| Prince Kwateng, Former Northwestern LB, Continues To Chase NFL Dream | ||||
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When Prince Kwateng signed with the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 9, 2009, little did he know that his new NFL team would later become the Super Bowl champions. However, during his stint on the Saints' practice squad, Prince gained a tremendous appreciation for the team’s approach to practice.
“They were obviously very talented, but the thing that stuck out to me the most was just how hard they worked all the time,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing I took away from my time there.”
Despite being with the Saints for less than a week, it was an incredibly proud moment in Prince’s football career.
“I just had a great sense of accomplishment, but more importantly for me, it was an opportunity,” he said. “Just getting the opportunity to play against the best in the world was great.”
He relished the chance to put on an NFL helmet and practice against NFL Pro Bowlers and seasoned veterans. More importantly, however, he hoped he left a lasting impression on the Saints’ coaching staff.
“I did all the things in my power to show my skills,” Prince said. “I knew I gave it my all. I left [New Orleans] in good spirits, and the coaches had positive things to say about my time with the team.”
Even with his brief stint in the NFL, Prince says that the experience hasn’t added any fuel to his fire to return to the NFL. That’s because Prince has always had a tremendous work ethic, with the NFL experience only reinforcing the need for his elite commitment.
“I am a highly motivated person as is,” he said. “I am not saying I will work any harder this year than last year because I have always had to work hard for everything. I will just keep training as hard as I have during my entire life.”
Before joining the Saints, Prince had completed the United Football League’s inaugural season with the California Redwoods as their starting linebacker. Teams had expressed an interest in Prince, but due to UFL rules, he wasn’t allowed to sign an NFL contract until after the season. Despite the restrictive rule, he still enjoyed his time in the UFL.
“It was just another opportunity to play football,” Prince said. “The UFL was a great place for me to display my skills. And just to become a professional athlete was something that I had dreamed of growing up.”
His goal is undoubtedly another shot at the NFL, but Prince has faith that as long as he maintains his work ethic, he will be playing football somewhere. If his NFL dream does not come to fruition this year, he would gladly play a second season in the UFL—a league who has a bright future, according to Prince.
“From a player’s perspective, [the UFL] is great football,” he said. “A lot of the players have been in the NFL. Many of the coaches have coached in the NFL and have had great success. It’s just a great league for guys like me who want to keep pursuing their dream.”
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