For a majority of professional players, football has been Plan A, B and C. Whether that’s reaching the NFL, CFL, XFL or another pro league, getting paid to play the game they love is at the forefront for most footballers.
When it comes to Bears QB Tyson Bagent, that’s not necessarily the case. Although, nothing has been normal about Bagent’s path to the NFL.
The quarterback played college football at Shepherd University, a Division II school out of Shepherdstown, W.V. His 159 career passing TDs are the most at any level in the NCAA, leading to him signing as an undrafted free agent with the Bears.
During Chicago’s training camp, the 23-year-old West Virginia native beat out P.J. Walker for the No. 2 spot behind Justin Fields. Now, with the franchise QB out with a thumb injury, Bagent has stepped into the bright lights as a starting signal caller in the NFL. He led the Bears to a win over the Raiders in Week 7 and is set to lead the offense again on “Sunday Night Football” against the Chargers.
While the QB always aspired to play in the NFL, there was a backup plan put in place if football did not work out, and that alternative option was CrossFit.
MORE: Why wasn’t Tyson Bagent drafted to the NFL?
Here is more to know about Bagent and his CrossFit background.
Tyson Bagent CrossFit
When Bagent was tabbed as the starter for the injured Fields, one of the questions he was asked was about his Plan B if football didn’t work out.
While some players may not have had anything set in stone, Bagent had his secondary plan all mapped out.
Tyson Bagent was ready to become a ruthless PE teacher if he didn’t make the NFL pic.twitter.com/QVj6acmkA0
— Barstool Chicago (@barstoolchicago) October 21, 2023
“I was going to basically just CrossFit my life away,” Bagent said. “Just get as ripped and jacked as I possibly could, and be a teacher at Martinsburg High School.”
Bagent was introduced to CrossFit thanks to his father, Travis, a 28-time world arm wrestling champion. The elder Bagent began getting involved in the sport when the QB was in elementary school, starting out as an announcer at CrossFit events before opening his own affiliate.
“CrossFit, it gave (Tyson) a level of confidence, being pushed to excel when it becomes every single day of that being a part of our lives,” his father said. “He wanted to know what happens when there is some adversity, what happens when you get tired. And that’s what I see from him in every situation.”
“You take a 10-year-old kid whose dad owns a CrossFit gym, you see him grow up in the gym, and then because of this philosophy, he’s now the absolute king of the world here and living an absolute dream,” Travis said.
CrossFit gave Bagent the mindset to approach football and life in general — 100 percent effort all the time.
MORE: Revisiting Tyson Bagent’s college career at Shepherd University
“Nothing is a sure thing,” Bagent said. “(The NFL) wasn’t a sure thing for me. I’m really just happy that I worked as hard as I did because then win, lose or draw, you know that you didn’t make it or not make it because of something you left on the table.”
What is CrossFit?
According to Health.com, CrossFit is a “high-intensity training program” that “incorporates functional movements that build stamina, strength and speed, among several other areas.” Certain people have claimed that the strength-building conditioning is the best and fastest way way to achieve peak physical health.
“From an exercise perspective, CrossFit takes all aspects of fitness and sports, cherry-picking the best, most effective, and most applicable to everyday life, and combines them together,” Richard Froning Jr., a professional CrossFit athlete, said in an interview with Health.
CrossFit is typically broken down into four different components: warm-up, strength or skills, workout of the day (WOD), and cooldown or mobility session.