Roadrunner Renaissance Man – Michael Egwuagu
The term 'renaissance man' is one that is thrown around far too cavalierly in this day and age. However, when it comes to Michael Egwuagu it is not only appropriate, but also highly accurate. The former three year starter in the UTSA backfield is not only an accomplished hip hop artist, but he is also an entrepreneur, a financial analyst, and philanthropist.
Oh yeah, and while he was a safety for the Roadrunners, he hit opposing players harder than a keg of dynamite.
While at Connally High School in Pflugerville, Egwuagu would earn first team All-District honors, second team All Central Texas honors, and be recognized as a Top 300 selection by Dave Campbell's Texas Football. A visit from UTSA's first head man, Larry Coker, would ultimately sway him to bring his proverbial talents to the campus out on 1604. Before he hung up the cleats with the Roadrunners, he would become one of the team's all-time leaders in tackles and be recognized as a second team All-Conference player.
After going undrafted, Egwuagu spent time with the Chicago Bears in preseason and had a stint in the Spring League this past April. Now fully immersed in his current endeavors, Egwuagu took some time out of his jam-packed schedule to talk about the football lineage of his family, Drake, and putting his trust in the hands of Head Coach Frank Wilson.
EM: So, Mike, you grew up here as a Texas kid. Usually, it's kind of a rite of passage for someone to play football. I know you've got deep ties to the sport in your family too. Overall though, what made you want to start playing originally?
ME: My older brother, Martin, more than anything is what made me want to play. My older brother was a phenomenal player. He eventually went and walked on to the University of Texas. He would always be working out and it was the coolest thing to me to see him play. I always wanted to be like him so that's why I got into it.
EM: Aside from your brother, your cousin IK Enemkpali also played. How strong are the ties to football in your family?
ME: Yeah, they're very strong. My brother probably started it all for all of us. He trained IK, who went on to play for the [Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets]. Football is embedded in our family and I think my older brother definitely started that for us.
EM: Once you got into playing, what made you fall in love with the sport?
ME: I loved how fast I was compared to everyone else [laughs]. I was very hard to tackle, I remember that. I got a thrill out of that. I guess you could say also that the camaraderie that you build is something else I loved about football. I got to make a lot of relationships with a lot of different people that came from different walks of life and different backgrounds than I did. I think that was really the coolest thing.
EM: What as the recruiting process like for you? Did you consider following in your brother's footsteps and go to UT?
ME: The recruiting process was a tricky one for me. Coming out of high school, I was known as a what they call a 'tweener.' I was too heavy to be what they would call a typical safety and I was too light or too small to be a linebacker. So, I only fit in [defensive schemes] like a 4-2-5 where you would have me blitzing off the edge or playing a slot cornerback.
I think that turned a lot of teams off. But, the teams that were interested were very interested. I never really thought about walking on at Texas because there is nothing like getting your college paid for. Honestly, more than anything else, I took my visit to UTSA and I fell in love with the staff and the campus life.
EM: How did your first meeting with Coach Coker go? I know when I've spoken to other players who he had a hand in recruiting, they can't say enough good things about him and the instant credibility he brought to UTSA. What do you remember about him?
ME: He came to my house and had dinner with me and my family. After that, I saw how down to earth he was and I thought 'Yeah, this is my guy.' I remember with Coach Coker, he was a player's coach more than anything. I had a misconception about what a head coach was before I got to college.
We view head coaches like they're the president. You don't get direct access to them and they don't talk to you like you're a human being, you're just a cog in the machine. That was my naive thoughts about it before coming to UTSA. And then I meet him and he would be like 'Hey, what's going on?' and embrace me.
He even asked me about my music. I just couldn't believe how down to earth he was. Also, playing for a guy like that who has coached guys like Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, he was just a vessel of information and I got to pick his brain about things all the time.
EM: You're one of a group of guys who got to play for both Coach Coker and Coach Wilson. From your experience, what is different about the two?
ME: I've said this before, but Coach Wilson is someone who taught me how to be tough as a man when it comes to football. He taught me how to play through injuries and not to get caught up in the little things. It was a different overall vibe playing for Coach Wilson as opposed to Coach Coker. But both guys are well-respected men.
EM: I was in the stands there in Albuquerque for the New Mexico Bowl and I'll be honest, I was freezing for the entire game. But, it was obviously one of the biggest moments in program history. Aside from the cold, what stands out to you from that game? Do you have a favorite memory from that experience?
ME: I think the biggest moment for me honestly, even more than playing the game, was what happened before. We were all sitting in the team meeting room and you had Lynn Hickey and the university president [Ricardo Romo].
Coach Wilson came in and they announced on the overhead that we had accepted an invitation to the New Mexico Bowl. Music started playing and we were all jumping up and down and Lynn Hickey was jumping up and down and crying. More than anything, that moment was something I'll never forget.
As a senior at that bowl game, those are some of the best emotions that I've had on a football field. It was one of those moments because everything was on the line, it was put up or shut up or you're done playing college football. We didn't get the outcome we wanted, of course, but just playing with that sort of edge and chip on your shoulder was awesome.
EM: And the cold? How did y'all deal with that?
ME: It as freezing out there and I don't know if you saw that some of us, we weren't even wearing sleeves. That's the Coach Wilson toughness that I was talking about. Before the game he came to me and said 'Make sure that you and a majority of the other guys aren't wearing sleeves or crossing your arms. Embrace the coldness and you won't even feel it.' That is exactly what happened. We didn't even feel it.
EM: Since the program is still so young there really is just a finite number of ex-Roadrunners. With that in mind, I have to imagine you're pretty close with a lot of your teammates, right?
ME: I still have very very close relationships with a lot of the guys in my class. Chase Dahlquist, Kyle McKinney, N'Keal Bailey guys like that I'm still really close with. Even guys that came before me like Nic Johnston, who was my mentor, and Triston Wade. I'm still close with those guys. In the future, I plan on hosting events and bringing all those guys in to attend and be a part of it.
EM: Here's a question for you. From your perspective as a player, who do y'all consider to be our 'official' rival?
ME: Well see, this is hard for me because I never got to play them, but I have to say it's Texas State because of the I-35. It's like a budding rivalry that they just aren't on our level yet [laughs].
EM: I know you've got a ton on your plate these days. What all are you involved in these days?
ME: Right now, I'm just focused on trading in the stock market and growing my trading account. I have a business that I'm running, I have a nonprofit that I'm running, and then I have my my enterprise, Michael Egwuagu Enterprises. We do a couple of different endeavors here in Austin.
The main things I'm focused on though are the stock market and my music. We're going to start full-on promoting the music here shortly. That is the thing I wanted to be branded with the most. We will fully launch that here in 2019.
EM: Who would you say are your main musical influences?
ME: As far as hip hop, I'd say the only person that resonates most with me is Drake. Because of the path he took to success, he came from an unconventional place as an actor on a show called DeGrassi High and that's something I respect.
My favorite artist though is The Weeknd. His depth and his lyrical choice resonates with me so much. I would love to be able to take influences from Drake, TheWeeknd, and other guys that fall in that realm and create my own sound.
EM: Last thing before I let you go, Mike. What are your thoughts on the current state of the UTSA program?
ME: I think that we are building. I think that the program is headed in the right program. The record doesn't reflect that, but I think we are. More than anything, I think that the man at the helm, Coach Wilson, is a man I trust. I know he will lead the program where it needs to go.