What a journey it has been for Emilio Solis; he has covered a lot of ground at UT Permian Basin and is proud of every single step.
“I think one of the things I’m most proud of is seeing how much the football program has grown. From our practice fields, to our uniforms, to the fans. I just love this team,” Solis said.
He has spent the summer taking classes as he prepares for graduation, one more semester pursuing his teacher-certification and his last football season.
“It’s my last year. I’m going to be able to play, enjoy this ride with the team, the coaches and win some games,” he said.
Emilio joined the UTPB football program when it was just a vision.
“Emilio is one of those guys who was here when his locker was out of a shoebox. Where my office is now was once a locker room. Those guys took great pride in that,” head coach Justin Carrigan said. “There’s so much pride from that group and this university. Those are definitely a different group of guys. They were special in a different way.”
Football was the catalyst for his academic journey, but his legacy reaches far beyond the grid iron. Emilio will be the first person in his family to attend and graduate from college. However, realizing his dream was not easy. In fact, the first time he applied, academically, he didn’t make the cut.
“So we’re looking at a local guy who we think is capable. The counselors, the coaches and everybody at Midland High vouched for him and his abilities. There’s something that’s not adding up here. He goes through the application process and gets denied. Again, we’re new to this. We figure out there’s an appeals process. So that’s what we do. And uh…he got denied again,” Coach Carrigan said.
At a loss, Emilio moved on. Ready to put college football behind him.
“I went to orientation at Midland College, got my schedule, toured the campus. I think that same day I got a call from Coach Carrigan and he said, ‘hey, come up here to UTPB. I have some good news for you.’”
“We went and stood on the table for him – supported him. And he supported us and backed us in all of his efforts throughout,” Coach Carrigan said.
Emilio went right to work, finding his rhythm both on and off the field. He took us on a tour of sorts to show us the best places where he could focus.
“I’d have to study in one of the quiet rooms, I couldn’t study out in the open area of the Success Center for some reason. Leroy, the monitor, used to give me the key,” Emilio said. “It was all working. I liked it. I liked being home. I liked being part of a new foundation and kicked it off from there.”
Though the start of his junior season, Emilio was forced to face another challenge.
“Emilio had a huge set-back last year and had to sit out the entire football season,” Coach Carrigan said.
“I had a concussion. I found out I wasn’t going to play next year. My aunt passed away. A lot of things were going bad,” Emilio said.
He could’ve easily stopped there, but that wasn’t an option.
“It’s the time you sit back and start to think, is this worth it? Or think…what am I going to school for? There’s that why. Why am I going to college? That’s when I start thinking of them. I’m doing it for the rest of my family – for the next generation,” Emilio said. “My family said to take advantage of this time away from football and to not get down on myself.”
That’s exactly what he did. He took the year to focus on his degree and be a leader for his teammates.
“It was probably one of the best years of my life,” Emilio said.
“This is a guy that was a redshirt freshman, practicing on a dirt field for a program that didn’t exist. They weren’t playing any games and those lights were not very bright at 6 a.m. Then he plays those two season with a program that’s headed in the right direction and then he gets hit with sitting out a year and what a humbling experience,” Coach Carrigan said. “He handled it with the utmost professionalism. Showed up every single morning and was a tremendous leader.”
Reflecting on the last year, Emilio says the story is simple: he flipped it.
“Look where I’m at now and the position I’m at now. I’m about to graduate. Instead of being negative, I could’ve stopped there. I kept on pushing through,” he said.
Emilio’s time at UT Permian Basin hasn’t been easy, but it has certainly been worth it. Just ask him.
“I wouldn’t change it for anything. I feel like this was meant for me. How everything is shaping out. It has been a blessed experience,” he said. “Everything I’ve been through made me want to prove to Coach Carrigan, prove to the school, prove to myself that I could do this. I was denied twice. People thought I couldn’t do it. Here I am now, I’m graduating. I proved that I could do it.”
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