JR Conrad (Eastern Shawnee): Former OU and NFL Player Came Back Stronger From The Struggle

By Dan Ninham (Oneida)

Understanding our past makes us who we are today. Shawnee culture is alive, always growing into something new while remaining grounded in its past.

These powerful words are on the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Cultural Preservation Department website. 

The words move into action with an Eastern Shawnee of Oklahoma tribal member and former OU football star that played in the NFL. He has been back in his home territory empowering young native boys with lessons to earn the right to win. To earn the right to win demands many variables with the end result being optimum performance. 

JR Conrad was born in Miami, Oklahoma, grew up in Northeast OK and graduated from Fairland High School. He is a tribal member of the Eastern Shawnee of Oklahoma. His tribe is based out of the northeast corner of Oklahoma and the corner of Southwest Missouri in Seneca, Missouri. He lives with his family outside of Oklahoma City in Mustang, OK.

JR played at a small high school and participated in football, basketball, weightlifting, and track. He received a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma and was the first true freshman to ever start at center for the Sooners. JR was a four-year OU starter, was drafted by the New England Patriots and Coach Bill Parcells and he was on the practice squad, then played for Coach Bill Parcells at the New York Jets, and had a brief stint with the Dallas Cowboys.

JR finished his degree at OU after playing in the NFL. He has been involved in the fitness industry representing Power Lift, an Elite Company, in the strength and conditioning business. He coached at the high school level and Arena League. He also started an Offensive Line Training Academy called Trench Mafia (TM). 

Trench Mafia’s sole purpose is to advocate and champion kids, and they mentor about school, life, faith, ball, and make sure the ones who want to work and try will capture an opportunity to improve. This is offered at no cost and JR does it to give back and try and thank all those who helped him along the way. 

There is no website for TM. The program is exclusive and invite-only.

“We have been able to impact and assist a bunch of young men and watch their dream of being a college student-athlete become reality,” said JR.

Tribal Core Values and Lessons of Life

“My tribal core values and lessons I have learned have went hand-in-hand with my success on and off the field,” said JR. “I was raised by my ‘Mam-Maw’ and she made the most out of every situation. We lived tough times but she was thankful and grateful for everything. I learned early on to honor and respect my elders. I learned that things are never as bad as they could be, and if you want to change a situation it began in your own mind. My ‘Mam-Maw’ was a tough, resourceful lady, that treated others kind and would give away her last dollar. I learned you must have faith that doing the right thing all the time matters, that if you put out positives you more than likely get positives in return. I had a great role model who did what she could and surrendered the rest that continues to serve me to this day.”

“There is no greater lesson learned than we > me. I take great pride in being an Eastern Shawnee tribal member and knowing I have a role to play, just like on a team we all need teammates and we must all be the best teammates we can be so everyone benefits. That serves me in business and in my own house, where my wife and I are raising our four kids, everyone needs to feel loved, important, and invested like our ‘Mam-Maw’ made all of us feel,” added JR.

“I am fortunate to work with highly motivated people, and the thing I have found is be authentic, be 100 percent the person you are because folks can see through an act,” said JR. “Folks can deal with anything as long as they know that they are dealing with the truth. I believe in never asking anyone to do something you are not willing to do yourself. Faith and family trump everything and this COVID-19 has really brought that home.”

Positive Influences From Past Coaches and Friends

“I have had so many folks that have influenced me positively,” said JR. “Coach Blair Prince, Strength Coach at OU and Dallas Cowboys, used to work with me in business together. Blair took me through my first workout, set a standard for me. Blair has been loyal and holding me accountable since 1992.”

“I’ve been with JR since he was 17 years old,” said Blair Prince. “I had the privilege of taking him through his first workout at OU.  From that day forward we have had a relationship that has transformed from coach, mentor, manager and friend to JR being my mentor and coach.”  

“JR has always been able to simplify complex situations,” said Blair.  “During JR’s first workout we talked about consistency, intensity, and patience.  I have watched him apply these concepts to the highest level of performance in all of his endeavors.  Through JR’s journey, many times through adversity, he has collected a life lessons library from his football experiences.  JR has a unique ability to transform his experiences and lessons into clear and concise instruction.  He has the ability to always show people what they can become.”  

“JR was already a great athlete coming to OU out of Fairland High School,” said Blair.  “Few people know that he was recruited to Missouri by Coach Andy Reid along with many other opportunities.”  

“At OU, JR quickly adapted and became the first true freshman to start at center in his very first game, and it was on national television,” said Blair.  “JR started 46 straight games for OU.  During two-a-day workouts of his senior year JR suffered a shoulder injury.  The team’s doctors suggested he red shirt and have surgery.  JR said he would rehab the shoulder and be ready to start the first game. He did just that.”   

“During the off season training JR suffered a back injury.  Coming home for surgery, he and I worked on rehab plans.  Later the Dallas Cowboys called JR to camp.  He had a great camp and later retired from the NFL,” added Blair.

“This was truly a turning point to coaching and application of lessons learned,” said Blair.  “JR went on to turn athletic equipment sales for two different companies to territory leaders.  During this time he also coached high school and Arena football.  In 2009 JR joined Coach Charley North at Dibble High School.  He later took over as the head football coach leading Dibble HS to the playoffs and many young men to scholarship opportunities.” 

“The accumulation of all these experiences leads us to today,” said Blair.  “JR has great faith, family, and friends.  He is a sales leader in his company and his territory.  He started Trench Mafia as a way to truly give back to young men.  He teaches far more than football in these sessions.  Giving back life lessons learned from the game.”  

“The best word I can use for JR Conrad is leadership,” said Blair.  It’s amazing the amount of books and blogs on leadership, but the true results come from those who follow.”   

Blair said: “Availability + Dependability = Consistency; Know Your Craft, Work Your Craft = Intensity; and, Some People Just Don’t Get It, and Then They Get It = Patience.”

Charley North is a retired football coach. He coached at the University of Oklahoma, University of Arkansas, Texas Christian University, University of Alabama, and Texas A&M University.

“Coach Charley North was one of my offensive line coaches at University of Oklahoma, he recruited me when I was 17 and saw talent and goodness in me long before I saw it myself,” said JR. “Coach North keeps up with all his former players and is committed to being involved in their lives.” 

“Having recruited and coached JR Conrad at the University of Oklahoma, I realized he was an outstanding young man with great potential on the football field as a player and a natural leader,” said Charlie North. “He not only started for us as a true freshman at center but was very well liked and respected by all of our players and well. He completed his college career and went to the NFL as an offensive lineman. Over the years following he finished his pro career and started coaching and training players.”

“When I retired from coaching on the college level I moved back to Oklahoma and agreed to help Dibble HS rebuild their football program. I immediately hired JR as our defensive/strength coach. He also coached the offensive line and we hired one of his good friends Stephen Alexander to coach with us,” added Charlie. 

“The team that we agreed to coach only had 16 players at the end of their season the year before,” said Charlie. “When the students learned that we had hired J.R., we had 62 players sign up to play for us.”

“JR has a unique manner that allows him to coach with ‘tough love’. He coaches and trains his players with a demanding demeanor but they all know he has a special love for each one. I describe that as ‘tough love’ and is demanding but with a kind heart. J.R. also has the ability to recognize the needs of his under-privileged players always finding a way to get them help,” added Charlie.

“JR is an attention to detail type of coach,” said Charlie. “He has a plan and expects his kids to work the plan. Don’t deviate! I have coached him and I have coached with him. I love and respect him like a son. He is as good as gold!”

“Stephen Alexander, former teammate of mine and lifelong friend, played 10 years in the NFL,” said JR. “I watch how he treats people, is a servant leader and gives so much of his time, money and resources to folks and does a lot of it anonymously.”

“JR’s passion has always been about helping kids,” said Stephen Alexander. “His approach is one about teaching and encouraging. He has taken what he learned as a collegiate and professional player, along with things he’s picked up studying the o-line craft and shares that with young men, all at no charge.”

“He builds relationships and develops trust with the players he coaches. It’s remarkable to see the level of play he can achieve with lesser talented athletes, all through the confidence he instills in them. We coached together at a small rural Oklahoma high school that hadn’t had much success, winning one game in the previous three seasons of our arrival. In our first spring practice evaluation, our o-lineman got into a sprinters stance and had no idea about technique or how to play football,” added Stephen.

“After that practice, JR told me we are going to be fine. Jokingly I asked him if he watched the same practice as I did. He knew they were going to be fine because he knew that he could teach them the technique and he knew that he could create a unit that would rather lay it on the line every play for each other and not for themselves. We were really competitive the first year and made the playoffs in our second year. We did this by running power football behind an impressive o-line that played with tremendous confidence, tenacity and effort, thanks to JR,” added Stephen. 

“JR has always been about helping others and is really humble in his approach,” said Stephen. “His approach isn’t all about football either. He’s obviously teaching these young men not only how to be elite players on the field, but he’s building higher character people in life.” 

“I had a death of a really close family member 11 years ago today,” said Stephen. “JR remembered this and sent me a really encouraging message today. Just another example of JR thinking of others and helping them get through life, and whether it’s on the field or off.”

Defining Success As Being Family- and Faith-Based

“Defining what it means to be successful is simple,” said JR. “I must honor my faith and I seek a daily walk with my heavenly father, I must be the best husband and father I can be every day. I need to get up and work hard to make sure I am being an employee that Power Lift can be proud of and my customers know I have their best interest at heart. I must look in the mirror and know I represent my family name, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe, Power Lift, Trench Mafia in the best way possible.”

“Success used to be about numbers or victories on deals, now success is about relationships and I feel I was put here to help people. My advice to share with others would be work like its up to you, and pray like it’s up to God. Exhaust every opportunity, take your shot and failure is only failing if you give up, learn from it and keep moving forward,” added JR.

“When I was 18 I ran from the drum as fast as I could,” said JR. “I wanted to get to OU and I found early success and lost my ‘Mam-Maw’ my freshman year. It sent me into a tailspin, and I almost lost myself, but I had folks check on me, and assist me along the way. I had so much guilt and anger over my ‘Mam-Maw’, and rage ate me up. I lived in Boston, Long Island New York, OKC, etc. I found forgiveness from the Creator and that drum called me home so I can honor all my ancestors and watch my kids at ceremony. We all stray but we can recover, and we come back stronger, better from the struggle.”

“I have been reminded to be thankful and grateful,” said JR. “Our oldest is a senior and he is going to Evangel University to go to school and play quarterback. This time has allowed us as a family to spend more time than ever together. It is such a blessing making memories, realizing our family dynamics will never be like this again once he leaves for school.    “

“Time is so valuable, make the most of it and don’t take anything for granted. Health, lifestyle, job status, can change in an instant be patient and know that all of us are going through something,” added JR.

Trench Mafia is About Faith Family Football

There are no commas between ‘Faith Family Football’ because they are inseparable and are of one mindset and action-oriented.

“Trench Mafia came from hearing it starts in the trenches, and knowing the brotherhood of O-lineman its family,” said JR. “So Trench Mafia just stuck.” 

“We will never charge a kid one dime, so I don’t post anything it’s tough to get in,” said JR. “It’s by invite only.”

“I can keep it closely monitored that it’s about ‘Faith Family Football’. We have uncommon kids that work and act right. By not charging I can give back and I reserve the right to not train or not invite back. It’s about being fit, we aren’t looking for just the best football players we are looking for the uncommon kids,” added JR.

“I have a place that let’s us train because the owner is an advocate for kids,” said JR. “He knows how important athletics is in kids lives and how it can help them get an education.”

“We have young men from all over, the roster consist of college and high school guys and a very few middle school guys,” said JR.  

“I am a firm believer in LeCharles Bentley’s Drive Catch philosophy,” said JR. “He has really moved the needle forward on O-Line play.”

“I am a melting pot of tons of coaches and borrowing stuff and revising so it fits to what athletes I am working with,” said JR. “Intensity, Consistency and Patience are huge keys to who I am.”

“I have two coaches who help me, they are absolute studs, Micah Nall and Rod Wolford,” said JR. “They are two of the best O-Line guys around, and advocates for kids and giving back to the game they love.” 

In 2008, Rod Wolford helped start a high school football program as an assistant coach at Southmoore HS. When they opened the school, JR and Powerlift were used for the weight room. 

In 2011, Rod left Southmoore HS and went to Oklahoma Baptist University with head coach Chris Jensen to again start a football program and they again used JR and Powerlift for the weight room.

Rod Wolford is currently an assistant football coach at Christian Heritage Academy. 

“JR is what makes Trench Mafia,” said Rod. “His knowledge and passion is unmatched.  Micah and I give another set of eyes during session.”

“I have sent our son Luke to work with JR Conrad for the past three off-seasons.  I highly recommend his OL training, but like I tell my wife, he learns a lot more life skills, self-confidence, and relationships from being around the guys than he does ‘football’ on Saturday mornings,” added Rod.

“He doesn’t charge a dime, he just wants to give back to the game and invest in developing young men,” said Rod. “Because he doesn’t charge he wants guys that are committed to the process.” 

“JR relies heavily on LeCharles Bentley OL Performance for the foundation,” said Rod. “The principles and techniques I feel are the best around. So much so, that I traveled to AZ the past two springs to attend the OLP coaches workshop.“

Micah Nall is the OC/OL coach at Kingfisher HS and the head boys and girls track coach. He won a State Championship in football. Micah coached OL at The University Central Oklahoma, and played and graduated from SWOSU.

“JR approached me at the Winter Clinic about six years ago about doing some private OL training,” said Micah. “JR already had a small base of Oklahoma HS OL trainers and asked me to join him so we could expand our group. He already had the name Trench Mafia chosen and we ran with it.”

“Trench Mafia is so much more than just training high school and college OL’s,” said Micah. “TM gets into being in a brotherhood, being a good servant leader and being the best person you can be by getting right with God.”

“TM is free of charge to each and every young man that is invited,” said Micah. “We pour so much of ourselves into the young men that yet, we have had very few casualties along the way. JR provides these young men with more than just his time. JR runs our Twitter page, and buys books and hats to hand out to the boys who exemplify excellent characteristics.”

“In the winter, we drive over two hours to have our TM sessions indoors in Shawnee,” said Micah. “After spring break when the weather warms up, we find the beat place we can to have session. He have used practice football fields, play grounds, city parks and places like that. Now we have the use of the high school turf football field.”

“TM is about family, brotherhood, servant leadership, then football,” said Micah. “It’s about life first, then football.”

“I love what we offer which its truly more about faith, family than football,” said JR. “We have guys in major universities, small colleges, and everywhere in between. Everyone comes back when they can, because it’s a true brotherhood. I see TM having future NFL guys, and some of our guys will hopefully carry this on when we can’t.”

“I love Oklahoma and I am so blessed to be around great kids and coaches,” said JR. 

The website for the Eastern Shawnee Tribe Cultural Preservation Department is here: https://estoo-nsn.gov/culture/