Kiran Amegadjie details the story of his rally to be drafted by the Bears originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
“I told you, coach. I told you, coach.”
That’s it Kiran AmegadjieThe plan is coming full circle. He decided to be drafted by his hometown team, the Chicago Bears, and that came to fruition in the 2024 NFL Draft in April.
On Tuesday, he detailed his extraordinary history with the Bears.
The story takes place at Kemper Lakes, a golf course near the Chicago suburb of Lake Zurich. Amegadjie’s father, Boris, is a regular at the club, playing golf there and taking Amegadjie when he was able to grow up – sometimes making him a caddy.
During the summer of 2023, Boris acknowledged Bears coach Matt Eberflus playing golf at the club. At this time, Amegadjie was entering his final season at Yale as an offensive tackle against NFL prospects.
Boris called Amegadjie to let him know he saw Eberflus, inviting him to the course to talk to the Bears coach. Initially, Amegadjie resisted, as he was sleeping and was a 45-minute drive from the route. But his father insisted that he come, and he did.
As soon as Eberflus reached the corner, Amegadjie approached him and told him he was an offensive lineman at Yale. He also did not hesitate to predict the future. He told Eberflus that the Bears would try to draft him in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Fast forward to April 2024, and they did. The Bears selected Amegadjie — the Hinsdale native — in the third round with pick No. 75. When Eberlfus called him to congratulate him, he remembered what Amegadjie had told him months earlier.
“A year ago you said you were coming to the Chicago Bears. You were right, huh?” Eberflus said.
“I told you, coach. I told you, coach,” Amegadjie responded over the phone.
“You told me. Tell your dad he has a new golf partner,” Eberflus said.
The video takes a deep dive into Amegadjie’s upbringing by two African parents who valued their children’s education. And although Amegadjie prioritized his parents’ wishes by attending Yale University, he couldn’t hide his love for football.
His parents didn’t know anything about American football. They thought it was too violent for Amegadjie to play. Amegadjie grew up a huge Bears fan, loving Devin Hester as he grew up.
Eventually he convinced his parents to let him play. And the rest is history. After his dreams finally came true with his family and the king of his village present, he was barely conscious at the time of being summoned.
“Getting the call was… I think I passed out, honestly,” Amegadjie said. “All I remember was the phone blinking and going off. And I called the number back and said ‘Please answer’. I thought I missed the call and then they ended up calling me back and it was Mr.
Now that Amegadjie is finally in the NFL, he doesn’t plan on passing up the opportunity to be the best he can be.
“I’m a football player,” said Amegadjie. “This is who I am at the end of the day. This is my identity. I wear it on my sleeve every day. I’m a football player, I’m a dog. You often hear that because I played in the Ivy League. I’m more focused on finding a job and finding my next career move.
“That’s what I want to do. I play football and that’s who I am. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do my whole life. I want to play in this league as long as possible. And I want to be the best player at my position in the league and I’m not going to stop until you do.”
