Schoen Finds Success North of the Border
Nov 29, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Dalton Schoen isn't pinching himself. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? He calls it "unfortunate." Awash in this football journey that began many years ago, he has seldom checked himself to make sure it is all real. No, the 26-year-old native of Overland Park, Kansas, who once entered the Vanier Family Football Complex without a scholarship but carrying a dream, doesn't give himself a chance to confirm that this is all really happening.
He doesn't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
"I never wanted to let myself think too much because I thought I could lose my edge," he says. "I thought I could make the moment a little too big. It's kind of unfortunate when you think about it."
At the moment, Schoen is driving south, along the 12-hour trek from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to Overland Park, the mile-markers serving as proverbial reminders of how far he's come as he heads back to where the dream began.
He just enjoyed a season in the Canadian Football League that many could only dream about.
Winnipeg is located 1,660 road miles north of the United States boarder and lies at the bottom of the Red River Valley, a low-lying flood plain with extremely flat topography. Yet from the depths of Winnipeg emerged a former Kansas State walk-on who rose atop the CFL.
Schoen had 70 catches for 1,441 yards and a staggering 16 touchdowns as a rookie with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, leading entire CFL in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. During the season, he caught passes of 81, 65, 64, 62, 47, 39, 36 and 35 yards — he averaged 20.6 yards per reception — and he totaled a blistering 368 yards after catch.
And on November 17, Schoen was named 2022 CFL Rookie of the Year.
"It was a blessing," he says. "It meant a lot to me. It's a huge honor. More than anything, though, it's a testament to the people around me and to the fact that the culture I was a part of at Winnipeg was truly special. They truly embraced me. The culture of the players and head coach Mike O'Shea and the coaching staff and everyone in the organization — it's just a special place."
The 6-foot-1, 218-pound Schoen officially made Winnipeg his home on April 7, 2022. Schoen first signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, but was released following training camp. In 2021, he signed a futures contract with his hometown Kansas City Chiefs and later that year joined Washington's practice squad. He re-joined the Chiefs in December of 2021, being added to their practice squad. But he could never quite stick with an NFL team.
"All those times, I was told, 'Sorry, you're just not what we need right now,'" Schoen says. "Nobody specifically said, 'You're not good enough.' That's one of the hardest parts. It hurts to hear that over and over again. For me, the whole time it was about going back to Coach Snyder's Goal No. 12: No Self-Limitations. It's about persevering.
"To get to experience the year I had this year, it makes it all feel worthwhile."
Schoen knew the unforgettable taste of comeuppance. The flavor lingers, a familiar sweet-and-sour concoction, an unmistakable aftertaste that coats the palate of patience and opportunity, which he felt several years ago and for the first time as a walk-on with the K-State football team.
Perhaps you've heard the story before — how Schoen starred at Blue Valley Northwest High School and was one of six national finalists for the Wendy's High School Heisman; how he broke the Kansas high school record with 380 receiving yards in a single game in 2014; how he walked-on at K-State, practiced with the scout team, burned the starting defense, and eventually caught the eye of coaches; how Schoen started the first game of his sophomore season, caught a 70-yard touchdown on his first-career catch in the season opener, and never looked back; how Schoen scorched Texas with a five-catch, 128-yard, two-touchdown performance; and how he was awarded a scholarship and named Most Improved Offensive Player along with quarterback Skylar Thompson at the Wildcats' postseason awards ceremony in 2017.
Schoen finished his K-State career seventh in school history with 17.05 yards per catch and 15th with 1,569 receiving yards. His nine touchdown receptions averaged 39.4 yards.
"My whole central theme to the story is Goal No. 12: No Self-Limitations," Schoen says. "If you're willing to put in the work every day and make sacrifices you can achieve that goal. The only reason I am where I am today was because I was able to stick through the ups and downs and enjoyed the process of grinding every single day to better myself as a football player.
"It's all about doing what you love and going after what you believe you can do. That's what it's been all about for me, and that's kind of why I think I was able to have the success I did this year."
Schoen earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in May 2019 and pursued a master's in data analytics. Yet he was determined to pursue his professional football dreams, which bounced him from Los Angeles to Kansas City to Washington and back to Kansas City before his agent called with an opportunity: The Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League.
Schoen Googled "Winnipeg" to find it on a map. The Blue Bombers had won at least 10 games in each of the past five seasons and were coming off back-to-back Grey Cup Championships. They were the hottest CFL organization around.
"You'd see games on TV but you didn't really know which teams were which and the ins and outs of the league," Schoen says. "I didn't know until I got my playbook that there are 12 guys on the field in the CFL, which obviously changes offensive and defensive schemes and spacing, and the field is also wider, and playing the 'waggle' as they call it in which the receiver is running toward the line of scrimmage at the snap — that makes it a new game. And the end zone is 20 yards with the goal post in the front. All of that took some adjustment for sure."
However, Schoen didn't have to adjust his mindset. He had to fight and claw for a spot on the roster as he had done many times before. The Blue Bombers returned their top three wide receivers and had brought in a seasoned veteran, which lessened the chance to make the roster. He had to battle nearly two dozen wide receivers and had to stand out.
"Ultimately, there weren't a lot of jobs up for grabs, which was very similar to my position as a walk-on at K-State when I faced overwhelming odds to get onto the field and contribute," Schoen says. "Everything I learned at K-State — the work ethic and foundation of values of Coach Snyder's program — helped prepare me for that moment."
WATCH – SCHOEN'S JOURNEY TO BECOMING A CFL STAR
When Schoen got his chance, he instantly shined. He caught five passes his first game. He caught his first touchdown in the second game. He had eight catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns against British Columbia in week five to earn Player of the Week honors. He had five 100-yard receiving performances, including a seven-catch, 162-yard, three-touchdown performance against Edmonton, and he caught a touchdown in 13 games.
Winnipeg ended its season with a 15-3 record and suffered a 24-23 loss to Toronto in the Grey Cup.
"That hurt," he says. "But looking at the season as a whole, we set the franchise record for wins, and for me, it was about just getting to play meaningful football again and being surrounded with this great culture and being a part of such great team success."
And now? Schoen's ears are open for an NFL opportunity.
"Now that the season is over, we're starting to have those conversations with my agent, and there will be more conversations with my agent in the future," he says. "If I was to get another opportunity, it'd be a tremendous opportunity."
Schoen is so grateful that he was able to be a Blue Bomber this year.
"I was so blessed to end up with the Blue Bombers," he says. "I obviously didn't know the ins and the outs of the CFL and the dynamics of each team and the nuances of the league — for me to show up for a team that has an incredible culture, I love our coaches there, and the players we have in our locker room, it's truly a special place. I'm so blessed to be in a situation where I could thrive like I did. I truly feel so blessed to have been in that locker room and to land there when I couldn't find a team."
But no, Schoen won't pinch himself in the midst of his remarkable journey.
There's still more to come.
"I don't ever want to let myself do that, which is kind of unfortunate when you think about it, but it's a tough situation with football, you know?" he says. "It was the same way at K-State. I grew up a huge K-State fan and when I first got out on the field, I didn't want to let myself think about, 'This is crazy that I'm actually out here playing.' I started and was voted team captain and never wanted to think about those things too much because I thought I'd lose my edge and make the moment a little too big. I think I approached the CFL the same way.
"I never wanted to think too much about how crazy it was that I'd come this far and was able to lead the league in receiving yards and touchdowns. It's crazy to think about, but I never let myself go there. I'm sure over the next couple months when I reflect on the season, it'll sink in a little bit more."
He pauses.
"Really," he says, "I think I'm going to put that off until years from now when I'm done playing football."
Dalton Schoen isn't pinching himself. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? He calls it "unfortunate." Awash in this football journey that began many years ago, he has seldom checked himself to make sure it is all real. No, the 26-year-old native of Overland Park, Kansas, who once entered the Vanier Family Football Complex without a scholarship but carrying a dream, doesn't give himself a chance to confirm that this is all really happening.
He doesn't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
"I never wanted to let myself think too much because I thought I could lose my edge," he says. "I thought I could make the moment a little too big. It's kind of unfortunate when you think about it."
At the moment, Schoen is driving south, along the 12-hour trek from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to Overland Park, the mile-markers serving as proverbial reminders of how far he's come as he heads back to where the dream began.
He just enjoyed a season in the Canadian Football League that many could only dream about.
Winnipeg is located 1,660 road miles north of the United States boarder and lies at the bottom of the Red River Valley, a low-lying flood plain with extremely flat topography. Yet from the depths of Winnipeg emerged a former Kansas State walk-on who rose atop the CFL.
Schoen had 70 catches for 1,441 yards and a staggering 16 touchdowns as a rookie with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, leading entire CFL in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. During the season, he caught passes of 81, 65, 64, 62, 47, 39, 36 and 35 yards — he averaged 20.6 yards per reception — and he totaled a blistering 368 yards after catch.
And on November 17, Schoen was named 2022 CFL Rookie of the Year.
The walk-on, the Rookie of the Year, the 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝐷𝑎𝑤𝑔. @EdTaitWFC 📝 » https://t.co/tLwseiH214#ForTheW | @KStateFB pic.twitter.com/YbkOd6SIY2
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) November 18, 2022
"It was a blessing," he says. "It meant a lot to me. It's a huge honor. More than anything, though, it's a testament to the people around me and to the fact that the culture I was a part of at Winnipeg was truly special. They truly embraced me. The culture of the players and head coach Mike O'Shea and the coaching staff and everyone in the organization — it's just a special place."
The 6-foot-1, 218-pound Schoen officially made Winnipeg his home on April 7, 2022. Schoen first signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, but was released following training camp. In 2021, he signed a futures contract with his hometown Kansas City Chiefs and later that year joined Washington's practice squad. He re-joined the Chiefs in December of 2021, being added to their practice squad. But he could never quite stick with an NFL team.
"All those times, I was told, 'Sorry, you're just not what we need right now,'" Schoen says. "Nobody specifically said, 'You're not good enough.' That's one of the hardest parts. It hurts to hear that over and over again. For me, the whole time it was about going back to Coach Snyder's Goal No. 12: No Self-Limitations. It's about persevering.
"To get to experience the year I had this year, it makes it all feel worthwhile."
Schoen knew the unforgettable taste of comeuppance. The flavor lingers, a familiar sweet-and-sour concoction, an unmistakable aftertaste that coats the palate of patience and opportunity, which he felt several years ago and for the first time as a walk-on with the K-State football team.
Perhaps you've heard the story before — how Schoen starred at Blue Valley Northwest High School and was one of six national finalists for the Wendy's High School Heisman; how he broke the Kansas high school record with 380 receiving yards in a single game in 2014; how he walked-on at K-State, practiced with the scout team, burned the starting defense, and eventually caught the eye of coaches; how Schoen started the first game of his sophomore season, caught a 70-yard touchdown on his first-career catch in the season opener, and never looked back; how Schoen scorched Texas with a five-catch, 128-yard, two-touchdown performance; and how he was awarded a scholarship and named Most Improved Offensive Player along with quarterback Skylar Thompson at the Wildcats' postseason awards ceremony in 2017.
Schoen finished his K-State career seventh in school history with 17.05 yards per catch and 15th with 1,569 receiving yards. His nine touchdown receptions averaged 39.4 yards.
"My whole central theme to the story is Goal No. 12: No Self-Limitations," Schoen says. "If you're willing to put in the work every day and make sacrifices you can achieve that goal. The only reason I am where I am today was because I was able to stick through the ups and downs and enjoyed the process of grinding every single day to better myself as a football player.
"It's all about doing what you love and going after what you believe you can do. That's what it's been all about for me, and that's kind of why I think I was able to have the success I did this year."
Schoen earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in May 2019 and pursued a master's in data analytics. Yet he was determined to pursue his professional football dreams, which bounced him from Los Angeles to Kansas City to Washington and back to Kansas City before his agent called with an opportunity: The Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League.
Schoen Googled "Winnipeg" to find it on a map. The Blue Bombers had won at least 10 games in each of the past five seasons and were coming off back-to-back Grey Cup Championships. They were the hottest CFL organization around.
"You'd see games on TV but you didn't really know which teams were which and the ins and outs of the league," Schoen says. "I didn't know until I got my playbook that there are 12 guys on the field in the CFL, which obviously changes offensive and defensive schemes and spacing, and the field is also wider, and playing the 'waggle' as they call it in which the receiver is running toward the line of scrimmage at the snap — that makes it a new game. And the end zone is 20 yards with the goal post in the front. All of that took some adjustment for sure."
However, Schoen didn't have to adjust his mindset. He had to fight and claw for a spot on the roster as he had done many times before. The Blue Bombers returned their top three wide receivers and had brought in a seasoned veteran, which lessened the chance to make the roster. He had to battle nearly two dozen wide receivers and had to stand out.
"Ultimately, there weren't a lot of jobs up for grabs, which was very similar to my position as a walk-on at K-State when I faced overwhelming odds to get onto the field and contribute," Schoen says. "Everything I learned at K-State — the work ethic and foundation of values of Coach Snyder's program — helped prepare me for that moment."
WATCH – SCHOEN'S JOURNEY TO BECOMING A CFL STAR
When Schoen got his chance, he instantly shined. He caught five passes his first game. He caught his first touchdown in the second game. He had eight catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns against British Columbia in week five to earn Player of the Week honors. He had five 100-yard receiving performances, including a seven-catch, 162-yard, three-touchdown performance against Edmonton, and he caught a touchdown in 13 games.
Winnipeg ended its season with a 15-3 record and suffered a 24-23 loss to Toronto in the Grey Cup.
"That hurt," he says. "But looking at the season as a whole, we set the franchise record for wins, and for me, it was about just getting to play meaningful football again and being surrounded with this great culture and being a part of such great team success."
And now? Schoen's ears are open for an NFL opportunity.
"Now that the season is over, we're starting to have those conversations with my agent, and there will be more conversations with my agent in the future," he says. "If I was to get another opportunity, it'd be a tremendous opportunity."
Schoen is so grateful that he was able to be a Blue Bomber this year.
"I was so blessed to end up with the Blue Bombers," he says. "I obviously didn't know the ins and the outs of the CFL and the dynamics of each team and the nuances of the league — for me to show up for a team that has an incredible culture, I love our coaches there, and the players we have in our locker room, it's truly a special place. I'm so blessed to be in a situation where I could thrive like I did. I truly feel so blessed to have been in that locker room and to land there when I couldn't find a team."
But no, Schoen won't pinch himself in the midst of his remarkable journey.
There's still more to come.
"I don't ever want to let myself do that, which is kind of unfortunate when you think about it, but it's a tough situation with football, you know?" he says. "It was the same way at K-State. I grew up a huge K-State fan and when I first got out on the field, I didn't want to let myself think about, 'This is crazy that I'm actually out here playing.' I started and was voted team captain and never wanted to think about those things too much because I thought I'd lose my edge and make the moment a little too big. I think I approached the CFL the same way.
"I never wanted to think too much about how crazy it was that I'd come this far and was able to lead the league in receiving yards and touchdowns. It's crazy to think about, but I never let myself go there. I'm sure over the next couple months when I reflect on the season, it'll sink in a little bit more."
He pauses.
"Really," he says, "I think I'm going to put that off until years from now when I'm done playing football."
Players Mentioned
QB
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