Sept. 29, 2010

By Chase Aertker
Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant

Many Rebel fans have fond memories of the 2003 football season, when current New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning led Ole Miss to a 10-3 record and Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma State. Manning has gone on to become one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks, but he was not the only player from that 2003 squad to go on to the NFL.

Among the other professional-bound players was offensive tackle Tre' Stallings, who in 2006 was picked in the sixth round by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he would play for the next year.

"The thing about the NFL is that every player is really good, so you can't really take any plays off," Stallings said. "Every practice was like an SEC game."

Stallings moved from Kansas City to Baltimore for the following two seasons and remembers his NFL days well. "One thing I learned early on is that you have to become used to the fact that you are going to get beat on occasion, then learn to forget about it and move on to the next play," he said.

Stallings, however, would not stay in the NFL long, deciding to walk away from the game at the end of training camp in 2009. His intentions were to use his Ole Miss education to begin life after football.

"When I was in the NFL, I surrounded myself with great influences, and I learned how to live life without football, and more importantly how to be a professional," said Stallings of his decision to leave the game he loved.

The Magnolia, Miss., native is now beginning his new journey outside of football, by returning to the NCAA. As an intern in the Pacific-10 Conference Championship Department, Stallings is seizing an opportunity to learn about some of the off-the-field work done in college athletics.

"I had two coaches who instilled two really great principles into me when I played at Ole Miss. Coach [David] Cutcliffe taught me to leave a place better than you found it, and Coach O [Ed Orgeron] taught me to bring intensity and to have passion for what you do. Those are principles that I use today that helped me in football and now still help me in my life after football."

The former four-year Rebel starter is one of the many Ole Miss athletics alumni who are finding success in life after their playing days are over.