Tree Gelbman
 |
 | |
| No. 88 – Chicago Butchers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Tight End |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 18, 2014 (aged 46) Bayfield, OH |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Bayfield High School |
| College: | Bayfield University |
| ISFL Draft: | 2035 / Round: 5th / Pick: 50th |
| DSFL Draft: | 2035 / Round: 12th / Pick: 67th |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Retired |
Theresa "Tree" Gelbman (born September 18th, 2014) is a former American football tight end having last played for the Chicago Butchers of the National Simulation Football League. She played college football for Bayfield University before being drafted in the 12th round, 67th overall to the Kansas City Coyotes. She was drafted 5th round, 50th overall to the Austin Copperheads in the Season 21 NSFL Draft.
Contents
Early years
Tree was born September 18th, 2014 to David and Julie Gelbman. The youngest of six siblings, and the only female, Tree first started playing football when she was 6 years old with her siblings in the yard and was convinced by her father, a former high school football coach, to try out for the local peewee teams. Tree attended Bayfield High School and became a standout performer for her team at both quarterback and tight end, winning the county championship two years in a row. Tree also set the school record for the triple jump in both Girls Winter and Spring track. A 2 star recruit out of high school, Tree committed to local Bayfield University, only receiving other offers from the University of Brandon and Kamloops University.
College career
Declining the option to compete for the 3rd string quarterback position, Tree committed as a tight end full time for college. Tree was named the starting tight end after an injury to teammate Tad O'Had and found early success with the team. Gelbman caught her first touchdown pass in Week 4 vs Kelowna Community College and would follow it up with a 3 touchdown, 153 receiving yard game vs rivals University of Brandon, winning Bayfield University the coveted "Baby Face Trophy" back from their rivals for the first time in 10 years. Gelbman would finish her freshman year with 8 touchdowns and 517 receiving yards.
Gelbman's sophomore season was hampered by a series of nagging injuries, limiting her to only 6 games. Tree had another standout performance vs University of Brandon finishing with 2 touchdowns on 115 yards receiving, keeping the "Baby Face Trophy" in Bayfield's hands. During a Week 8 game vs South Thunder Bay State, Gelman tore the meniscus in her left knee, ending her season prematurely, and finishing the season with only 3 touchdowns and 210 receiving yards.
In the opening week matchup her junior year vs Everblade University, Gelbman finished with a school record 5 touchdown receptions and 272 receiving yards. In the Baby Face game vs University of Brandon Gelbman finished with one touchdown and 125 receiving yards to keep the trophy in the hands of Bayfield University for the third year in a row, setting a school record for most consecutive years with the trophy. Bayfield University would finish bowl eligible and faced off against the University of Georgia-Fairburn in the Tostito's Booty Bongo Fiesta Bowl in which she would have one touchdown reception and 85 receiving yards in an eventual 49-42 win. Gelbman finished her junior season with 900 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns
After her junior season Gelbman declared for the Season 2035 DSFL draft, citing that she proved all she had to in her college career and wanted to be the first Bayfield University product to make it to the big leagues.
College career statistics
| Tree Gelbman | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2032 | Bayfield | 11 | 45 | 517 | 11.5 | 8 |
| 2033 | Bayfield | 6 | 13 | 210 | 16.2 | 3 |
| 2034 | Bayfield | 13 | 50 | 900 | 18.0 | 16 |
| Career | 35 | 59 | 875 | 14.8 | 10 | |
DSFL career
Gelbman made her DSFL debut vs the Portland Pythons finishing with a team leading 5 receptions for 36 yards in a close loss. Week two would be a slightly worse game for Gelbman, only finishing with 3 receptions for 29 yards as she was out performed by teammate Shakir Ahmed. Week 3 Gelbman would lead the team in receptions and yards, finishing with 6 receptions and 70 yards in a win vs Minnesota. Week 5 was a breakout game for Tree, where she would catch 7 passes for 57 yards and her first career touchdown in a road win vs Portland. Tree would catch touchdown number two on the year in a blowout loss to Norfolk where she would finish with 3 receptions for 23 yards and 1 TD. Despite not being the focal point of the offense, Gelbman would finish her inaugural DSFL season with a statline of 60 receptions for 489 yards and two touchdowns. Gelbman started to develop a great relationship with quarterback Zero Two who would help Gelbman finish with at least 30 receiving yards in 9 out of 14 games. In the Kansas City Coyotes lone playoff game vs the Minnesota Grey Ducks, Gelbman would be quiet, only amassing 23 yards on 3 receptions in a blowout loss that sent the Coyotes home early. Gelbman would receive a nomination for "DSFL Tight End of the Year" where she would finish in second place in a controversial awards ceremony. Gelbman would also finish the year developing a friendly rivalry with fellow tight end Leon McDavid.
Following her selection to the NSFL, Gelbman was announced that she would be returning to Kansas City for the following season as opposed to spending the season in the NSFL level. When asked about it in an interview she stated "I have something to prove, I need to showcase that I'm ready to be the best tight end in the league, and that starts by winning Kansas City a title and coming for that Tight End of the Year award."
In the beginning of Season 21, Gelbman would get off to a bit of a slower start than in previous years. The addition of several top end wide receivers in the draft would reduce the number of targets and no longer the primary target on offense, her numbers declined rather sharply. But rather than just stats, Tree took on a new role for the Coyotes, becoming a leader in the Kansas City locker room (somehow) and guiding the rookies along the proper path to developing into stars. Gelbman would be a secondary option on offense, but still a very important one. Tree had a knack for getting first downs and 7 yard receptions when the team needed it as opposed to the big yards. When asked for a comment on it she said, “It’s the Tree Gelbman Special: You need 7 yards? I’ll get you 7 yards. You need 10 yards? I’ll get you 7 yards.” Gelbman would finish the regular season with 39 receptions for 338 yards but was unable to find the end zone in the entirety of the season. Gelbman would win Offensive Player of the Game in a Week 9 win vs Norfolk with several clutch first downs.
Gelbman would continue this role in the playoffs, where she would serve as a calming presence to the nerves of the rookies. In the two games playoff games that Gelbman would play in for Kansas City, she would finish with 8 receptions for 93 yards as Kansas City would fall just short of the title losing to Myrtle Beach in the finals.
Due to a complex situation in regards to the tight end situation with Austin, Gelbman was sent down to the DSFL for a 3rd season with the Kansas City Coyotes, despite not having any more room to grow as a player. The situation was one of turmoil for the Coyotes following the loss of beloved quarterback Chika Fujiwara who was called up to the Baltimore Hawks prior to the start of the season. Early on Gelbman would struggle to find a connection with the new quarterback Reginald Covington III and would take a while to get the connection going. No longer the target monster that she was her beginning year, Gelbman made do with what she could. With the struggling rookie quarterback at the helm Gelbman would still manage to put together a solid season for herself, finishing with 423 receiving yards on the season and managing to find the end zone again after not scoring a touchdown the entirety of the previous season. Kansas City’s season was one ravaged by callups, the team losing the entire defensive line in the offseason, and the team would limp to a 5-9 finish and miss the playoffs for the first time in Gelbman’s career, managing to finish an impressive 0-7 on the road. After the season Gelbman went on the record saying, “The season was pretty disappointing in almost every aspect. We sucked, plain and simple. While I enjoyed my time here in Kansas City I’m definitely ready to leave it behind for the big time.”
NSFL career
Gelbman was selected in the Season 22 NSFL Entry Draft in the 5th round, #50 overall to the Austin Copperheads. After the end of her rookie contract, Gelbman would receive some interest in the free agency market before beginning her NSFL career by signing with the Chicago Butchers prior to the start of Season 23.
Tree’s first season in the NSFL got off to a slow start. Struggling to develop a connection with quarterback George O’Donnell, Tree made minimal impact on the stats sheet, struggling to get more than one reception in a game while being outplayed by teammate Von Hayes in almost every aspect. Following a midseason change of personal trainers and a new sponsorship from Reese’s Puffs, Tree would find herself becoming a more reliable option after finally developing chemistry with George O’Donnell and the rest of the Chicago Offense. Tree would finish the year with a very respectable statline of 34 receptions for 296 yards with 8.7 yards per reception to round out a very respectable rookie season for her. The biggest development in Tree’s game for the season was along the offensive line. For the longest time blocking was always the weakest aspect of Tree’s game, struggling to provide consistent protection for the quarterback and running backs. Citing a long discussion with offensive lineman Benson Bayley Jr., Tree would hone her craft and become a solid blocker for the team, finishing the year with 20 pancakes whenever she would play on the offensive line while only allowing one sack all season long. After her first season with Chicago, in which Tree would receive a solid contract bonus for her continued efforts on and off the field, she would sign a three year extension with the team with only one year to go on the contract to remain a part of the monster team being built in the Windy City.
After a bad first season in the ISFL, and after a very slow start to the season serving as a secondary option in the receiving game, Tree would have a stat line of 6 receptions, 24 yards and 1 touchdown for her first career touchdown in a hard fought 26-24 loss to the Yellowknife Wraiths at home in week three. Gelbman would follow up that performance with a monster game week four against the Philadelphia Liberty, leading the team with 8 receptions, finishing second with 72 receiving yards, and catching her second touchdown of the season in a 27-10 win over the Liberty for the first Butchers game of the season. Gelbman would have a quiet stretch during the middle of the season, seldom finishing with more than 3 receptions or 30 yards in a game. Week 15 was a return to form for Tree, finishing the day with 5 receptions for only 37 yards, but hauling in another touchdown against the Philadelphia Liberty in a 41 to 27 win against the Liberty on their own home field. Tree would finish the regular season with 61 receptions for 506 yards and 3 total touchdowns, finishing just outside the nominations for Tight End of the Year. Tree would also see some growth on the offensive line side of the ball, putting up 39 pancake blocks in the season and giving up only three sacks. In the lone playoff game for the Butchers, Gelbman would finish 2nd on the team in receptions with 5, but would only muster 27 yards in a 24 – 17 loss to the Sarasota Sailfish.
Prior to the start of Season 29, Tree announced her retirement from the ISFL
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
240 lb (109 kg) |
4.53 s | 4.55 s | 7.702 s | 25.3 in (0.64 m) |
107 ft 3 in (32.69 m) |
29 reps | 20 |
Professional career statistics
| Tree Gelbman | Receiving | Offensive Line | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Pancakes | Sacks Allowed |
| 2035 (S20) | Coyotes | 14 | 60 | 489 | 8.2 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| 2036 (S21) | Coyotes | 14 | 39 | 338 | 8.7 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| 2037 (S22) | Coyotes | 14 | 53 | 423 | 8.0 | 1 | 17 | 1 |
| 2038 (S23) | Butchers | 16 | 34 | 296 | 8.7 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| 2039 (S24) | Butchers | 16 | 61 | 506 | 8.3 | 3 | 39 | 3 |
| 2040 (S25) | Butchers | 16 | 70 | 494 | 7.1 | 1 | 40 | 1 |
| 2041 (S26) | Butchers | 16 | 88 | 664 | 9.4 | 6 | 52 | 0 |
| 2042 (S27) | Butchers | 16 | 47 | 412 | 8.8 | 2 | 56 | 0 |
| 2043 (S28) | Butchers | 16 | 68 | 608 | 8.9 | 4 | 57 | 0 |
| Career | 138 | 520 | 3,741 | 8.4 | 19 | 316 | 6 | |
Playoff career statistics
| Tree Gelbman | Receiving | Offensive Line | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Pancakes | Sacks Allowed |
| 2036 (S21) | Coyotes | 1 | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2037 (S22) | Coyotes | 2 | 8 | 93 | 11.6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2039 (S24) | Butchers | 1 | 5 | 27 | 5.4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2040 (S25) | Butchers | 2 | 9 | 71 | 8.1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2041 (S26) | Butchers | 1 | 6 | 46 | 7.7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2042 (S27) | Butchers | 1 | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | 8 | 35 | 290 | 8.0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
Achievements and records
Gallery
Gelbman warms up in high school
Hyping up the locker room at halftime vs Minnesota
Locker room pregame vs London
Signing autographs at Coyote Fan Day
A rare pregame speech
Finally an award winner
