A Former Denver Broncos captain and All-Pro, Karl Mecklenburg rose from being a college walk-on and a 12th round draft pick to a pro career that included six Pro Bowl and three Super Bowl appearances. Considered the NFL’s most versatile player, Karl played all seven defensive front positions. Bronco coaches wanted him at the point of attack and would move him throughout the game. There were many games where Karl Mecklenburg played all 7 positions in the course of a single game. Since retiring from pro football in 1995, Karl divides his time between family, motivational speaking, and his ongoing charity involvements. Karl was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. He also serves on the Broncos Alumni Council. Karl Mecklenburg is a member of the National Speakers Association. He has enjoyed speaking to a variety of groups over the years, and his story is both humorous and inspirational. The lessons life in the NFL taught him about teamwork, courage, dedication, desire, honesty and forgiveness, and goal setting can be applied anywhere. He has hosted a radio program, done television sideline reporting and studio work, written columns for the Denver Post and had magazine articles published. In 1987 he was the co-author of ‘Meck For The Defense’, published by McGraw-Hill. Look for his new book “Heart of a Student Athlete” coming soon. Karl is a respected professional speaker as well as a celebrity whose name recognition helps drive attendance. He is a member of the National Speakers Association and approaches speaking in the same way he approached football; with effort, intelligence, and passion. “I don’t use a power point, I’m a story teller. I understand that I must entertain in order to effectively teach. I entertain in a way that touches my audience where they live: at work, in their relationships, and through their emotions. My audience laughs and leaves the presentation reaffirmed that they determine their own futures, and that they will be successful as a team.” ‘ Karl Mecklenburg

Keynotes and Speaking Topics

• Six Keys to Success Success is overcoming obstacles on the way to your dreams. It doesn’t happen by accident. There is a pattern, a template that these accomplishments have in common. Karl’s speeches give you the Six Keys to Success that he used to rise from a college walk-on to the most versatile player in the NFL. His presentation will be tailored to the needs of your group, and is full of humor and the life lessons that the rigors of the NFL taught him. Teamwork – leadership is the ultimate form of teamwork, “think we not me”; Courage to try new things and the courage to be decisive; Dedication – hard work, constant learning, and refusing to quit; Desire – your dreams, your passion, your mission; Honesty and Forgiveness, with others and in self evaluation; and Goal Setting – the short term, reasonable, specific steps that take you to your desires. These are the keys that you can apply at work, in your relationships, in your personal life, and anywhere that is important to you.

Books and Articles

• ‘Meck For The Defense’
• “Heart of a Student Athlete”

Client Reviews

• We wanted to formally thank you for attending our 2008 Strategy Kick-Off Meeting. Your message on the Six Key Factors of Success tied directly to what we were trying to convey with our new strategy ‘Teamwork’. Culture change in a mid-size company is a daunting task at times. I felt that through the effort you put forth in encompassing our personal company information and strategies into your presentation had an immeasurable impact on our employees. You provided the perfect blend of humor and expectation. The owner of Centennial Ag stated that it felt like the second birth of the company. The comments after the meeting were ‘That was awesome!’ ‘I never thought about teamwork in that way before.’ ‘We need a lot more of these kinds of meetings’. Also the employees truly appreciated you sticking around to talk with them and sign autographs. I can’t say how thankful the executive team was that you NAILED the exact feeling, sense of urgency and expectation of commitment we wanted to deliver to the employees. Again, thank you, and be certain that I will highly recommend your message to any company or organization wanting to inspire their team and recognize what qualities it will take to get the job done. ‘ Centennial Ag Supply
• Sharing personal stories and relating them directly to your Six Keys to Success was an excellent way of providing some real insight into working as a team. Your message was sincere, insightful, and was applicable to both our work and our personal lives. The unsolicited feedback from the employees has been very positive. They all appreciated you taking the time to sign autographs and pose with them for pictures.- Fluor
• Not only was his speech inspiring, motivating, touching, and funny, he attended our reception to sign autographs and have photos taken AND stayed after the event for more of the same! Using stories from his days in the NFL and his experience as a father, Karl weaves a colorful and entertaining tapestry of what it means to play as a team and succeed as a individual. ‘ Colorado Chiropractic Association
• Thanks for spending time with the senior field and corporate leaders of Vistar Corporation at this year’s National Business Meeting in Orlando. Your keynote address was a great start to what turned out to be a very productive and high energy meeting. I appreciate how you integrated what you had learned about Vistar into your subject matter. Our group appreciated the content and passion of your speech, and the strength of your beliefs. You helped bring the bright lights and fame of your experience as a pro-bowl caliber professional football player into a set of values and behaviors we can apply to the world of specialty foodservice distribution every day.
• In addition, I wanted to thank you for the “Q&A” session you provided after you had concluded the structured part of your presentation. You took every question, and answered each in a thoughtful and insightful way. Finally, I wanted to let you know that what I most appreciated was the amount of time you spent with our people after the event at our casino night. I’ve never seen a speaker spend that much time with any audience. Every person had a story to tell you about their memories of that time, their team, or something about their life. The fact that you spent an additional two hours signing autographs and talking to our people on a personal basis means a great deal to our team. On behalf of our senior leadership, our meeting planners, and the people who make Vistar the leaders in the markets we serve, thanks for everything. ‘ Vistar Specialty
• Karl did an excellent job of tying together his success on the football field with success in real life. He was motivational, sincere, humble and made an impact on everybody in attendance. The thing that impressed us most about Karl was the way he conducted himself during the presentation. We were having problems with the sound system and at times Karl would have to stop speaking altogether because of the distraction. Although this was extremely frustrating and embarrassing to us as a firm, Karl handled it with great class and patience and we truly appreciated that. ‘ Main Street Securities
• Our banquet has had several keynote speakers in the past, but none have generated more post event conversation than Karl has, and all the feedback was positive and several even said that it really made them re-evaluate their lives ‘ Coastal Bend FCA.
• The Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce would like to thank you for participating in our 37th Annual George Allen Golf Tournament and contributing to its success. Having you as a guest golfer/MC truly brought this event to a new level. We know the golfers enjoyed meeting and playing golf with you. We realize your time is valuable and we appreciate your taking to sign autographs after our awards ceremony. ‘ Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament
• Your presentation was the hit of our event! We recieved great feedback from our attendees about your down to earth demeanor, and strong while humorous message. Everyone really enjoyed getting to take snapshots with you and walking away with signed photos. ‘ Financial Network Investment Corporation