New Carolina Panthers' tight end Eric Wallace:
- Grew up in Winston-Salem.
- Gave up football while at Glenn High School to concentrate on basketball.
- Earned a scholarship to Ohio State but transferred to DePaul after averaging just 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds a game in the 2007-08 season.
- Averaged 6.3 points and 4.9 rebounds in one season at DePaul before he broke his leg.
- Again transferred, this time to Seattle University in 2011-12, where he averaged 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds.
- Was thinking about playing pro hoops overseas when he showed up at an Australian Rules Football tryout.
- Became the first American to make the lateral move from basketball to the AFL when he was signed by the North Melbourne Kangaroos.
- Played three years as the Kangaroos' ruckman, which is usually the largest player on the field who battles opponents for throw-ins and other balls in the air.
- At 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, earned the nickname "Beast."
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
- Returned to the States in the fall and started thinking about trying his hand as an American football tight end. The Saints invited him to their rookie minicamp, but he wasn't signed.
- Launched Polymathic Ambitions, which he described as: "A polymath (is) a treasured individual, a jack of all trades, a Renaissance Man, a multidimensional being. (A polymath must) look to experience a multitude of professions, careers, skill sets, hobbies, et cetera. Not only as an athlete, but as a person."
- Ran into Panthers' receivers coach Ricky Proehl at his training facility in Greensboro earlier this month. "I walked into his office and told him I wanted to play for the Carolina Panthers," Wallace told Panthers.com. "It was a short chuckle at first, and then he was like, ‘Are you serious?' I was."
- Ran a 4.6 40-yard dash for Proehl, who suggested a workout in front of more coaches. After that happened Monday, the Panthers decided to give the 27-year-old a longer look.
- Signed a standard three-year deal, becoming the seventh tight end on the roster. The Panthers made room by releasing receiver Cobi Hamilton.