In Honor of Black History Month, CEAT recognizes Devin Hedgepeth
Friday, February 2, 2018
CEAT Alumnus Triumphs Through Tragedy
STILLWATER, Okla. – Devin Hedgepeth was a football player. This was his identity from a young age growing up in Derby, Kansas. And he was good. During his junior year of high school, Hedgepeth committed to play football at Oklahoma State University. He graduated high school one semester early to be able to move to Stillwater to begin practicing as soon as possible.
His hard work led him to a starting position on the team in 2010 as a true freshman, a rare situation. Hedgepeth led the Big 12 in interceptions and began receiving national attention. In early polls he was predicted to be one of the NFL’s top draft picks at his position. Then life happened.
On September 15, 2012 during a game, Hedgepeth’s left Achilles suffered its third and final rupture. He was told he would likely never play football again making his chance at a career in the NFL no more.
“The end of my football career signified the end of me and my identity,” Hedgepeth said. “Up until that point, I was a football player, and all of a sudden that was taken from me, at the snap of a tendon. When you experience a loss of that magnitude it forces you to reframe your view on the world. What was my true purpose? Why did this happen to me? The hard truth I found was that feeling sorry for myself was only hurting me and my future. The only way to move forward was to pick my head up and go.”
Hedgepeth chose to move his focus to his studies in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology where he majored in industrial engineering.
“My true calling was much deeper than the game of football. It was to excel at whatever I chose to pursue,” said Hedgepeth. “This gave me new energy and life because it was at that time that I knew I could still make it to the elite level of the game that I chose; it just wouldn’t be football.”
Hedgepeth focused his energy in his studies and crafting his skills. He became a member of the industrial engineering honor society his junior year and impressed his professors with his commitment.
“One thing that does not get enough attention in my story is my experience through CEAT at OSU,” Hedgepeth said. “After my injury, I fell into a state of depression, anger and fear. But I was one of the lucky ones that had not only an engineering workload in which I could immerse myself in to combat the pain but also the people to support me. The staff of the industrial engineering and management department respected my space, encouraged my soul and let me know everything would be okay. They allowed my learning to take hold and fill the void that football had left behind.”
Before walking the stage at Oklahoma State during graduation, Hedgepeth signed a contract with a Fortune 5 Company.
“I still had my draft day after all!” said Hedgepeth. “And I can trace this success back to the people of Oklahoma State as well as the resilience that I developed along my tough times.”
To learn more about Hedgepeth’s journey, visit his blog at https://achilleshealed18.com/.
RELEASE CONTACT: Kylie Fanning | CEAT Marketing | 405-744-2745 | kyliecf@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant university that prepares students for success. OSU has more than 35,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 24,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, Oklahoma State has graduated more than 240,000 students who have been serving the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.
##