Vobora new Mr. Irrelevant

It was truly ironic that, as the moment unfolded Sunday at his home in Moscow, Idaho, David Vobora knew the pursuit of his NFL dream would become a reality well before those around him did.

Vobora, who led the University of Idaho in tackles and earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference recognition the last two seasons, was outside on the patio when the call to his cell phone came through from the St. Louis Rams, telling him they had ended hours of anticipation.

Separated from the assembled family, friends and former teammates by a sliding glass door, Vobora immediately tapped on the glass and pointed toward the television, trying to prompt those inside to brace for the televised announcement from New York made annually by Irrelevant Week founder Paul Salata.

“They looked at me kind of puzzled,” said Vobora, who seconds later heard the roar from the room that accompanied word he had been the 252nd and last pick in the NFL Draft.

Only moments before, while sitting with his draft-party guests, the topic of Irrelevant Week — a weeklong celebration of the final pick in the NFL Draft begun by Salata, who played receiver at USC and in the NFL before becoming a renowned Newport Beach businessman and philanthropist — was broached by a guest.

“Someone said they thought the last pick go a car,” Vobora said. “So, we Googled it and found out about the Mr. Irrelevant thing. We laughed.”

It wasn’t long ago that Vobora himself, a 6-foot-1, 242-pound outside linebacker, would have laughed at the suggestion that he’d have a chance to make an NFL roster.

A former star at Churchill High in Eugene, Ore., where he played linebacker, running back, quarterback, tight end and wherever else his coaches deemed he could help the team win, Vobora had been tested, but hardly triumphant as a special teams player and outside linebacker for the Vandals.

“I came into Idaho at 195 pounds,” Vobora said. “So, you can imagine that colliding with 300-pound linemen wasn’t always the prettiest outcome for me. My sophomore year, I was pretty frustrated. But Coach [Nick] Holt [then head coach at Idaho who is now the defensive coordinator at USC] told me I was going to be an All-WAC player and I kind of reminded him of Lofa Tatupu [a former USC star who immediately became a standout linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks upon entering the NFL]. He said I was going to be a stud.”

It was a catalytic moment for Vobora, who rededicated himself to getting bigger, stronger and faster, with immediate and impressive results.

After totaling 60 tackles his first two seasons, in which he played all 23 games and started nine, Vobora became a tackling machine his final two seasons. As a junior in 2006, he led the conference in tackles (134) and was named the Vandals’ Most Valuable Player.

Last season, his 149 tackles once again led the WAC. He averaged 12.33 tackles in 12 games, ranking fourth nationally in that department, and he compiled 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one pass interception, one forced fumble and one recovered fumble. He received his team’s Defensive Player of the Year award and began planning for an NFL future.

Idaho finished 1-11, 0-8 in conference.

He played in the East-West Shrine Game and participated in the NFL combine in Indianapolis, where his time of 4.62 seconds in the 40-yard dash solidified his status as a prospect.

He was interviewed by two dozen teams at the combine and later worked out for a handful, including the Rams, whose dearth of depth at outside linebacker led them to select a pair of ‘backers among their six picks. Chris Chamberlain, a sixth-round pick out of Tulsa will join Vobora on a depth chart that Sunday, listed just three combined players at two outside linebacker spots for the Rams.

Vobora, whose father Andy was a fair linebacker at the University of Oregon, but had his NFL aspirations ruined by an Achilles injury during his final season, said he is scheduled to graduate in May with a dual degree in psychology and communication studies.

But, ever since Holt boosted his morale and his confidence midway through what turned out to be an injury-free college career, he said he stopped making job plans for anything that did not include breaking a huddle and buttoning a chin strap.

“Football is a great metaphor for life,” Vobora said. “Day in and day out, you battle adversity in life. And, to be successful on the football field, you have to do the same thing. It would be hard to imagine life without football in some realm.”

Vobora said when his football career ends, he would like to coach, perhaps even open a boys and girls club to help youths achieve their dreams and push for something more.

But for now, he plans to finish his online college course work, graduate, and head to minicamp, which begins May 10.

“I think [St. Louis] is a great opportunity for me,” Vobora said. “Whatever they tell me I need to do to be successful, I’ll do. I’ve always been critical of myself, sometimes to the point of sheer frustration. [At Idaho] people doubted my upper body, so I built that up. They doubted my weight, so I built that up.”

He also said he has built up a healthy anticipation for the Irrelevant Week activities, scheduled for June 22-28 in Newport Beach.

“It sounds like a pretty enjoyable experience,” said Vobora, who will forever be known as Mr. Irrelevant XXXIII. “I’m looking at it as a perk.”

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].