Lucas at Large: Roger Knight a ‘master’ of perseverance
May 08, 2019 | Football, Mike Lucas, Varsity Magazine
Former linebacker to graduate with advanced degree in engineering management
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Few will likely forget Ron Dayne's final game in a Wisconsin uniform. Capping his Heisman-winning senior season, he rambled for 200 yards, including a 64-yard burst, against Stanford.
Fewer will likely remember that a defensive MVP of that 2000 Rose Bowl was linebacker Roger Knight, who had nine tackles and finished with 63 overall, the fourth-most on the defense.
"Roger was smart and very intense," said former UW coach Barry Alvarez, who linked Knight's no-nonsense personality and resolve to his big city upbringing. "He was kind of a gruff old soul."
Bernie Wyatt, the East Coast recruiting specialist for Alvarez, was responsible for New York City and its boroughs, like Queens and Brooklyn. And that's where Wyatt uncovered the versatile, athletic Knight, who was also a contributing member on the 1998 team that beat UCLA in Pasadena.
"Being part of the last two Rose Bowl teams that won — to this day — there's still a lot of pride in that," Knight admitted. "No matter the obstacles, we always found a way to persevere and pull it out in the end because we were tough. We had tough kids, guys who just had that will and belief in not only the coaching staff but in what we were trying to do.
"That's kind of what I took into my life going forward."
It has suited him well at every twist and turn, and there have been many.
"When I got drafted, I dropped all of my courses," recalled Knight, a mechanical engineering major and a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2001. "The plan was for me to see what would happen with the NFL and see how long I could last and make that a career."
Knight ended up playing four seasons (48 games) with the New Orleans Saints before injuries had him rethinking his future and contemplating the prospect of returning to campus, especially after learning that "Coach Alvarez and the university would be there to support me in finishing my degree."
Not only did he return to Madison in 2007 to complete his undergrad work, keeping a promise to his family, but Knight, now 40 and a practicing engineer in Arizona, will graduate this weekend with his Master of Engineering Management (MEM) degree that was earned online from UW.
"It's the alternative to an MBA for engineers — designed to help good engineers become great leaders," explained Wayne Pferdehirt, the MEM director. "This is a program that is completely online except when folks come here each summer for several days to interact with fellow students.
"This particular program has over 600 graduates, folks performing in engineering, all the way from the project manager level to a CEO level.
"Folks going into this program, all of whom are working full-time at the same time, are taking on a serious challenge. Roger was going through this while studying with folks from Boeing and Harley-Davison and General Electric, folks who are high flyers in the engineering world."
To Pferdehirt's knowledge, Knight is the first former UW student-athlete to take this path after a pro career. "I just give him all the credit in the world," Pferdehirt said. "He really desires to perform at a high level in the engineering field. He's even talked about someday starting an engineering company."
Resiliency and perseverance were ingrained at a young age.
In addition, Barbara Knight made sure her son kept his priorities in order.
"She was very strict about my education," Roger said. "She would always make sure I had one of those advanced learning books and she would always push me because of her expectations. It wasn't good enough to be just a regular student. I had to excel because I had that capability."
To ensure that outcome, Knight attended Brooklyn Prep, one of the most academically elite and selective high schools in the country. An entrance exam was required for admission. "It wasn't a sports school per se that I came from," Knight noted. "It was predominantly an academic institution.
"I just happened to be good at playing football at the same time."
Knight was quick to point out that none of this happened in a vacuum.
"If it wasn't for the support of my parents and my family now, to tell you the truth, I wouldn't have made it as far as I have," he said. "The fundamental values that I was brought up with and the drive to succeed and pursue things was always there."
Singling out Alvarez, Wyatt and former UW defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, he went on to say, "They were so instrumental in me not only being successful on the field but me being successful off the field. They were always willing to go above and beyond to make sure I had what I needed.
"I know there are a lot of things said about the sacrifices that student-athletes make and what they should be compensated for and what not. But the university provided every means that I needed to be successful. There was a whole network of professors, coaches and administrators that were helpful."
Once he came back for his degree, Knight needed all the help that he could get.
"To be honest, it was the most difficult thing I've ever done," he said. "Being away from school for almost seven years, I didn't retain a lot of the things that I learned the first time around. It was a struggle. But those professors were very accommodating … they were awesome.
"Without them, I wouldn't have been able to complete my undergrad."
While finishing up his schooling, Knight was intrigued enough by the coaching profession to "get my feet wet seeing what coaching was all about" as a part-time defensive coordinator at Madison Edgewood High School for a few seasons and an assistant at the University of Dubuque.
But he kept coming back to priorities: raising his kids and family. The latter included his younger brother, Chris Knight, who moved from New York City to Madison to live with Roger and his three boys. Chris graduated from Memorial High School in 2017 and is playing basketball at Dartmouth University.
Meanwhile, Roger Knight's football background, namely his perseverance, prepared him for the vagaries of the engineering world. He took a couple of jobs with businesses that went bankrupt and another one in Minneapolis that forced him to commute weekly from Madison for two years.
"It has been more than adventuresome," he conceded.
On the suggestion of a colleague, Knight eventually saw merit in continuing his education.
"The NFL offered financial assistance to help former players go back to school to complete their undergrad or get further education," said Knight, a construction estimator for Comfort Systems USA Southwest in Chandler, Arizona. "Once the scholarship was awarded, I had to find the right program.
"Going back to school was not an option since I was working. And it was the most random thing, I was scrolling through the internet looking for a graduate program that was online and focused on business management and the University of Wisconsin online program popped up. It was a great fit."
So much so that he has been able to fulfill his vision coming out of Brooklyn Prep.
"When I go through my LinkedIn profile and I go to Connect," he said, "a majority of the players that I played with during those Rose Bowl years are successful to this day in whatever they're trying to accomplish. It was a mix of guys, all leaders, all willing to push forward through adversity."
All the more reason to celebrate Knight's academic journey and achievements here Saturday.
"I give him kudos," Pferdehirt said. "He's fought thick and thin to see this through to completion."
