After winning Super Bowl LVI, Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle (#79) and Linganore High School graduate, Rob Havenstein, took time to share with us about growing up in Frederick County, being a father and playing NFL football.
What was it like growing up in Frederick County?
I loved my time in Frederick. It was pretty normal...The only thing not normal was the overall size of our family. I have a twin brother who is the same height as me (6'8"). My sister, who is two years older, is 6’2”. My mom is 6’1”. My dad is 6’6”. So, we always got a couple of looks when going different places as a family.
Did you grow up playing sports?
We were always a big sports family. I didn’t start playing football until my 9th grade year. I played a lot of basketball...I also played baseball...and lacrosse. My parents were very supportive. I would say basketball was always my number one. We had a basketball hoop...and, me having a twin brother, you can imagine it got a little competitive at times.
Why did you transition to football in high school?
My dad said when I get to high school if I want to play football, great. So, I gave it a shot and I wasn’t very good the first couple of years but I had a great coach and a lot of great people in my corner who helped me learn a lot...it seemed to work out.
What are “life lessons” you have learned from playing football?
I think there is a strong correlation between what you put into something and that directly relates to what you get out of it...If you really take the extra time, put in the extra work, put in the extra hours—then I think that shows...it doesn’t happen overnight, so it’s got to be consistent. And I feel it’s a strong mental power where you can get over some things...There is a lot of disappointment on all levels. It really teaches you the mental fortitude to just keep going and keep putting in the work…half of professional sports is truly your mindset.
Do you have any people in your life who have helped strengthen your mindset?
It all starts with who you surround yourself with, on a day-to-day basis. That’s why I’ve always felt lucky to have parents who believed in me and cared for me and didn’t sway or push me in any way. There was no bias toward anything. And, extending that to Rick Conner, my high school football coach; he was the same way. When I was getting recruited for college, I would ask him, “Where do you think I should go?” And, he would never give me an answer. The only thing he would do is support me as a person…in the end it was my decision. That’s something I really appreciate to this day.
What's one takeaway from your years playing for Coach Conner at Linganore High School?
There are really so many. The one that sticks out for me...during my Junior year, we went to the State Championship game and ended up not winning. In the aftermath, I was in my coach’s office and I said, “You know coach, you can’t win them all.” He stopped what he was doing and looked at me and he said very seriously, “Well, why not?!” And it clicked with me. You know, he was absolutely right. Why can’t you win them all? I’m not sure if he remembers saying that, but it always stuck with me. You play to win!
As we celebrate Father's Day, what does being a dad mean to you?
It means everything! Definitely one the best things that I have done. They are really two beautiful, awesome kids. It’s the little things of what they do that gives you that true understanding of the true meaning of what you wanted to do in life. And, for me, that was always a massive thing. I wanted to be a dad, and I wanted to be a good dad. We were just having dinner the other day and the kids are running around the kitchen island with the dog and we have music playing...It was crazy, but it was just one of those moments that you catch yourself smiling and thinking, “This is amazing!”
Would you share with us what you experienced when you realized you had won Super Bowl LVI?
Throughout the whole game, [the score] was tight. We go down early in the second half. I think something very special about the team is that no one lost faith…if you were ever feeling doubt you could just look across the huddle into people’s eyes and realize it’s just a matter of time before we take the lead and before we win this game...This was the overall mindset of everyone out there. This is what we trained for...Then, you look up at the clock to see where you are and see what they have (they have one time out, but we have three kneeled downs, meaning the game is over). As I’m jogging out to the field and realizing that, "Hey, we are going to take three knees and the game’s over. We won the Super Bowl!"..it was such a rush of emotion...you did all the hard work…all the injuries…all the extra hours you put in…all that was for this moment...I was very quietly letting those emotions hit me. Once the clock hits zero and it’s over…you just start hugging everyone. We’re a really connected team and everybody has genuine love for each other. And I saw families coming onto the field, so I was looking for mine. Once they got onto the field, they were celebrating...[My wife] sees the in's and out's of everything...to have that super special someone on your side and on your team, really backing you up. I know I couldn’t do it without Meaghan.
How did it feel when you were holding the trophy?
It was awesome! To actually see and hold it, it was everything coming together. It was truly amazing...Words can’t really describe the feeling...It represents the pinnacle of our sport, the pinnacle of our profession...It was truly amazing!
If you could boil it down to one thing, why do you love playing football?
I think one of the things you have to be is a true competitor. That’s got to be in your DNA...It’s understanding who you are as a person...That self-reflection of trying to make yourself a better man. That doesn’t have to be with just football. I think football helps a lot to have true self-reflection and be proud of what you did that day...some days you’re going to be good and some days you’re going to be disappointed. That’s what I mean about being a true competitor because when you have disappointing days, you ask, “Did I really get after it today?” “Was I really present?”...If you consistently look at yourself day in and day out, and truly like what you see and truly feel proud about what you see; I think that sends a good message to everyone.
What do you hope people remember about you?
There is a person behind the jersey. I’m a true person. I’m a father, I’m a husband, I’m a son...I hope people read this and think that I’m a genuine, good person. The football stuff is great and all, but it’s my job, it’s not who I am. I wouldn’t be here without the people that I had in my life, when I was growing up, teaching me how to be a good man. That’s the nuts and bolts of how I have succeeded.