A television commercial for ice cream. A front-page newspaper photo. Widely-broadcast interviews. Extensive mentions on network television in the United States and throughout Germany. And celebrity treatment beyond his wildest dreams.

Now in his third year with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League, former EWU football player Jeff Ogden (BA, '98) was allocated by the Cowboys to play this past spring for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. In leading the Fire to a World Bowl championship and an 8-3 record, he finished as the NFL Europe's third-leading receiver during the regular season.

When it ended in June, Ogden had another championship ring to show for the three months of intense effort. It's a ring he can proudly wear next to the 1997 Big Sky Conference Championship ring he earned – with great emphasis on the word earned– while at Eastern.

But the joy of triumph was short-lived. By mid-July he was back in the Cowboy's training camp getting ready for his third NFL season.

"Some see it as a demotion, kind of like going to the minors," Ogden says of his NFL Europe assignment. "I saw it as an opportunity to give me some experience and play more football. I have to take everything day by day to be able to make the Cowboy roster again."

"It does a lot for my confidence," he added from his home in Irving, Texas, just before training camp began. "I know I can play. I can read defenses better and feel a lot more comfortable out there. At Dallas I pretty much only played in third down situations. Now I'm used to playing with professional athletes in all situations and at a higher level. Playing in Europe really helped my comfort level."

In the spring of 1998, Ogden signed a free agent contract with Dallas, and when he earned a coveted spot on the roster, he surprised everyone that summer, among them veteran Cowboy quarterback Troy Aikman.

"I don't know what the expectations from the coaching staff were," Aikman said after training camp in 1998. "But he worked hard and he made some plays throughout the time we were in camp and the preseason games. He really caught everybody's attention and wound up making the squad."

A European Vacation

Once he established himself as a star in the European league, Ogden was asked to make regular public appearances. Televised games in Europe and back to the United States focused attention on him, partly because he was a product of one of the most popular NFL franchises in the World.

His popularity grew to the extent that he was asked to do a television commercial for an ice cream company. As Ogden sat in a freezer eating ice cream, a teammate poured ice over his head. The punch line of the commercial– this is how the Fire keeps cool.

"Germany really loves American football," Jeff's father Lloyd Ogden says. "When Jeff would go downtown with us, people would know who he was and gawk. They wouldn't bother him but they would just stare."

Based in Dusseldorf, Germany, the Rhein regularly had crowds of 30,000-40,000 people. And Jeff was impressed with their enthusiasm.

"They were cheering, clapping, and playing music all the time– whether we were doing good or bad," he recalls. "Every game was a real party. And all the teams were pretty evenly matched."

The World Bowl was even bigger, and easy for the loyal Rhein fans to get to. It was held in nearby Frankfurt, located less than 150 miles from Dusseldorf via Germany's Autobahn.

The championship and fanfare during his three-month tour of duty overseas almost compares to his experience as an Eagle in 1997.

"The whole season reminded me of 1997," he remembers. "It had the same feeling about it. The guys I played with were similar, and I just felt something special about that team."

Just three short years ago, Ogden burst on the collegiate football scene in much the same manner as he did in Europe. Ogden finished his career in 1997 as an All-American athletically and academically during Eastern's thrilling run to the NCAA Division I-AA "Final Four." He broke three school records as the Eagles won the Big Sky Conference title and finished with a school-record 12-2.

Ogden doesn't fit the stereotype of some athletes playing the NFL. He is described by those who know him as an overcachiever, hard-working, devout Christian and selfless.

Off the field, he started the Jeff Ogden Skills Camp in Tyler, Texas. He also is a celebrity player at golf and softball tournaments and has appeared several times on the Trinity Broadcast Network, a cable network featuring Christian programming. Much of his time is spent as a representative of the national Fellowship of ChristianAthletes organization, and he makes many appearances as a speaker to church youth groups.

The sincerity and success he passes along to others has no doubt touched many lives. In fact, he has written back and forth with a young, aspiring student-athlete from Spokane who gained motivation from Ogden's rise to success.

"I just sent him some encouraging words," Ogden said. "I know there are other people out there like me who just need a little boost. It makes me feel good knowing that by just sending a letter you can help somebody."

Editor's note: As of press time, we learned that Ogden had been traded to the Miami Dolphins. Good luck, Jeff.