Former Philadelphia Eagle Jon Dorenbos is a magician.
In more ways than one.
Magic may have saved his life when he was a teenager, when his father murdered his mother in their suburban Seattle home, and he was thrust into foster care and struggling to comprehend unthinkable loss. Back then, Dorenbos discovered that sleight of hand could soothe a pain far deeper than most people could imagine.
But what was equally as magical as any card trick or illusion he learned in order to cope with his suffering was the college scholarship he somehow landed and the professional football career he fashioned for himself.
Dorenbos — the former long snapper who played 14 years in the NFL, including 11 with the Eagles, and performer who finished third on the 11th season of America’s Got Talent — now captivates audiences throughout the country with his story of tragedy and triumph. He recently spoke, combining world-class magic with his awe-inspiring personal journey, at both Firstrust Bank’s annual employee meeting and its Lunch with Legends event for small business customers.
“Jon’s journey is more than inspiring; it’s a powerful reminder that life will always present us with challenges, setbacks, and uncertainty,” said Richard Green, Owner and Executive Chairman of Firstrust Bank. “But it’s also a story about courage, about facing adversity head-on, embracing change, and finding the strength to write new chapters.”
When his father went to prison, and after a legal battle for his custody, Dorenbos was adopted by his aunt and uncle and moved to Orange County, California. Through magic, Dorenbos found an outlet for grief, a sense of control in a world turned upside down.
“I grew up shuffling cards,” he said. “To me, life makes sense in the sound of a riffle. When I was a kid, in the dark, I would take cards, and I would hear the riffle. All of a sudden, I realized, one day, that if I could shuffle these cards to do what I want, if I could shuffle the cards to tell a story, why can’t I shuffle my own mind, my own thoughts? When (my mind) goes to a really dark place where I don’t want to be, why can’t I shuffle (my mind) to tell the story I want to tell, to live the life I want to live, to make the world a better place?”
Dorenbos leaned into another passion as well: football. Along with magic, the two pursuits gradually built the resilience that defined him. However, as a linebacker and fullback at a junior college in California, he hadn’t received any interest from Division I programs.
He learned from a friend who played at the University of Texas at El Paso that the Miners were looking for a long snapper, one of the most specialized and often overlooked positions in sports. Having never played the position before, he submitted a highlight tape that featured his teammate, pretending it was his own work.
Dorenbos earned a scholarship to UTEP, where he refined his skills as a long snapper. His precision and work ethic caught the eye of NFL scouts, and in 2003, he signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent. He became one of the NFL’s most reliable long snappers and secured two Pro Bowl nods.
A heart condition, discovered through a physical when he was traded to the New Orleans Saints just before the 2017 season kicked off, cut Dorenbos’s football career short. The Eagles, the team he poured his heart into for more than a decade, went on to win the Super Bowl that year and awarded him a championship ring, recognizing him as part of their foundation of success.
Football provided Dorenbos a platform to grow his magic. He performed for teammates in locker rooms and dazzled crowds at charity events. Today, his act blends entertainment with inspiration.
“Let me tell you what I learned in sports, something that I carried over into my life: You show up every day on time, prepared, and ready to work,” he said. “Sometimes, you don’t see the result. Sometimes, it’s hard. Sometimes, consistency is hard. Sometimes, showing up is hard. But, eventually, your number gets called, and eventually, you will be the difference for yourself, for your families, for the people around you, for the world.”
Dorenbos stressed that, no matter how difficult things get, everyone should aim to put themselves in a position to be successful.
“No matter how good you have it or how bad you have it,” he said, “continue to put yourself in a position to be successful because your number will be called to be the difference.”
Green called Dorenbos’s journey a “masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and optimism.”
“In a world where so much feels out of our control, the key is to focus on what is within our control — our actions, our choices, and our narrative,” Green said. “Because at the heart of it, success is not about what just happens to us. It’s about how we respond.”
Learn more about Firstrust Bank and how it aims to cultivate prosperity for its customers, employees, and the communities it serves.
