T.J. Hockenson is looking forward to passing along values to the next generation in his family.
The Vikings tight end and his wife Mikala are expecting their first child, a son, in February with understandable excitement.
Among the life lessons T.J. plans to pass along is having a sincere appreciation for military service members and veterans. The sentiment began with reflection on the service of his grandfathers that included World War II and Vietnam and was enhanced through a connection with Warrior Rising made while Hockenson was in college at Iowa.
The effort by Hockenson now includes supporting Pillars of Valor, an up-and-coming coffee company that has a Pillars of Valor Foundation to support veterans and first responders.
The life lessons also will include an emphasis on the value of hard work, which T.J. credits his parents for teaching him. His father Tod began his career as a truck driver and eventually became a VP of Distribution for Hy-Vee. His mother Teri is now retired after a career in education.
Q: What does it mean to you when you see the Salute to Service initiative and participate in these games?
A: It means a lot. Every time I see a military member in public or on the field, I always say, thank you. I always appreciate those guys. A lot of those guys come up to me and are excited to see me, but it's really the opposite. I'm just as excited to see them, because they deserve a lot coming back. I think they deserve the utmost respect from us who get to live out our dreams and do this because of those guys and what they were able to do. Both my grandfathers served … so the military has always had a special place in my heart.
Q: How did you get involved with Pillars of Valor Coffee?
A: I previously worked with a nonprofit called Warrior Rising with a bunch of Green Berets. I've worked with them since I met those guys at the University of Iowa. Obviously, their job is life and death, but they have the locker room feel. They have everybody doing their job, and you have to trust the guy to your left or the guy to your right. You really bond with people like that. I really enjoy getting to know them. I think the Pillars of Valor is a lot of fun because I love coffee, and they brought it to me through Warrior Rising. It's not only great coffee, but it's a great business and a great business model.
Q: Do you have a favorite blend?
A: They're all pretty good. I'm a dark roast guy. They're coming out with some more stuff. So you guys are gonna have to be on the wait for that. But it's a great company. People should check those guys out.
Q: Shifting gears, congrats on your first child being on the way. What's it been like getting ready for that?
A: It's been fun. We're starting to feel him kick now. It's truly a blessing from above, to be able to start a family with my wife. We tried to plan it out where I could actually help a little bit. The due date is February 24. It's a blessing from the Lord above. He's gifted us with a lot, so it's truly a miracle.
Q: What do you think is going to be the biggest eye-opener as a father?
A: When he gets here, it's going to be, 'I'm a dad,' kind of thing. My wife's got to take care of herself to take care of him, so she's already a mom. She already feels like that and has those instincts. It's truly been incredible to watch her and how she already cares so much about something that's not here yet.
Q: Are you pretty handy at putting together furniture and other items for infants?
A: Yeah, I'm pretty handy. I grew up with my dad, who did everything, so if I couldn't work a screwdriver, a hammer or a saw, then I wasn't gonna make it.
Q: Was there a favorite project you did with your dad?
A: Even to this day, I always enjoy him coming and really showing me how to do things. But I think there's a couple stories that I have of him. He had this old truck he bought from our neighbor who passed away. And it's like a 1920 Ford truck. It's beautiful and it sits in the garage a lot of the time, but in the summer, he'll take it out. It only goes about 35 miles an hour. He would always teach me how to change the oil, do the wiring and look at the gears. He's one of those people that, if I ever have anything at my house, he's like, 'Don't call anybody. I'll come over.' So then he comes over, and he'll teach me how to do it, and he'll end up doing the whole thing, but he'll show me how to do it, and I'll just sit there and help out. He's just like, 'You've got to play. You can't be doing this right now.' And I'm like, 'All right, Pops, I'll be your second hands, at least, if you need something.' It's incredible to have a family like the one we have. I'm excited to be able to start ours and kind of be able to do that same thing.
Q: How does his work ethic continue to influence your approach?
A: It's big. My dad started as a truck driver at Hy-Vee. It was actually Blue Bunny at the time. He drove trucks from store to store to deliver the ice cream and everything that Blue Bunny had, and then Hy-Vee bought Blue Bunny. I think he worked at Blue Bunny when he was 18 years old. By the time he was 35-40, he was a VP at Hy-Vee in distribution. Stories like that don't happen as much anymore, where you work from a truck driver to become an office manager, and then to run the entire distribution of Hy-Vee. It's crazy thinking about it now, but that's what I grew up with, watching his evolution through that, and his work ethic, going to work at 6 a.m. and not maybe coming home till 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. because all the stuff he had to get done. Work ethic was kind of built in me. Seeing that at a young age was truly incredible and had a real impact on me.
