Joe Metzka '96 was a four-year member of the football team. He set numerous school records as a kicker/punter and was a three-time All-American on the gridiron and participated in track and field as well. He currently teaches and is in a band in the St. Louis area.
Why did you choose Knox?
My high school football coach Bob Prout is a Knox grad and Hall of Famer who played in the NFL. I loved the guy. My folks aren't educated, so I mostly trusted his judgment regarding life after high school. He recruited me to Knox.
How did Knox help shape you into who you are now?
Knox was a good fit, in that I had chances to explore all kinds of different things I couldn't have done at a bigger school. For example, had I played football at a big state school instead, I'd have never gotten to run track, much less participate in the music program, like I did at Knox. I loved studying music theory and exploring the history of jazz music just as much as I loved football culture. At Knox, no one ever seemed to think twice about a football player sitting around a practice studio at 2:00 a.m. with his guitar. I'm not sure that kind of thing would've been tolerated, much less encouraged, at a bigger school.
How did Knox, specifically Knox athletics, prepare you for life after Knox? Did you have a coach, or other mentor, from Knox that was particularly instrumental in your life?
If I hadn't had physical activity and competition as a constant outlet, I wouldn't have stuck it out and graduated. If we weren't at sports practices and games, we were in the weightroom at 10:00 at night. I think it's also unique to Knox that Frank McAndrew (who was my favorite professor) was also the wrestling coach.
As a first-generation labor-class kid, most of academia was pretty alienating to me at that time. I was very fortunate to have a guy like Frank there as a reference point and I know a number of other athletes felt that way about him as well. There's no way an evolutionary psychologist would also coach a sport at a big football factory. That's pretty unique to Knox!
John Rosene, also a Knox grad, coached our defensive line in those years. There are a ton of us - particularly the working class, first generation college types - who really responded to his mentoring. I can't say enough good things about the man and he really deserves to be in the Knox sports Hall of Fame for his contributions both as an athlete but especially as a coach.
I was actually very close to dropping out of school at one point and John not only pulled me aside and convinced me to stay enrolled but he later arranged for me to student-teach under his supervision, which manifested itself in the career and quality of life I enjoy today.
What is your career? What do you enjoy most about what you do?
Still eclectic, as it turns out. My main gig is teaching AP/dual-credit psych 1 at O'Fallon Township High School near St. Louis, where I also sponsor the philosophy club. It's inspiring to get to work with all these 30+ ACT types everyday and to see them come alive when they're freed up to think critically. I also teach psychology part time at McKendree University, which is Knox's southern Illinois counterpart.
In addition to that, I still play music professionally. My group is comprised of seasoned pros and we play all kinds of venues from the big music clubs around St Louis to the NHL St. Louis Blues hockey games. We recently composed some stuff for the Blues. We finally did a Christmas recording this year. You can check out our latest stuff here:
www.joemetzka.com
facebook.com/joemetzkaband
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5WlEkqZpPj2TJJsjc1ERGE
I think I most enjoy simply being a life-long learner. I wasn't mature enough to understand this at the time, but the premium Knox places on literacy and reading is a blessing that I really thrive on today.
