Where Are They Now?
Ever wonder what your favorite Monarchs are doing now that their career at Old Dominion is complete? ODUSports.com has talked to former Monarchs for an installment of “Where Are They Now”? We will catch up with former Monarchs to find out what they are doing and thoughts on their time at Old Dominion.
Today’s featured Monarch is Erik Saylor, a defensive tackle from Ijamsville, Maryland. A member of the first football team in 2009, Saylor is now married and living in Virginia Beach.
Q: What are you up to these days?
ES: I work for 360 IT Partners. I work on site at Tecnico Corporation as their sole provider for IT support.
Saylor married Catie Rothrauff (a former ODU cheerleader) last month, in what could have also been called an ODU football reunion.
“A bunch of guys were at my wedding, Chris Burnette, Craig Wilkins, Alex Arain, Jagger Blehm, Matt Carrillo was in my wedding. I talk to a bunch of guys on a regular basis, Thomas DeMarco, Rick Lovato and Connor Mewbourne. Anyone that is still in the area I get a chance to see.”
Q: What are your favorite memories from playing at Old Dominion?
ES: Winning at James Madison in 2012 to clinch the CAA Championship for sure. Any road trips were an enjoyable time that we looked forward to. The first game in 2009, not just because we were excited, but everyone was so excited for that game.
Q: What was it like being recruited to a program that had hadn’t played a game in 69 years?
ES: We were buying into a dream. They had a vision they were selling us, and looking back there wasn’t much they promised that we didn’t see. I’m happy with the decision I made when I look back on it. There is always that doubt, what if we don’t win, but it all worked out in the end.
Q: You were on that first team in 2009 and part of the group that laid the foundation for the program.
ES: You don’t realize how big it was what we did, 30 years from now we’ll look back and say we started a successful program. We are very proud of it and that can’t be taken away from us. We did that.
Q: What is it like going back to ODU football games?
ES: The first time going back is a weird feeling. You feel like you’re late for something. It’s a different experience because you know what the guys on the field are going through. You feel the intensity to a point. It is very fun being there, feeling the atmosphere, it is cool to know it from both sides. Now that I’m back in the area I go to as many games as possible.
Q: What did you get your degree in?
ES: Sport management with a minor in criminal justice. I like to say I’m well-rounded. College did help me figure out what I didn’t want to do.
Q: What do you miss the most about your playing days?
ES: Being in the locker room with all the guys. I miss the camaraderie that we had as a team.
Q: How did ODU prepare you for life after school?
ES: You change so much in college by maturing and growing as a person and figuring out what you want to do. Networking is a big thing to take advantage of. I would not have the job I have without ODU. One person I reached out to after I knew I wanted to leave Maryland was Ray (President of Tecnico). He didn’t have any openings but I told him I was doing IT and he reached out to my now current employer. The networking you can do in college can’t be replaced.
Q: What did you do after graduation?
ES: I first worked in the Norfolk Sheriff Department, and realized that was not what I wanted to spend my career doing. I went home to Maryland and it wasn’t the same comfort I felt before. I spent eight months there doing IT work before I came back to the area and haven’t regretted it since.
Q: Last Homecoming ODU held an event for former football players. What was it like coming back for that?
ES: It was pretty cool. It was the first time so we weren’t sure what to expect. It was great to talk to the coaches and not have to talk about football and just hang out with everybody. I look forward to doing it again.