Wichita Football Academy

06/12/2026

Here comes the boom! Damian Denver Nicholson coming back to "Coach for a day:! Ol' speedy will pass on his experiences and advice. Saturday. June 13th. Wichita Football Academy. ❤🏈🏆

05/28/2026

Wichita Football Academy player Kai Kirchhoff will be working the players out Sunday May 31st. Kia, an upcoming senior at Rose Hill is a dual threat with the ball and will have an outstanding season while colleges are competing to bring this Total PACKAGE player to their university. So proud and can't wait to see him back. TOUCHDOWNS! Coach Giff ❤🏈🏆

05/21/2026

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04/30/2026

👍❤🏆

04/22/2026

❤🏆🏈

He spent $275 on a last-chance NFL tryout, but no scouts showed up 👇

After graduating from Division 2 Minnesota State, Adam Thielen wasn’t on anyone’s radar.

The fact was, not many teams sent scouts to attend D2 football games in the freezing Midwest.

Adam didn’t have a pro day and he wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, but he was determined to prove his worth.

He said, "Making it to the NFL was pretty unlikely…So I decided that I would start training, but at the same time, I’d also look around for other jobs in case it didn’t work out."

One of those jobs was a role selling dental equipment.

And there’s a funny moment from his 2017 article in the Player’s Tribune where he talks about that interview:

At one point, the guy asked him, “If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?”

He’d obviously know he was lying if he said, “To be in dental equipment sales!” So he told the truth:

“I wanna play in the NFL.”

And the guy just gave him a look, like “Let’s be realistic.”

But it was true. The NFL was Adam's dream. And he was determined to at least give it a real shot.

It was around that time that he attended the Regional Combine: a place for overlooked players to show their stuff.

Players had to pay their own way – $275 to participate – and there were no scouts in attendance.

But the results are sent out to all 32 NFL teams.

Turns out, his 40-yard dash time was good enough to land him an invite to the Super Regional Combine.

There, he turned heads with an impressive showing that put him on scouts' radar.

Still, the NFL Draft came and went.

With each passing round, Adam waited for a call that never came.

After going undrafted, he got invited to 2 rookie tryouts.

One with the Carolina Panthers and the other with the Minnesota Vikings – the team he grew up rooting for.

He ended up making the Vikings’ 90-man roster, but they put him on the practice squad.

After another year of hard work, he finally earned a spot on the 53-man roster in 2014.

Fast forward to this past January: Adam Thielen retired after a productive 12-year NFL career.

He's #5 on Minnesota’s franchise list with 6,751 receiving yards, #4 with 542 receptions, and #3 with 55 touchdowns.

And frankly, I think he deserves more respect for what he accomplished.

From an unknown D2 guy to one of the more quietly productive receivers of his era.

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Do you like underdog stories? That’s what my account is all about. Throw me a follow for more stories like this.

03/28/2026

Your players BEST season starts today! Call for info. 316-461-8953. TOUCHDOWNS! Coach Giff ❤🏈🏆