Ex-UNLV, NFL lineman Joe Hawley’s excellent adventure

Editor’s note: The Review-Journal’s “Where Are They Now” series catches up with athletes who played high school, college or professional sports in the Las Vegas Valley. Stories will run at least once a week.

Former NFL center Joe Hawley didn’t need a pandemic to slow down, appreciate what he has and enjoy what he calls a “minimalist lifestyle.”

Waking up every day in pain throughout an eight-year professional career helped him arrive at that conclusion. But more importantly, he was looking for something beyond football to define his life.

He found it two years ago, walking away from the sport, selling nearly all his possessions and donating the money to charity. Hawley, who was taken in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons out of UNLV, sold his Mercedes-Benz and bought a 2007 Ford E-350 cargo van and traveled the country.

He went up the East Coast to Maine and all the way back across the country to California while driving 50,000 miles over a year and a half. Hawley went to more than 20 baseball stadiums and visited nearly 10 national parks.

“The biggest takeaway from the van was probably: ‘On the other side of fear lies freedom,’ ” Hawley said. “I really connected with that quote, and I’ve really learned that the fastest way to grow and to learn and to become the person that you want to become is getting outside your comfort zone and leaning into the unknown.

“It had such a profound impact on my life, and I feel like that’s what we’re going through with this virus … There’s a lot of unknown, and it’s very scary. I think the collective fear is rising because of that. But what I’ve learned is being able to trust that and lean into it and know you’re going to be OK.”

Now living in Austin, Texas, Hawley wants to share his experiences on the road through motivational speaking and writing a book. He also plans to create an online program to help former pro athletes adjust to life beyond sports.

“There’s not a lot of support for athletes going through the transition, and it’s something I learned a lot going through it,” Hawley said.

Hawley, 31, remains the last Rebel to be selected in the NFL draft. He also is the highest-drafted offensive lineman out of UNLV.

This is a different Hawley than the one who played from 2006-09 at UNLV, where he became an honorable-mention All-Mountain West lineman as a senior.

He was a junkyard dog on the field, pancaking and agitating opponents to gain a mental edge. That approach served him well in five seasons with the Falcons and three more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As a Rebel, Hawley was courteous with media members, but his answers were often short and to the point. In a phone interview to discuss his post-football adventures, Hawley was expansive and enjoyed talking about how much the experience meant to him.

He physically left football in more ways than one, dropping 60 pounds from his playing weight of 300 pounds.

“Our society tells us, ‘You’ve got to be crazy to say no to millions of dollars.’ I made the decision to choose my health over that money,” Hawley said. “I believed in myself … that I would have more opportunities to make money, but I’ll never have an opportunity to get my body back.”

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.