For former NFL star, Mickelson 'an angel without wings'  PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent DUBLIN, Ohio -- Phil Mickelson withdrew from last week's Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley with a wrist injury that has put in jeopardy his ability to compete in next week's U.S. Open. But before he left the grounds of Muirfield Village Golf Club, Mickelson found out how good a helping hand can make you feel.  (WireImage)
He declines all overtures to speak about it, but Mickelson hasn't been able to quash stories about his unique relationship with former NFL lineman Conrad Dobler and his family. It is one born of true philanthropy -- or maybe it's Phil-anthropy? -- and personal sacrifice and understanding, and when you hear it you don't question why Dobler and his wife, Joy, call Mickelson "an angel without wings." For the past two years, Mickelson has voluntarily and quietly provided financial support for the Doblers in the form of paying for the college education of their daughter, Holli, who is now a junior-to-be at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Conrad Dobler, once considered one of the NFL's dirtiest players, is 90 percent disabled after a 10-year career that ended in 1981. Joy is a quadriplegic after a freak accident at home six years ago when she fell from a hammock. The expenses for her care and for the multiple operations that Conrad has had to undergo for a deteriorating knee has sapped the family of more than $1 million -- virtually all of the Doblers' net worth. The Mickelsons and Doblers had never met until last Thursday at the Memorial, and, unfortunately, Mickelson had to withdraw after 11 holes because of a sore right wrist that also caused him to pull out of this week's Stanford St. Jude Classic. But before he left the club, Mickelson and his wife, Amy, had a two-hour lunch with the Doblers, who had flown in from their home in Leawood, Kan. Holli made the two-plus hour drive to suburban Columbus from Oxford, where she has a summer job. "I thought, 'Perhaps today's not the best day to have lunch with him,' " Joy said. "It was unfortunate ... the time we meet him, he has to withdraw for the first time in 15 years. He had his hand in and out (of ice), and you could tell he was in pain. He didn't let it dampen his spirits at all. Someone asked me if I was nervous about meeting them, but as soon as we entered the room, it was like we'd been friends forever." Lefty picked up the check. Mickelson, who also donates money to U.S. military personnel through his "Birdies for the Brave" program, learned of the Dobler's plight after seeing an ESPN feature that brought to light the poor pension benefits for former NFL players. Mickelson told his attorney, Glenn Cohen, to investigate, and then decided to start writing the checks. "I called Conrad, and he didn't believe me," Cohen said. "He was so humbled, he started crying on the phone, which made me start crying." With a double major in English and Spanish, Holli, the youngest of the Doblers' six children, maintains a 3.6 grade-point average. She wants to be an English professor, with an emphasis on 19th-century American literature. Holli sends e-mails to Cohen regularly updating her progress, and Cohen forwards the messages to Mickelson. "He lived up to every expectation," Holli said of Mickelson. "It was just as exciting as I thought it would be. I think he'll always be like a friend now.'' Asked prior to the Memorial about his assistance for the Doblers, Mickelson, who gives Holli close to $25,000 for room, board, tuition and living expenses, was not at all forthcoming. "That's not really something I want to go into." As for his overall commitment to various charitable causes, Mickelson, the reigning PLAYERS champion who has won more than $40 million in a career that includes 31 PGA TOUR titles, said simply, "Amy and I have been able to do some really cool stuff." Conrad Dobler, a three-time Pro Bowl performer who played for the St. Louis, New Orleans and Buffalo, wouldn't disagree. "I'm thinking, 'Phil Mickelson, sure.' You're speechless," Conrad, holding a cane in his hand, said. "It's like you want to make the best wedding vows in the world. I haven't come up with a word yet to describe it. As my daughter has told people, 'a random act of kindness' is about the only way you can explain it." Mickelson has had his critics over the years, just as Dobler did while playing in the NFL. His go-for-broke style of play has cost him a number of tournaments over the years, including last year's U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., when he double-bogeyed the 72nd hole and lost to Geoff Ogilvy. Others think Mickelson's persona isn't genuine. Dobler knows otherwise. "Anybody who gives Phil a bum rap should listen to my wife. She calls him a true angel. I think his actions say everything. Holli told him she is going to take this opportunity and make the most of it. That's what you do when someone does something like this for you just because they can. That's the best way to show your gratitude." Joy, wheelchair-bound since her accident on July 4, 2001, said lunch with the Mickelsons was an emotional affair. "There were a lot of smiles and a few tears of happiness. It's tough not to get emotional when someone has been so kind and generous." It's also tough not be a changed person. Mickelson is famous for a short game that gets him up-and-down from some precarious positions. The Doblers might be his best down-and-up move, and Conrad, who is committed to helping other NFL veterans by working on improved pension plans with the league, promises his outlook on life is vastly altered. "Seeing someone do something from the goodness of their heart, it changes you," Dobler said. "I'm a better person because of his generosity. Now I'll do what I can for somebody else in need." |
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