Joe Ehrmann Joe Ehrmann ( born March 29 , 1949 ) is a former National Football League ( NFL ) defensive lineman , originally drafted as the 10th pick in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft out of Syracuse University to the Baltimore Colts . Ehrmann is currently a minister and motivational speaker . Ehrmann played with Baltimore for eight years , and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1978 . He finished his NFL career with the Detroit Lions as part of their vaunted defensive line in the early 1980s . He was an NFL defensive tackle from 1973 through 1982 . He then played in the USFL for the Chicago Blitz , Arizona Wranglers and Orlando Renegades . Syracuse University . Ehrmann attended Syracuse University , where he was a three - year football letterman in 1969 , 1970 and 1972 . Primarily a defensive tackle , he was an All - America n selection in 1970 . He was named to the university ' s football All - Century Team on October 28 , 1999 . He was also the recipient of the George Arents Pioneers Medal , the university ' s highest alumni honor , in 2004 . Service off the field . In the same year Ehrmann played in the Pro Bowl , he watched his brother Billy lose his fight with cancer . This experience caused Ehrmann to rethink and reorder his priorities in life . Ehrmann spearheaded the construction of a Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore in memory of Billy . In the off - season , Ehrmann attended classes at Dallas Theological Seminary and , following his football career , he graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia , specializing in urban ministry . He was ordained in 1985 . In the years since then , Ehrmann and his wife Paula created Building Men and Women for Others , an organization that addresses many societal challenges including violence , child advocacy , and much more . They also co - founded " The Door " , a community center in inner - city Baltimore . He has also served as a pastor of the 4 , 000 - member Grace Fellowship Church in Baltimore . " Season of Life " . Prompted by an article about the demolition of the Colt ' s Memorial Stadium , author Jeffrey Marx ( who first met and was inspired by Ehrmann as a ball boy for the Baltimore Colts ) reconnected with Ehrmann and became fascinated both with his ministry and his work as a volunteer Defensive Coordinator coach for the football team at Gilman School , an all - boys school in Baltimore , where he and Head Coach Biff Poggi continue to teach and coach football with a ' building men for others ' strategy . In 2004 , Marx ' s book " Season of Life " was published , featuring the Gilman football team and the life lessons Coaches Poggi and Ehrmann teach . The book became a " New York Times " best - seller and winner of the Pulitzer Prize . He also supports the Choose Civility movement , sponsored by the Howard County Maryland Library , by attending seminars as a celebrity guest . Personal . Ehrmann is currently a minister and motivational speaker . Ehrmann has been married for more than thirty years to Paula Peach Ehrmann , a psychotherapeutic counselor who operates the Hunt Valley , Maryland - based Paula Peach Ehrmann & Associates . They are parent s of two son s and two daughter s . One of the sons , Barney , was a lacrosse star at Georgetown University who began playing professionally with the Chesapeake Bayhawks in 2011 . His other son , Joey , is a linebacker at Wake Forest University .