Emil Igwenagu (born March 27, 1989) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

. He signed with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

in 2012 as an undrafted free agent. He made his NFL debut on December 13, 2012 against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

, making one tackle on special teams. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

College career

Igwenagu attended the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medica ...

where he played both

and

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

. He earned all-conference honors during his senior season. At the end of his senior year, Igwenagu was invited to the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...

. Going into the draft, scouts projected Igwenagu to be taken in the late rounds because he had potential on special teams.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Igwenagu was not drafted in the

2012 NFL Draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

, but signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played multiple positions during the Eagles' training camp, but impressed coaches the most while playing tight end when

Brent Celek Brent Steven Celek (; born January 25, 1985) is an American football executive and former tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Cincinnati and was drafted by the Eagles in the ...

got injured during camp. On August 31, 2012, Igwenagu was waived. Igwenagu didn't make the team out of camp, but was signed to the practice squad on September 1, 2012. Another injury to Celek allowed Igwenagu to be promoted to the active roster from the practice squad on December 11, 2012. After Eagles tight end

Clay Harbor Clayton Lee Harbor (born July 2, 1987) is a former American football tight end and current television personality. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Missouri State ...

was placed on injured reserve, Igwenagu and Celek were the only two tight ends on the active roster. Igwenagu made his NFL debut on December 13, 2012. On October 14, 2013, he was waived. On October 16, 2013, Igwenagu was signed to the Eagles' practice squad. He was released by the Eagles on August 23, 2014.

Detroit Lions

Igwenagu was claimed off waivers by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

on August 25, 2014. He was released by the

on August 30, 2014 during final roster cuts. Igwenagu was signed to the Lions' practice squad on August 31, 2014. On January 6, 2015, Igwenagu signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions. On September 5, 2015, he was waived.

Indianapolis Colts

On July 19, 2016, Igwenagu signed with the Indianapolis Colts. On August 21, 2016, he was waived by the Colts.

References

External links

Philadelphia Eagles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Igwenagu, Emil 1989 births Living people Players of American football from Worcester, Massachusetts American football tight ends American football fullbacks UMass Minutemen football players Philadelphia Eagles players Detroit Lions players Indianapolis Colts players