Too many things have happened in the NFL over the years to say that destiny has no place in the game. There are plenty of examples that prove otherwise. At first glance the hire of Matt Nagy looked like nothing more than a well-thought out decision. He’s exactly what Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace was rumored to be seeking: a young, offensive-minded coach who could grow with Mitch Trubisky.
The Bears had other options like John DeFilippo and Josh McDaniels. In the end it was Nagy who won them over. More than anything his desire for the job and love of Trubisky likely led the way. Not to mention his instant chemistry with Pace. After all the two share similar backgrounds in terms of having to take the long road towards their dreams.
However, there was never any indication that Pace was fated to join the Bears. In fact not a single person, fan or expert, saw his hire coming. It was a genuine surprise. On the other hand if people had dug deep into Nagy’s background? They’d have found a personal story that holds a spooky taste of coincidence that perhaps his arrival in Chicago was preordained.
Matt Nagy NFL opportunity was opened up by a lifelong Bears fan
There was a point in time where Nagy almost went a different direction than football altogether. In 2008 his playing career was almost over and he had a growing family to feed. He couldn’t afford to wait on an NFL opportunity forever. So he sought out work in real estate despite zero experience. It was then he caught a break from a sympathetic man who went to the same high school as Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune explains.
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Larry Wisdom, a Marmion Academy and Aurora University alum who was the president of a real estate company in Lancaster County, where Manheim is located, entered Nagy’s life at an uncertain time as his playing career was coming to a close…
…Nagy comes from a family of teachers, including his mother and father. His high school sweetheart-turned-wife Stacey also taught. Stouch said he always helped with youth flag football and quarterback camps when he was younger. So coaching was a natural fit.
But he also had to support four children during the recession, and as the AFL suspended play for a season, he sought a job with Wisdom. At a time when selling houses was difficult, it might not have been a great business decision to hire a real estate agent with no experience, but Wisdom saw something in Nagy.
“What struck me immediately, and I confirmed it over time, is he was authentic,” Wisdom said. “He had excellent character. That came through very clearly. He was someone you could trust, somebody who was straightforward. There was an intensity and a passion about him that he would apply to what he would choose to do.”
Shortly after Nagy was offered a chance at the NFL
He didn’t end up working that job for long. Former teammate and friend Brett Veach (now GM of the Chiefs) approached him with an internship opportunity from the Philadelphia Eagles. Nagy was in a conundrum. He’d just started working for Wisdom. It wouldn’t be professional of him to ask for extended time off to take it, but he also had a dream of coaching in the NFL.
Wisdom though lived up to his last name. He advised Nagy to seize the chance. So he did, and the rest is history. Then again there was one small fact about the real estate man that seemed harmless at the time but has since taken on far greater significance. Wisdom is a lifelong Bears fan.
“I was so excited and so delighted, and not just for Matt,” Wisdom said. “Some call it a disease. I’m a lifelong Chicago sports fan. Cubs fan. Bears fan. Many years we’ve had droughts, some hard-suffering years. We want a Super Bowl, and Matt is wired to lead.”
So let’s get this straight. Nagy plays high school football against a school founded by the great grandfather of George McCaskey. Then it’s a diehard Bears fan who advised him to take what was likely his best (and only) shot to reach the NFL? I mean if that’s not considered a tinge of destiny, not much is.
