In a short amount of time, Tyler Sigler went from an undrafted Division-III college football player who seemed extremely unlikely to ever play in the NFL, to a member of the Arizona Cardinals' 90-man roster.
Sigler, a safety who played football at Wheaton College in Illinois, made the team after trying out in the spring. The only downside: He and his wife Emmalynn, who got married in late May, were forced to postpone their honeymoon plans.
Sigler has been participating in Cardinals training camp in an attempt to make the team's 53-man regular-season roster. ABC15 sports director Craig Fouhy caught up with Sigler before the Cardinals' practice at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Saturday to learn more about what the last few months have been like for him and his new bride.
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When I’m looking down the roster, I see Tyler Sigler from Wheaton College. And here you are in a pro camp.
Yeah, it was a pretty unbelievable opportunity. It’s not something I 100-percent expected, but the Lord blessed us with a pretty sweet opportunity, and I’m just trying to make the most of it. It’s been awesome so far.
Your dad is a coach, right?
Yeah, my dad and grandfather are both high-school coaches in Michigan, so it’s a little full-circle for our whole family.
How important was that growing up, that your dad and grandfather were both coaches?
It was important to me. I was around the game of football from the time I was born until I graduated high school. There were always games on TV or old film that my grandpa was showing me. So, being here is a pretty unbelievable thing for our family, and it’s very important. The game of football is really important to our family, so it’s been pretty cool.
How about your friends and your teammates from Wheaton. Are they texting and calling you every day?
They are, yeah. I got married two months ago now, and all my groomsmen have been texting me a bunch, all my teammates. They’re pretty excited. I have three of them who are coming out to Minnesota (for the preseason game vs. the Vikings) and they’re all fired up. It’s been pretty fun.
You mentioned the wedding. Tell me about that crazy weekend you had, trying to get out of here and get home for the wedding.
Yeah, I’m thankful to the Cardinals’ coaches and staff because they were really, really kind and forgiving. When I brought it up to them, I said, "Hey, look, my wedding is May 31st and there’s not much I can do about it." And they were like, "No, go get married, take care of business, and then come on back." So, Wednesday, we got out of practice, I jumped on the red eye, flew home. Thursday, we had the rehearsal dinner. Friday, we got married. Saturday, saw family, and then Sunday, flew back out here for Monday OTAs. It was a pretty wild weekend, but it was incredible and it was really fun.
I understand you guys had to postpone the honeymoon. You were going to go to St. John?
Yeah, we were going to St. John in the Virgin Islands. One of the groomsman, a teammate and family friend, has a place down there. We had bought our (tickets) about a year ago, so those flights were luckily redirected back to Phoenix. It was a good reason to not go on the honeymoon, but I promised my wife a two-week honeymoon sometime in the future.
How’s she doing now?
She’s doing really well. She’s coming out to practice almost every day. We have a house down in Gilbert, so she’s able to have a place and have some rest. But I’m excited to see her, and I’m excited to have an off day to spend some time with her.
I just asked Coach (Kingsbury), "How in the world did Tyler Sigler get here?" And he said, “I have no idea how he got here, but I like his look, he’s 6’2, 215 pounds, he can move." But he’s even surprised you’re here.
Yeah, I mean, I think everybody is. I’ve heard from everyone, though, that it doesn’t really matter where you come from or how you get here; it’s just what you do once you get the opportunity. I’m just excited. It’s been a huge blessing so far, but I’m really looking forward to what’s coming next.
