By Bill Koch
The last time I talked to Munchie Legaux was in April 2015 at Paul Brown Stadium when he was one of 13 UC players invited to a Bengals tryout for local college players.
None of them was likely to be drafted, but they were all holding onto their NFL dream for as long as they could, hoping they could impress the Bengals coaching staff enough to be offered a free agent contract. The tryout lasted for all of about 30 minutes.
“I threw the ball well,” Legaux said. “I was accurate. I got some good feedback from the coaches.”
But no matter how well he performed during that tryout, Legaux knew his chances of playing in the NFL were practically non-existent. He had another tryout scheduled for the following week in New Orleans with his hometown Saints, but the result would likely be the same: He’d get some positive feedback from the coaches, but no contract.
Fortunately for him, he already had a plan for his future. And it definitely included football: He wanted to coach.
“What I like about coaching is the relationship between the player and the coach, teaching,” he said that day. “It’s like mentoring your younger brother. I like to help others become a better player. Coaches helped me become a better player. Why can’t I pass my gift along to the next generation and help those guys become a better player and show them that I went through tough injuries? I’ve been through it all.”
Six years later, Legaux is doing what he said he wanted to do. He’s the quarterback coach at Division II Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. He was hired for the position in March after stints as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Edna Karr High School, his alma mater in New Orleans; and four seasons as the quarterback coach and offensive coordinator at Warren Easton High School, also in New Orleans. While he was at Warren Easton, the Fighting Eagles made three appearances in the Louisiana state semifinals.
“This is what I wanted to do,” Legaux said Saturday, “to be on the college level. I’m enjoying it.”
Like most players who get a scholarship from a Division I school, when he arrived at UC, Legaux believed he would play in the NFL. “That was my dream,” he said.
Legaux was so athletic he played wide receiver for the Bearcats as a freshman. As a quarterback, he was dangerous as a runner and a passer. Originally signed by Butch Jones before he left UC to become the head coach at Tennessee, Legaux lost his starting job to Brendon Kay in 2012, but reclaimed it at the start of the 2013 season, and led the Bearcats to a 42-17 season-opening over Purdue, passing for 145 yards and running for 55. But the following week at Illinois, he suffered an injury to his left knee that was so devastating UC coach Tommy Tuberville said it was the worst injury he had seen in 36 years as a coach.
With about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Legaux was hit while attempting to pass. This is how the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Tom Groeschen described it in the next day’s paper:
“Legaux, a senior, was hit both high and low while attempting a pass...(He) crumpled to the turf with his left leg bent back at an unnatural angle as the stadium fell silent.
“The UC medical staff and trainers immediately raced onto the field. The entire Bearcats team soon came onto the field and gathered near Legaux as his leg was stabilized. While the gruesome replay aired on television, UC teammates took turns holding Legaux’s hand as he screamed in pain.”
Legaux was told by doctors that his football career was over. Five days later, he underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments. Then he began the long, arduous process of rehabbing.
He made it all the way back, making his first appearance against Toledo in the 2014 season opener at Nippert Stadium in a very emotional moment. He entered the game with 1:09 left in the first half and UC leading 41-14 on the way to a 58-34 victory. During his brief time on the field, he completed four of five passes for 18 yards and ran for five years on one carry in a game that starting quarterback Gunner Kiel tied a UC record with six touchdown passes.
After the game, Legaux said he never lost faith.
“I was laying in the hospital and hearing all the doctors talk,” he said. “They were saying it’s over for you, and I kind of thought about it for a while. After I got my surgery and everything went well, I sat back and thought, you know what, whatever happens just stay positive. If you don’t play another down of football, stay positive because you never know what can happen.”
Legaux made six more appearances that season, most notably against South Florida when he entered the game late in the first half after an injury to Kiel and completed 14 of 15 passes for 121 yards and scored on a 9-yard run in UC’s 34-17 win.
After his touchdown, the Enquirer’s Groeschen wrote, “Legaux slid deep into the end zone on his knees and bowed his head to the turf. His teammates happily swarmed him.
‘“I didn’t know what to do,’” Legaux said. "'When I got back to the sidelines, I told a couple of guys to keep me in it, because I might break down and cry. Just keep talking to me. Let me know I’m OK and just finish the game.’”
Legaux played in seven games in 2014, his final season. He completed 53 of 88 passes for 574 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, and ran for 40 yards on 20 carries with one touchdown. He finished his UC career with 3,421 passing yards for 23 touchdowns, with 17 interceptions. He also ran for 677 yards and eight touchdowns.
Now 29, Legaux has long since put the injury behind him. He doesn’t dwell on it, nor does he tell his players about it unless they ask. But he still believes he would have played in the NFL if he hadn't been hurt.
“I can’t say I wish I could have done this or that,” he said, “You just have to move on. It’s not something that I talk about. But once guys figure out who I am, they research it.”
The last time I talked to Munchie Legaux was in April 2015 at Paul Brown Stadium when he was one of 13 UC players invited to a Bengals tryout for local college players.
None of them was likely to be drafted, but they were all holding onto their NFL dream for as long as they could, hoping they could impress the Bengals coaching staff enough to be offered a free agent contract. The tryout lasted for all of about 30 minutes.
“I threw the ball well,” Legaux said. “I was accurate. I got some good feedback from the coaches.”
But no matter how well he performed during that tryout, Legaux knew his chances of playing in the NFL were practically non-existent. He had another tryout scheduled for the following week in New Orleans with his hometown Saints, but the result would likely be the same: He’d get some positive feedback from the coaches, but no contract.
Fortunately for him, he already had a plan for his future. And it definitely included football: He wanted to coach.
“What I like about coaching is the relationship between the player and the coach, teaching,” he said that day. “It’s like mentoring your younger brother. I like to help others become a better player. Coaches helped me become a better player. Why can’t I pass my gift along to the next generation and help those guys become a better player and show them that I went through tough injuries? I’ve been through it all.”
Six years later, Legaux is doing what he said he wanted to do. He’s the quarterback coach at Division II Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. He was hired for the position in March after stints as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Edna Karr High School, his alma mater in New Orleans; and four seasons as the quarterback coach and offensive coordinator at Warren Easton High School, also in New Orleans. While he was at Warren Easton, the Fighting Eagles made three appearances in the Louisiana state semifinals.
“This is what I wanted to do,” Legaux said Saturday, “to be on the college level. I’m enjoying it.”
Like most players who get a scholarship from a Division I school, when he arrived at UC, Legaux believed he would play in the NFL. “That was my dream,” he said.
Legaux was so athletic he played wide receiver for the Bearcats as a freshman. As a quarterback, he was dangerous as a runner and a passer. Originally signed by Butch Jones before he left UC to become the head coach at Tennessee, Legaux lost his starting job to Brendon Kay in 2012, but reclaimed it at the start of the 2013 season, and led the Bearcats to a 42-17 season-opening over Purdue, passing for 145 yards and running for 55. But the following week at Illinois, he suffered an injury to his left knee that was so devastating UC coach Tommy Tuberville said it was the worst injury he had seen in 36 years as a coach.
With about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Legaux was hit while attempting to pass. This is how the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Tom Groeschen described it in the next day’s paper:
“Legaux, a senior, was hit both high and low while attempting a pass...(He) crumpled to the turf with his left leg bent back at an unnatural angle as the stadium fell silent.
“The UC medical staff and trainers immediately raced onto the field. The entire Bearcats team soon came onto the field and gathered near Legaux as his leg was stabilized. While the gruesome replay aired on television, UC teammates took turns holding Legaux’s hand as he screamed in pain.”
Legaux was told by doctors that his football career was over. Five days later, he underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments. Then he began the long, arduous process of rehabbing.
He made it all the way back, making his first appearance against Toledo in the 2014 season opener at Nippert Stadium in a very emotional moment. He entered the game with 1:09 left in the first half and UC leading 41-14 on the way to a 58-34 victory. During his brief time on the field, he completed four of five passes for 18 yards and ran for five years on one carry in a game that starting quarterback Gunner Kiel tied a UC record with six touchdown passes.
After the game, Legaux said he never lost faith.
“I was laying in the hospital and hearing all the doctors talk,” he said. “They were saying it’s over for you, and I kind of thought about it for a while. After I got my surgery and everything went well, I sat back and thought, you know what, whatever happens just stay positive. If you don’t play another down of football, stay positive because you never know what can happen.”
Legaux made six more appearances that season, most notably against South Florida when he entered the game late in the first half after an injury to Kiel and completed 14 of 15 passes for 121 yards and scored on a 9-yard run in UC’s 34-17 win.
After his touchdown, the Enquirer’s Groeschen wrote, “Legaux slid deep into the end zone on his knees and bowed his head to the turf. His teammates happily swarmed him.
‘“I didn’t know what to do,’” Legaux said. "'When I got back to the sidelines, I told a couple of guys to keep me in it, because I might break down and cry. Just keep talking to me. Let me know I’m OK and just finish the game.’”
Legaux played in seven games in 2014, his final season. He completed 53 of 88 passes for 574 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, and ran for 40 yards on 20 carries with one touchdown. He finished his UC career with 3,421 passing yards for 23 touchdowns, with 17 interceptions. He also ran for 677 yards and eight touchdowns.
Now 29, Legaux has long since put the injury behind him. He doesn’t dwell on it, nor does he tell his players about it unless they ask. But he still believes he would have played in the NFL if he hadn't been hurt.
“I can’t say I wish I could have done this or that,” he said, “You just have to move on. It’s not something that I talk about. But once guys figure out who I am, they research it.”
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