The Road Less Taken: From Athlete to Director

Everyone’s journey is different and the path can have obstacles along the way. You could plan on doing one thing for the rest of your life, but a pot hole or a detour could lead you to another exciting roadside stop. Those stops can shape you into a better version and ultimately lead you to your final destination. That journey is one that a former athlete, now administrator is currently on himself, and all the stops have been at the University of Northern Colorado.

Eddie Gonzales III is a Colorado native and grew up in Five Points. He received an inner city scholarship which allowed him to attend Regis Jesuit High School and play football. At Regis, he played on the defensive line and finished his playing career with 112 total tackles, was a three time letterwinner and was ranked the 10th best defensive tackle in the state in 2014.

When it was time to decide on his future in academics and his playing career, Gonzales made the choice to attend UNC. He chose the school over Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho State.

Gonzales has been part of the football program since 2015 and has been a piece in the machine in more ways than one. He played on the defensive line until 2021, became the defensive line coach on Ed McCaffrey’s staff in 2022, and is now the director of football operations and the general manager.

Gonzales back in his playing days for the Bears. Photo credit: @ed_gonzales53

The journey Gonzales has been on is not one he envisioned for himself, but he has taken every challenge head on and accepted every new role he has been in.

“It’s God. He always opens these doors, and I’d do anything for the Bears,” Gonzales said. “After the previous staff was let go I was in this limbo area and when Coach Lamb came around I told him I’d do anything…I’ll even be your lunch lady, whatever you need.”

Ed Lamb was hired as the new head coach for the football team in December of 2022. Like every new coach does, they bring in a new wave of coaches to give the program a fresh start. Gonzales still wanted to be part of the program, so Lamb let him be a student assistant in a way, and volunteer with the program

After helping for a couple of weeks and not having a concrete title, the football operations position opened up after the original title holder became the linebackers coach. Gonzales was then able to work his way up the ladder to where he is now.

For any football player, transitioning from being a player to a coach is more natural. You know what is needed for the players and certain techniques should be done. Your mindset doesn’t change, only the way you act with the players and the staff.

It is a different story when you transition from being a teacher to now being the orchestrator and the right hand man to the head coach. 

Thanks to Lamb’s help, Gonzales has been able to get acquainted in his new role even with the speed bumps. Gonzales had nothing but praise for the help he received from Lamb the past two years and feels more confident in his third year in his position.

“He gives me a ton of autonomy to make my own mistakes and learn on my own,” Gonzales said. He recalled a moment in the first week in his new position heading to Lamb’s office to let him know that he was in uncharted territory with his new job. Lamb instilled confidence in Gonzales by telling him they will figure it out together.

“That’s such a successful man. He was able to work his way to success by leaning on his peers and staff. Got to give all the props to him.” 

Defensive lineman Solomon Wacays, transferred from Colorado State-p=Pueblo to UNC in 2022 all because of Gonzales. He had the opportunity to be coached by him and eventually see him flourish in his new role. Wacays loved getting to learn from Gonzales and was relieved to have a familiar face in the building with the new regime.

“I was extremely happy when I found out he was still going to be a part of the team,” Wacays said. He says the best part about having Gonzales there is he knows he always wants what’s best for the players and that he loves seeing them succeed.

Gonzales taking time out of practice to talk with a member of the football team.

Gonzales’s journey at UNC has many paths and while he is a full time staff member, he is also a full time student.

In 2019, he became a first generation college graduate when he received his bachelors in business administration management. In 2020 he then pursued his masters, and in 2021 he has been working towards his Ph.D.

Earning his doctorate has been a lifetime goal and Gonzales has been taking credits whenever possible. But because football is during the fall, it has been a longer journey to earn it, but he has been committed and is on the tail end of gaining it.

“I’ve been crawling and inching my way towards the finish line. Every opportunity I have to take a class I do, but because football is in the fall I knock out as much as I can in the spring and summer.”

It is not that common for people to go to school at the place they work and Gonzales does understand that as well, but does find the humor in it.

“It feels weird telling coach I’m taking lunch and going to the tutoring center,” Gonzales said with a smile. “It’s more surprising when I show my face in an academic background, when I go to study halls, when I apply for classes, people do give looks of like you still work here.”

UNC has been part of Gonzales’s life for over 10 years, and while he loves his position with the team, his true passion is being on the field coaching. He doesn’t know where or when the opportunity would be but any chance to put his coaching hat back on, he will happily take it.

“I’m ready for whatever comes my way. I’m in this spot where Coach Lamb knows I want to coach and he opened this position up for me to work my way back onto the field. It’s been two years of being his right hand man and now it comes down to timing.”

Gonzales’s strength is the box as he called it. In football terms, the box is the area near the line of scrimmage where the defensive line and linebackers occupy the most. His ideal spot is to stay at the Division I level, but if there is a spot at the high school level he can’t pass up, he would take it with open arms.

Former football player and UNC alumnus Brooks Talkington, was teammates with Gonzales and was coached by him in his last year playing in 2022. When talking to him, he had nothing but praise for Gonzales and sees him going farther than UNC to the FBS level and even to the NFL.

“I half expected him to be an NFL GM or a business owner by now,” Talkington said with a laugh. “I just see Eddie going on to do great things far beyond the scope of UNC and Greeley.”

Gonzales helping coach up members of the defensive line.

The praise for Gonzales is high and he has a clear impact on all the people he has come across. I personally got the opportunity to be his student assistant coach in 2022 and saw first hand his passion and commitment to the game. Football is everything to him and he gives it his all, whether that is on the field or behind a desk.

Despite being in a comfortable state now, Gonzales has faced his own roadblocks to get to where he is now. From being a student athlete, to being a coach, being let go, earning trust from the new regime and now having a high position on a football team is evident of his hard work and dedication. 

“You need to persevere in the face of adversity. No matter what it is, how are you going to overcome it and make the best of the opportunity,” Gonzales said.

How he handled it and his path in life is something everyone should hear, whether they are an athlete, a student or a regular blue collar worker, never let anything stop you. The sky's the limit and Gonzales’s journey is not close to being finished.