Danielle Zorn is a 2005 graduate of Mercer High School, where she was a diver for the Islanders and lead the lacrosse team to the state finals her junior year. She graduated in 2009 from Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., where she also played lacrosse, with a degree in communications.

With recent Super Bowl XLV reporting record-breaking numbers of television audiences, it’s no surprise that the National Football League is known to be the nation’s most popular spectator sport.

Despite the hours of commentary and analysis on players, teams and coaches, there is still plenty of speculation about the life of those working and playing in the NFL. Although high salaries, expensive cars and endorsement deals are stereotypical of pro athletes, coaches’ lives are not nearly as glamorous.
A look behind the scenes reveals a much different perspective.

Rachael Zorn Mitchell, 30, daughter of former Seattle Seahawks quarterback and current NFL coach, Jim Zorn, explains what some may not realize about growing up in the NFL.

“It’s not as glamorous as it would seem,” Mitchell said. “I’ve moved seven times, including a stint in Canada.”

Because of the constant relocation, the Zorn family decided early to homeschool their four children through the eighth grade. To help their children make new friends each time, Jim and Joy Zorn made significant efforts to encourage their children’s participation in church events, sport teams and neighborhood friendships.

And each weekend, there is also a very personal aspect to Sunday afternoon game days.

“When my dad’s team loses, it hurts because I know the hours he’s put into the game,” says Mitchell.

Sarah (Zorn) Hanson, 27, sister to Mitchell, notes the personal cost that comes with the territory.

“I think people don’t realize that when there is criticism of the team, it feels like they are criticizing your family,” she said.

Working roughly 100-hour weeks, the NFL coach’s lifestyle is arduous and allows for little family time.

“The seasons in the year went like this: winter, spring, summer and football,” Mitchell says.

Hanson, agrees with her sister and explains, “We knew that throughout the week he would get home at 9 p.m. on an early night — 11 p.m. on a normal night.” The weekends, both sisters said, were planned around the coach’s weekend schedule.
Although the schedules are demanding, many coaches in the NFL have made the necessary adjustments in order to make their family a high priority. For Zorn, balance is key.

“I choose to not be as good a golfer as I’d like to be,” says Zorn.

Although he may not practice on the green, Zorn has many other interests that he shares with his family. When visiting the Zorn household, one will most likely get an extensive insight into Zorn’s eclectic music collection. His kids have been treated to the latest Ultra Chill CD from dad the past few Christmas mornings. Zorn can also often be found washing his car, cleaning the gutters while hanging out of the upstairs windows, watching “Lonesome Dove” or doing errands around town with one of his kids.

Zorn knows he has to take the time when he has it.

Just two weeks ago, he  accepted the quarterback coaching position for the Kansas City Chiefs. He then flew to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine and then straight on to Kansas City to prepare for the season.

Coaching is completely about whom you know and your reputation. As there are only 32 teams in the NFL, the amount of coaches is limited. This allows for those close relationships not just among the coaches, but their families as well.

Gretchen (Holmgren) Peterson, the youngest daughter of former head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and current president of the Cleveland Browns, Mike Holmgren, had similar experiences. Holmgren remembers a distinct question most commonly asked while her dad was coaching.

“Whenever my dad’s current team was playing a team my dad used to coach for, people were curious if it was difficult to switch loyalties.” Peterson explains, “My answer was always the same — my loyalty is to my father, not to any team.”

For Isaac Zorn, 16, the only boy in the mix, the experience has been different from his sisters’. The youngest Zorn feels pressure from teammates and coaches who hold expectations high for a son of an NFL quarterback. Almost a junior in high school, young Zorn also knows what it is to have discretion when talking to friends about his dad’s work.

Although there is little to no job security in the NFL, there are many perks and reasons for celebrating that ease the high intensity of the football season. 
“Going to every home game — what other kids get to do that?” Hanson asked.
Isaac Zorn worked the sidelines this year, holding the cord of dad’s headset every Sunday.

And Peterson remembers well her father’s Super Bowl victory.

“Watching my dad get hoisted up on the shoulders of players after winning Super Bowl XXXI? Standing with my mom as she raised the 12th man flag for my dad’s last game at Qwest? Nothing beats that.”