Indians. "It would basically be me against my brothers. And being the youngest, I got pushed around pretty well. But then on the counterpart of that, I learned a lot from my older brothers."

That learning has resulted in a team-high 158 tackles this season after recording eight in Thursday's 13-10 win over Murray County Central in a state semifinal football game. That propelled the 11-2 Indians into the Prep Bowl this Friday at 11 a.m. against Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, a 14-13 winner over Browerville.

Hoffmann said that being the youngest and watching his older brothers strive for football success was a big plus. "I probably owe my entire football career to them. They helped me with every aspect of the game, and gave me advice when I needed it."

And Martin knows that that advice will probably continue when the family gathers for Thanksgiving, one day before the Indians play for the state title.

"The boys will probably tell Marty how to fight off a block," he said laughingly. 'They tease him a lot about his blocking. Of all the boys, he is the lightest; the rest of the boys were more broader shouldered and thicker.

"They also talk about defense a lot. The brothers have really helped him with his linebacking and they talk a lot about reading the pulls of the guards a lot. They tease each other a lot but they are very close brothers.

"They were all in wrestling (in high school) and they all do a lot of running and were in the weight room a lot," he said. "They worked hard on their sports. It is nice to see that you can be in the championship game because the seniors are close. We saw them playing together in seventh grade."

Martin said that one of the last comments that he will make to Marty before he departs for the Twin Cities is to "play hard. Whatever happens, always be a good sport at the end of the game. Just have a good time because this is a thrill of a lifetime; not many people have this chance. It is something that you will remember the rest of your life."

What will Marty be thinking hours before his team's showdown with W-A-O for the state Class 1A title?

The opposing team? The crowd? Reading his keys?

"I am proud of what this team has done," he said. "We really came ready to play football each game. And I think that I will be remembering my brothers and the Sunday afternoons that we played. I'll get focused; my brothers helped me a lot and this game is as much for them as it is for me."

It is a long way from the backyard of the Hoffmann family in Sleepy Eye to the confines of the Metrodome. But late Friday morning, that distance will be as short as stepping into your own backyard.

Column by Jim Bastian, Journal sports writer