Skip to main content

Panthers FB Tolbert fighting to stay on top

By WTOP Staff

STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Mike Tolbert is always ready for a good fight — even during the NFL offseason.

The Panthers feisty fullback spent his downtime in a familiar setting: a sweaty boxing gym in San Diego sparring with some aspiring professional heavyweight boxers and stepping up his conditioning workouts with his trainer.

The result: the squatty 5-foot-9 Tolbert lost 13 pounds of unwanted weight to get down to 250, which he says left him faster, quicker and better conditioned than last season.

Tolbert is coming off his first Pro Bowl season and the man teammates refer to as “the bowling ball” is eager to make sure his play doesn’t slip entering his seventh NFL season.

“It’s tough, but the strong survive — and I have to be ready,” Tolbert said of the workouts.

Tolbert started boxing five summers ago in San Diego while playing for the Chargers as part of a program his trainer Dale Soliven called “cross box.” Soliven said Tolbert couldn’t get enough of it.

The two have been working together ever since.

Soliven said after watching Tolbert move in the ring he’s confident he could make it as a boxer if he wanted.

He said Tolbert recently stepped into a ring to spar with a young boxer who was preparing for his first professional fight.

“Mike was just destroying the guy. His hand speed is unreal,” Soliven said. “I had to pull Mike out of the ring and say, ‘That’s enough.'”

Tolbert said boxing suits his personality.

“It’s man on man,” Tolbert said. “It’s the ultimate sport of either you win or I win. That takes a lot of intensity. Everybody knows the mentality I have is that I will never let the man across from me beat me.”

Soliven said Tolbert is the most dedicated athlete he’s been around.

When Tolbert was at the Pro Bowl last January in Hawaii he called Soliven saying he needed to get into the gym to work out as soon as he hit the mainland.

“I was like, ‘Mike don’t you want to take a couple weeks off?” Soliven said. “And he was like, ‘No, this Pro Bowl thing has already put me behind on my training.'”

So Tolbert returned to the House of Boxing in San Diego the day after the Pro Bowl to spend time working to get into shape and shedding his goal of 10 pounds.

He’s done that and more.

Tolbert, entering his seventh NFL season, said he’s never felt in better shape in his life following the program Soliven put him through this offseason.

“The extra weight was a hindrance in the past,” Tolbert said. “I took it off the right way. It’s definitely helping me. “My cardio is beyond whatever I can comprehend,” Tolbert said. “Because we did so much road work and sparring and cardio, I feel like I can run for days. And you usually don’t see short, fat guys that can do that.”

Soliven said the focus this offseason was conditioning, which included running diagonal sprints up a hill they call the “Green Monster,” stop-and-go movements and resistance band training.

But Tolbert’s favorite part is stepping in the ring to spar.

He jokingly compares his boxing style to a mix between Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather and said he could probably beat anybody in the Panthers locker room in a boxing match with the possible exception of 6-foot-7, 330-pound offensive tackle Byron Bell, who was a high school Golden Gloves boxer.

Bell chuckled at the potential challenge, saying “if he thought he was going to get in (for a punch) I would touch him on his chin and he wouldn’t know what hit him.”

Panthers coach Ron Rivera could care less about Tolbert’s boxing potential.

He just wants his dominant fullback in the best shape possible. But Rivera cautioned that he doesn’t want Tolbert to lose too much weight.

He said Tolbert’s power and girth, combined with his low center of gravity, is what helped him run for 361 yards and five touchdowns last season and help the Panthers win the NFC South championship.

“I want Mike to be round,” Rivera said with a smile.

__

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote