In addition to playing quarterback for the Vols, Joshua Dobbs majored in aerospace engineering at the University of Tennessee before being selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now in Jacksonville with the Jaguars as the backup to fan-favorite Gardner Minshew, Dobbs — who graduated with honors from Tennessee — has been putting his aerospace degree to good use this offseason by working for NASA as a literal rocket scientist.
After completing two externships at global aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney working on jet engines for fighter planes, Dobbs took a job as an extern for NASA. For nearly three weeks in February, Dobbs was at Kennedy Space Center in Florida working on NASA’s mobile launcher in the instrumentation department.
“It felt like every part of Kennedy Space Center kind of wanted to show me what was going on,” Dobbs told USA Today. “Every single day was different, so I got a chance to learn kind of the ins and outs, everything that goes on, and how everything comes together to support the rocket on launch day.”
Earlier this month, Dobbs posted on Twitter about his time at NASA.
Congrats to @NASA on this morning’s successful launch to the @Space_Station!👏🏽 What an incredible experience going behind the curtains to work w/ America’s brightest during my @NFLPA Externship at the @NASAKennedy. #AthleteAnd🏈🚀 @Jaguars @NFL @UTK_TCE @tennalum @Vol_Football pic.twitter.com/dDQhB64EdZ
— Josh Dobbs (@josh_dobbs1) April 9, 2020
“Whether you’re on a football field or down there, it’s a team,” Dobbs said. “At the end of the day for us, we’re trying to win football games, trying to win a Super Bowl. For them, at the end of the day they’re trying to send a rocket to the moon. So everyone has their big goal.”
Though he hasn’t had many opportunities in the NFL, Dobbs was a standout college QB and passed for 7,138 yards, 53 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in 37 career games with the Vols while adding 2,160 yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground.
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