A New Lens

This story first appeared in the Tennessee Gameday Guide on Sept. 7.

VFL Curt Maggitt developed a game-changing mentality early.

In fact, his approach on the gridiron, where his passion laid since he first picked up a ball at seven and was a local all-star two years later, became more lifechanging than any of his All-SEC and All-America nods would ultimately prove.

"I love learning and I love a challenge too," Maggitt, now 26 years old and officially retired from a four-year professional football career, said. "It's unique to learn something from the ground up and become good at it. I was fortunate to play for as long as I did, and I think the best thing I learned was just taking those skills from football and applying them to life. Every day is uncomfortable in a way and you've got to grow, and you've got to develop, so I'm really excited for that."

Challenges arose constantly while the former Indianapolis Colts linebacker was donning No. 56 for the Orange and White, by way of seven surgeries throughout his collegiate career.

"We get to this point where we're like, 'I feel amazing, I feel like I'm untouchable, unstoppable,'" Maggitt said. "And to get knocked down off of that from an injury, build it back up to get back to that point, and then you're knocked down again, were times that were hard."

It was after his sophomore year, when he tore his ACL and was nursing several other physical ailments, that Maggitt realized he needed to expand his experience beyond the hash marks.

"I tore a ligament in my toe and I had nerve issues in my shoulder, so every time I would hit, my arm would lock up; it was jacked up," Maggitt said as he briefly relived those injuries. "That's when I was like, 'Alright, I'm going to take some time off. I'm going to redshirt the following season. I'm going to do a couple of internships and get other things in motion.' I started planning for the future. It was probably the best thing I did."

One of the places he interned was Pilot Flying J, where he was able to meet the president of the company and shadow personnel from business development to learn about small businesses and government contracts. That got the wheels in his head for entrepreneurship turning. He finished at Tennessee in 2015 with a bachelor's in Communications and a minor in Business.

It was also during one of his recovery stints that he received a gift, which gave him a new way to look at the world.

"I was gifted a (Canon) Mark II and started shooting on auto a little bit. I took a pretty cool photo
and was like, 'I really like this, let's go get more.' So, I went and got a 5D Mark III, upgraded my lens and watched a lot of YouTube and actually read the manual," said Maggitt, who has turned his artistic outlet into a business.

"I had some people to lean on when I was unsure, and with some of my connections I had some opportunities to shoot some weddings, some events and a lot of portraits. I went to Vegas this year in February to a national wedding portrait photography expo, which was amazing."

For so many players, the aperture of their future is only wide enough to see football in it, but Maggitt, who avoided such identity foreclosure, offers a bigger lens.

"Don't let your (football) career define you as a person," said Maggitt, who just returned to Knoxville to begin studies in UT's 29th-ranked MBA program at the Haslam College of Business. "I want to learn from my classmates. The cohort is so diverse. We have people of different ages and ethnicities. I know the cohort, along with the professors, have a lot to offer. I am excited to see where it takes me."

Maggitt, who lost his mother at the age of two, credits his father, who is his best friend, and a situation with his brother Roosevelt, who is three years his senior and played football at Iowa State, for helping provide a broader perspective about football and life.

"My brother was a very good athlete and he was committed to a school," Maggitt started. "The day before Signing Day, they pulled their offer because his grades didn't qualify. Somebody else had better grades. I learned from him to not put yourself in that position. I know I'm smart and I know I'm capable. You have to add more to the toolbox."

Maggitt now shares that perspective, not only with his fellow Vols, but with other athletes from football programs around the country. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native connected with The Program from meeting the company's founder, Erik Kapatulik, through a mutual friend Sam Cila, who are both former marines. The Program looks to inspire and provide leadership training and has worked with college programs at Nebraska, Arkansas, Baylor, Temple and Fresno State.

Rocking long locks, cowboy boots and business clothes, Maggitt has tackled goal after goal - which includes earning his real estate license - since his playing days.

But it's his playing days, specifically at Tennessee, that he says allowed for these opportunities.

"There's not much that you can be interested in as a Division I football player, especially at the University of Tennessee, that you can't access," said Maggitt, who is now also free-diving certified.

This past spring, he hosted 'A Night to Remember' that connected Vol fans, former players, current student-athletes and local small businesses for a networking celebration.

"I grabbed the resources around me to help put things together to host an event that was special for Vol Nation," said Maggitt, who acknowledged multiple people in the athletics department for support. "I love the network and resources at Tennessee. The community is close. Fans recognize me, not as the player, but as a person and when I come back to the facility, everyone is still welcoming."

Now as he begins the next part of his academic journey, Maggitt is eager to take what he's learned from the turf and translate that into a successful business model.

"I have a lot of soft skills that I learned throughout my career as a football player," Maggitt said. "Now I want to get some of the harder skills, such as accounting and the ability to analyze a case. I want to learn to work with excel and understand a balance sheet. As football players we have so many different skills that are intangible and worth a lot."

And, although he's retired, his time on the field is not over.

On occasion, Maggitt will be on the sidelines of Neyland once again, but he will offer fans a new perspective, as he no longer sports a jersey but is capturing all the action as an entrepreneur, instructor and graduate student through his Canon.

University of Tennessee Athletics

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