From Left Guard to Lawyer
Alex Semadeni
When Ben Dooley was in high school, he had two potential career paths in mind.
A fan of animals, one of those paths diverged into becoming a veterinarian. Ben’s grandfather owns a cattle ranch and would occasionally use him as a ranch hand. He loved dogs as a young kid and would play with them every chance he could get, sometimes so aggressively that his parents would become concerned. Path one made sense.
His parents knew a lot of people in the small town of Fallon, Nevada, a town of just under 10,000 people where Ben graduated from high school. His father, Jared, knew a local veterinarian and asked her if she would mind allowing his son to shadow her for a day.
On his first day of his job shadow, Dooley was supposed to assist in spaying a dog. One of the first steps the vet did was to break a ligament before preparing to remove the dog’s uterus.
Dooley immediately fainted.
“They had to stop the surgery and bring me ice to put on my head and some water,” Dooley said. “I had to go sit in a dark room. I was super embarrassed. I knew I was never going to live it down. From that point on I thought that being a veterinarian is probably not right for me.”
In his mind, path one was no longer an option, so Ben set his sights on the other path. From a young age, he showed a strong desire to argue, and as he progressed through school, it became apparent that he could apply logic to those arguments. Jared served as the fire chief of Fallon, but also worked as a municipal court judge. Inspired by his father, his interest in the courtroom peaked, spurring a desire to become a lawyer.
“Ben has always been for the argument,” Jared said with a laugh. “I want to say this in a flattering way but he just loves to argue. It’s very hard to be the parent of a child like that. He was never disrespectful, but you could never say something to Ben and just expect that it was going to go over. We couldn’t just say, ‘because I said so.”
Ben completed his senior season in 2023, but due to COVID-19, he had an extra year of eligibility. Though his desire to become a lawyer hasn’t deteriorated, he decided to spend one more season in the Treasure Valley. Backed by a strong support group, a strong work ethic and a common goal, Dooley hopes his final season in a Bronco uniform not only leads to onfield successes, but reinforces a set of characteristics that he hopes to utilize for whatever lies on his path.
From the Mat to the Field
Being a lawyer stood out to Ben because it brought out one of his innate character traits – his competitiveness. Ben, who originally lived in Moscow, Idaho, grew up among a family of wrestlers. As a young kid, he would spend his Sundays watching his older brothers, Calvin and Gaven, compete on the mat before donning a singlet himself.
The family moved to Fallon halfway through Dooley’s high school career. Immediately, Motulalo Otuafi, the offensive line coach of the Churchill County High School team, noticed the size of Ben around the hallways and recruited him to join the football team. Ben’s friend group was all on the team, so he was somewhat easily persuaded to join the program.
“That coach took one look at Ben and was just relentless,” Jared said. “He would not let him go. He would tell him he was too big not to play football.”
Because football and wrestling compete during different seasons, Ben was able to compete in both sports. His wrestling prowess was evident, finishing as a state runner-up as a sophomore before claiming state titles in both his junior and senior season.
However, it also became quite clear how good of a football player Ben was. He quickly became a force in the trenches on both sides of the ball, helping the Greenwave to a 9-3 record in his junior year. That same year, he was named second team all-state. He was named the Northern League Lineman of the Year en route to an undefeated season as he capped off his senior year with a state championship.
“He really, really liked it,” Jared said. “We were a wrestling family. We spent all of our Sundays going to wrestling meets. Ben was a really accomplished wrestler and was really fun to watch. There was actually a little bit of sadness when I realized what a football career he had ahead of him, because the wrestling thing was always kind of a love in our family. But of course it was a good fit for him.”
Dooley’s play on the field caught the attention of college coaches. He was heavily recruited by Cal, Nevada, San Diego State, UNLV and Washington State, in addition to Boise State.
During the summer, the Churchill County football team visited the team camp at Boise State. Dooley, who at the time hadn’t thought seriously about playing football at the collegiate level, naturally enjoyed the camaraderie he witnessed between the Broncos players and the coaching staff. The Broncos began recruiting him that next season, and once the Dooleys visited campus on their official recruiting trip, the culture of the program was made evident to the entire family.
“He really got an initial, almost like a pre-recruitment trip there without even knowing that he was going to be recruited,” Jared said. “When we went to Boise for the official visit, it seemed like right when he showed up on campus that everyone already knew him. It was super clean and super nice, and he loved the facility and The Blue. It always was Boise State after that.”
Developing the Athlete
Dooley verbally committed nearly a month after his official visit, and arrived on campus in the fall of 2019. Though his desire to enter law school remained unchanged, he wasn’t sure what to major in. Law schools don’t require a specific prerequisite degree, so any bachelor’s degree would suffice.
He started as a chemical engineering major, but realized quickly that wasn’t an ideal fit. He switched to political science, but after a couple of conversations with some lawyers he knew back in Fallon, decided to change once more to a writing, rhetoric and technical communications major.
“I came into college a little unsure,” Dooley said. “I initially wanted to get a really good bachelor’s degree so if being a lawyer didn’t work out I could fall back on that. I realized that my first two majors probably weren’t going to work. I talked to a couple of lawyers and they gave me a bunch of ideas for majors. I thought about what a lawyer does the most - a lawyer reads a lot of stuff, and writes a lot of stuff. So I switched over to English.”
The writing, rhetoric and technical communication major requires a lot of – you guessed it – reading and writing. Which for Ben wasn’t an issue; he’s always enjoyed reading and wasn’t one to stress too heavily over writing essays. But the staunch demands of a student-athlete at the collegiate level proved to be an initial hurdle.
“Football is a very demanding sport, especially where the college game is at now,” Dooley said. “You are expected to do a lot. We do a lot of mandatory stuff, but you are also expected to handle your business like an adult. I’m constantly getting treatment and watching film by myself. You can really get swept away and get overwhelmed by just football. Then you add school on top of that and you do have to find that balance. There were years where I struggled with it. I’ve always been a good student but it doesn’t mean it was easy.”
Despite those initial challenges, Ben was an ace in the classroom. His academic prowess was recognized by the Mountain West, as he has been named academic all-conference in all four seasons he has seen the field.
As he took care of his studies in the classroom, he also began developing on the football field as an offensive lineman. When he first set foot on campus, he was unsure if he would ever get a chance to get in a game.
“When I came in I remember thinking that I was the worst athlete they’ve ever had,” Dooley said. “It was a very humbling experience to play O-line here my first year, so I redshirted that year and I didn’t think I was getting better at all. It was a frustrating process because I had to learn so much in such little time. Strength-wise, size-wise, football-IQ-wise; it’s a different game in the trenches when it comes to college versus high school. I didn’t know if I would ever be good. I thought I might ride the bench the whole time.”
He turned out to be wrong, appearing in three games during his redshirt freshman season. One of those games included a bizarre opportunity against Colorado State where, due to teammates not playing because to COVID-19, he played on the defensive line. Ben ended the game with two tackles.
Dooley had his breakout season during his redshirt sophomore year. Under the tutelage of new offensive line coach Tim Keane, Dooley exploded onto the scene. He started all 12 games that season, playing the first four at right tackle and the final eight at right guard, and was named All-MW Second Team.
“That sophomore year was when I really started to find what I was good at when it came to the offensive line,” Ben said. “I really started to lean into those things. I saw some things were working and saw some success. That’s probably when I realized that I don’t have to suck for five years and then quit.”
Beyond the X’s and O’s on the field, Keane helped Dooley develop some healthy off-the-field habits. In particular, the two have had conversations about having a neutral-mindset mentality, which means not getting too high or too low no matter the situation.
“Coach Keane has been a big mentor in my life,” Ben said. “He was the one that got me on this neutral-mindset mentality. It’s not letting your emotion dictate your choices and how you react to things. It's not being too positive and not being too negative but being right where you can operate. ‘What happened and how do I fix it? What’s my goal and how do I achieve it?’ You don’t see that kind of mindset in a lot of people that aren’t athletes and I hope to take that into the real world.”
After missing half the season after battling injuries in 2022, Dooley returned last year with a vengeance. Starting in all 10 games he played, Dooley contributed to an offensive line that ranked second in the MW and 13th nationally with 1.14 sacks allowed per game. In 270 opportunities, he allowed only one sack. Last season, the Broncos ranked 15th nationally with 6.55 yards per play.
Dooley became a big part of the improbable turnaround that resulted in a 2023 Mountain West Championship and a chance to face UCLA in the LA Bowl hosted by Gronk. He was one of several Broncos who celebrated his graduation in the team hotel in Los Angeles a day before the matchup against the Bruins.
Throughout his time as a member of the football program, Ben maintained his desire to eventually become a lawyer.
“I love arguing,” he said. “I love taking someone’s argument down to the ground and trying to change their mind. I also love the competition. I was always a competitor. I was always trying to beat you. Something about a lawyer, instead of battling with your body, you’re battling with your mind. There is a winner, there is a loser. There’s prep. There’s the competition of being in that room and taking on somebody else and seeing who comes out the winner. That always fueled me for a while. I want to take that competitive passion and put it into being a lawyer. I want to be in a courtroom, competing.”
Still Something to Learn
Ben is saving the decision on what specific type of lawyer he wants to be until after the season, as he decided to utilize his final year of eligibility and return for his sixth year in the Bronco program. There were several reasons for doing so, but mainly he felt like he still had things to learn. A lot of those things revolved around the ins and outs of football, yes. But a lot had to do with habits off the field.
One reason - his head coach. Ben has a great relationship with Spencer Danielson, and wants to emulate the way that the leader of the program truly embodies all the messages he preaches.
“I think Coach D is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met,” Ben said. “The way that he operates as a human building inspires me on the daily. He’s so consistent with who he is that it makes me want to be consistent about who I am in my values and my goals.”
Another reason he stayed? The culture in the building. People around the program know the mentality that is required by everyone – from coaches, players and support staff – to succeed in the building.
“We always throw around the word blue collar,” Dooley said. “That’s something that I’ll take with me when I leave Boise State. It just takes a different kind of mentality when it comes to putting in the work around here. There are no shortcuts. Success comes from hard work and you have to practice like you’ll play. Preparation is key. That’s something that I won’t ever forget. That kind of mentality is what I hope to take away.”
Entering his final year in the program, Ben also hopes to expand on another area this season – leadership.
“Being an older guy on this team, I’m looked to a lot by younger guys to lead them by example and lead them by words,” Dooley said. “Those characteristics I’m hoping to take with me into the world and be a light and be a leader wherever I go.”
Dooley credits his father, Coach Keane and Coach Danielson as being examples of how to be a successful young adult. Specifically, his father taught him not only the basics but how to be proud and play into your strengths, Keane taught him the advantages of maintaining mental fortitude through adversity, while Coach Danielson taught him to embody what he believes.
"As much as I want to take credit, as much as my wife would want to take credit, we can’t,” Jared said. “A lot of it is who Ben is and who he surrounds himself with. When we were interviewing with all those schools, we realized quickly that it wasn't just football that Boise State was teaching. They were teaching life lessons on how to put yourself in a position to be successful and all of those things that can take a lifetime to learn. It seemed like as much as he's learned football, he's learned those things as well. I love that kid, and I'm glad that he's doing what he's doing.”
And finally, he wants to grow as a football player. Throughout his time on The Blue, Ben has been quietly preparing for another path that could potentially throw a last-minute wrinkle in his plan: the National Football League.
“I can’t say I’m one of those guys who wanted to be in the NFL from Kindergarten,” Ben said. “My family and I were never big football-heads. We don’t have an NFL team. We never watched college football. I’ve enjoyed perfecting the craft. If the NFL comes knocking because I’ve done that in such a way, I’ll of course pursue and continue to perfect my craft even more and postpone my lawyer plans. If not, I’ll study for the LSAT, take that and apply to law school.”
Under Dooley’s leadership, the offensive line - which has already battled through injuries in the early-part of the season - has become a strong component of the Broncos’ early offensive attack. Boasting a 2-1 record, and a part of an offense that has already exceeded 50 points and 600 yards of offense in two of the three games so far this season, Dooley is hoping to make his senior season, his last before a decision on what path to take must occur, as competitive as he can.
“When I think about what I’m looking forward to the most, I think about what am I going to miss the most, and that is my teammates,” Dooley said. “Six years is a long time in college football. They’re almost like dog years. The people that I’ve gotten to know, who have stayed with me, I have such a close bond with. They seem like they are my family and they are my family. I’m just really looking forward to finishing this year with them and leaving it all out on the table when it comes to football and seeing what our best can do. I can’t wait to finish this year out with my brothers and see how far we can go.”
Ben will lead the Broncos offensive line this Saturday as Washington State visits The Blue. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. MT with the game airing nationally on FS1.