ELAC's McIntire Transfers to Play NCAA Division I Football
MONTEREY PARK, CA — Justin McIntire enrolled at East Los Angeles College right out of high school more than a year ago maintaining a 4.0 GPA while playing on the Huskies football team.
McIntire has transferred to University on academic scholarship to join the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Buccaneer football team. “Continuing my education at Charleston Southern is the perfect fit for me,” said McIntire.
McIntire’s major is Business Management with an emphasis in marketing at a university that is highly acknowledged for its School of Business. McIntire and Charleston Southern will play a season-opening televised game at the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 1. “The Swamp,” as it is known, is recognized as one of the harshest environments for a visiting team in college football.
“I’m not worried now about playing in front of 80-90,000 fans because I just take it one day at a time at Charleston Southern,” said McIntire. “I learn something new here every week and continue to move forward. I will just experience the season-opening game in Florida as part of my job here on the team and work to contribute the best that I can.”
McIntire credits his tough Husky football team workouts for preparing him in his move to the Division I FCS program. “The workouts are harder and more intense at the university level, as expected, but a big difference here is the football budget,” said McIntire.
“The workouts here are more intense but our bodies get nourished with food and we have a nutritionist who makes a huge difference. At JC workouts we provided everything ourselves.”
McIntire credits the ELAC football program for making his big move possible. “I was fortunate to enroll at ELAC,” said McIntire. “Then coach Godinez and assistant coach Jonathan Cervantes got me transferred here to a DI school, which was my goal entering junior college.”
McIntire credits his experience at ELAC so positive that it changed his life forever. “I’m like every other football player trying to take football to the next level, with a goal of becoming a Defensive Coordinator Coach at the college level then the pro level,” said McIntire. “My time at ELAC has helped me continue to (strive) for my goal.”
He credits his GPA and Dean’s List achievement at ELAC with his upbringing. “I’m from central Kentucky where teachers and eventually my coaches stressed core work,” said McIntire. “I was taught that to get where you’re going in life you’re going to have to work harder than everyone else. When I came out to California, I had the mindset not to be laid back and party, but to outwork everybody and make my dreams come true. Part of that was doing the best I could with my studies. I gave academics at ELAC my all and believed I would learn while getting a good education. I left my teammates, my family at ELAC because I met some real people who I consider brothers for life,” said McIntire.
“The kid has a great amazing positive passion for life and football, gives 110 percent, has a big heart, is very understanding and supportive,” said sophomore defensive back teammate Qua'D Cheatham. “As a teammate he’s a leader and he could have been a captain even though it was his first year in college. The kid is amazing on and off the field—off the field first. He qualified out of high school.”
McIntire carries a motto for life with him which he heard from his Kentucky high school coaches, “‘Nothing in life is ever as good as it seems and nothing in life is ever as bad as it seems,’” said McIntire. “I keep that in my head, so when I deal with adversity like I did when I was in California, it may feel bad, but it’s not as bad as it seems.”
Follow ELAC Athletics at http://athletics.elac.edu/landing/index or on Facebook at ELAC Huskies Athletics (@elachuskiesathletics).
story submitted by Tadzio Garcia