University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Pro Football Hall of Fame
Life After Rocky Top: Muñoz Excels as VP at Pro Football Hall of Fame
October 29, 2019 | Football
By Zach Stipe, Director of Football Communications
CANTON, Ohio – When former Tennessee All-America offensive lineman Michael Muñoz was interviewing for his first corporate job at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, he drew on his experience as a football player for the Volunteers during the process.
"Every one of my illustrations that I gave in my panel interview were of my time at Tennessee," he remembered.
Muñoz referenced his time as a captain of the Vols from to 2003-04, while comparing leadership roles in organizations to getting 11 different players on the same page in a huddle.
"I was able to say, 'there are literally guys from all parts of the world here,''' he said. "We had a defensive end from Germany, we had guys from Compton, from New Jersey, from Florida and we all came together for a common purpose and as captain it was my job to kind of create an environment of leadership within that team.
"And in the same way within an organization, you're going to have people from all walks of life and our job is to work together as a team, utilizing and respecting each other's abilities to accomplish a common goal."
Muñoz has been accomplishing goals and leading organizations since the minute he stepped onto the University of Tennessee campus in 2000 after starring at Cincinnati's Moeller High School. He battled back from several injuries to start 46 games, capture All-America and All-SEC First Team honors and snag the prestigious Draddy Award, as the nation's top academic student-athlete or "Academic Heisman" in 2004.
Despite his success on the gridiron with the Vols, Muñoz wasn't selected in the NFL Draft. Still, he used his knowledge and experience acquired during his time with the Vols to find success off the field in politics, corporate marketing, philanthropy, and now, at age 38, as the Vice President of Youth Football & Character Development at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Muñoz, who has five kids with his wife Emily – a fellow Tennessee graduate – first tackled politics, putting to use his bachelor's degree in political science. At age 24 he was remarkably elected as a trustee for Hamilton Township in Warren County, Ohio, and went back to school, earning his MBA from Miami (Ohio) University.
Michael Muñoz was named the nation's top student-athlete in 2004.
He enjoyed his part-time position as an elected official, but didn't run for re-election and instead took a job working in marketing at Proctor & Gamble.
"I very quickly realized that I did not want to stay in politics," Muñoz said. "It was a lot of fun, but I kind of had my time there, so I didn't run again for re-election."
He found success at P&G, a $76 billion company. A few years later, he made another career change. He partnered with his father, NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz, in 2011 and formed the Muñoz Agency, which worked with the NFL in their community activation efforts across the league.
"We would go to cities, work with teams, work with predominantly Hispanic communities and put on clinics and marketing outreach programs for them," he said.
He also served as the Executive Director of his father's foundation.
Just like in football, Muñoz was a leader, a captain, making connections and steering his team towards a goal. And then the Pro Football Hall of Fame came calling.
He starting working at the Hall of Fame a little over a year-and-a-half-ago, expanding what he had been doing with his father and using football as a platform to teach kids about impacting their communities in a positive way.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has over 400 youth events a year, in addition to school tours, video conference curriculum and Hall of Famer speaking engagements at schools and communities.
Muñoz is in the background as a manager, overseeing a team that makes sure events run smooth, while also focusing on funding for programs with grants, corporate partnerships, marketing efforts and collaboration with NFL teams.
"I love talking to kids about the game and what it has to offer, but honestly if I have LaDainian Tomlinson, that's going to be a lot more effective than if Michael Muñoz does it," he said, laughing. "So I try to set the table so that guys can use their platforms to reach more kids."
Muñoz still follows the Vols and is excited that his former head coach Phillip Fulmer is back as the Director of Athletics.
Muñoz has fond memories of his time at Tennessee. He still remembers committing on the spot on his official visit after Neyland Stadium erupted and never quit rocking following a pick-six against Auburn. His favorite memories were snapping Miami's 53-game home winning streak in 2003 and experiencing tough road battles at "The Swamp" in Gainesville and at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. And of course, running through the T and giving his all for Tennessee.
"Playing in Neyland is just unbelievable," he said. "But also playing in the SEC…There's nothing like the feeling you get when you watch SEC football. It's just something different."
CANTON, Ohio – When former Tennessee All-America offensive lineman Michael Muñoz was interviewing for his first corporate job at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, he drew on his experience as a football player for the Volunteers during the process.
"Every one of my illustrations that I gave in my panel interview were of my time at Tennessee," he remembered.
Muñoz referenced his time as a captain of the Vols from to 2003-04, while comparing leadership roles in organizations to getting 11 different players on the same page in a huddle.
"I was able to say, 'there are literally guys from all parts of the world here,''' he said. "We had a defensive end from Germany, we had guys from Compton, from New Jersey, from Florida and we all came together for a common purpose and as captain it was my job to kind of create an environment of leadership within that team.
"And in the same way within an organization, you're going to have people from all walks of life and our job is to work together as a team, utilizing and respecting each other's abilities to accomplish a common goal."
Muñoz has been accomplishing goals and leading organizations since the minute he stepped onto the University of Tennessee campus in 2000 after starring at Cincinnati's Moeller High School. He battled back from several injuries to start 46 games, capture All-America and All-SEC First Team honors and snag the prestigious Draddy Award, as the nation's top academic student-athlete or "Academic Heisman" in 2004.
Despite his success on the gridiron with the Vols, Muñoz wasn't selected in the NFL Draft. Still, he used his knowledge and experience acquired during his time with the Vols to find success off the field in politics, corporate marketing, philanthropy, and now, at age 38, as the Vice President of Youth Football & Character Development at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Muñoz, who has five kids with his wife Emily – a fellow Tennessee graduate – first tackled politics, putting to use his bachelor's degree in political science. At age 24 he was remarkably elected as a trustee for Hamilton Township in Warren County, Ohio, and went back to school, earning his MBA from Miami (Ohio) University.
He enjoyed his part-time position as an elected official, but didn't run for re-election and instead took a job working in marketing at Proctor & Gamble.
"I very quickly realized that I did not want to stay in politics," Muñoz said. "It was a lot of fun, but I kind of had my time there, so I didn't run again for re-election."
He found success at P&G, a $76 billion company. A few years later, he made another career change. He partnered with his father, NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz, in 2011 and formed the Muñoz Agency, which worked with the NFL in their community activation efforts across the league.
"We would go to cities, work with teams, work with predominantly Hispanic communities and put on clinics and marketing outreach programs for them," he said.
He also served as the Executive Director of his father's foundation.
Just like in football, Muñoz was a leader, a captain, making connections and steering his team towards a goal. And then the Pro Football Hall of Fame came calling.
He starting working at the Hall of Fame a little over a year-and-a-half-ago, expanding what he had been doing with his father and using football as a platform to teach kids about impacting their communities in a positive way.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has over 400 youth events a year, in addition to school tours, video conference curriculum and Hall of Famer speaking engagements at schools and communities.
Muñoz is in the background as a manager, overseeing a team that makes sure events run smooth, while also focusing on funding for programs with grants, corporate partnerships, marketing efforts and collaboration with NFL teams.
"I love talking to kids about the game and what it has to offer, but honestly if I have LaDainian Tomlinson, that's going to be a lot more effective than if Michael Muñoz does it," he said, laughing. "So I try to set the table so that guys can use their platforms to reach more kids."
Muñoz still follows the Vols and is excited that his former head coach Phillip Fulmer is back as the Director of Athletics.
Muñoz has fond memories of his time at Tennessee. He still remembers committing on the spot on his official visit after Neyland Stadium erupted and never quit rocking following a pick-six against Auburn. His favorite memories were snapping Miami's 53-game home winning streak in 2003 and experiencing tough road battles at "The Swamp" in Gainesville and at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. And of course, running through the T and giving his all for Tennessee.
"Playing in Neyland is just unbelievable," he said. "But also playing in the SEC…There's nothing like the feeling you get when you watch SEC football. It's just something different."
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