There are not a lot of two-time All-Americans in the Division I history of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program.  Nine to be exact.  Only five of those were prior to 2010 and four are already in the Hall of Fame.
 
That made our next selection from the football program an easy one.  Mike Makins was a standout defensive lineman who starred for the Mocs from 1983-86.  He was an anchor in one of the top defensive eras in UTC history and a two-time first team All-Southern Conference selection.
 
Makins played at a time when UTC had dominating players on defense.  This unit led the Mocs to the 1984 SoCon title and an appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.   
 
"Just knowing that we were that good, made that season special," said Makins.  'With Glen Richardson, Brick Mitchell and Philip Aldridge. Playing with the type of talent we had on that team like Greg Moore, Zach Ervin and Spanky Thomas, we knew that we were good and had something special.
 
"We drove ourselves day-in and day-out on the field at Scrappy Moore."
 
Makins joins a number of players from that era when he is inducted as a part of the Class of 2016 to the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame. 
 
Makins came to UTC from Lakeshore High School in College Park, Ga., and played as a true freshman.  At 6-5, 270, he was an imposing figure on the field, but that didn't mean his initial adjustment to the college game was easy. 
 
"Playing in my first year was an eye-opener, because I came from a 2A high school on the southside of Atlanta," stated Makins.  "I can actually remember my very first play on Chamberlain Field. I was on the kickoff team, and I remember running down the field.  The ball was kicked, the lights were on and I thought 'MAN, this is what college football is like.'
 
"I remember getting hit out of nowhere by somebody. I don't know where he came from, but he almost knocked my helmet off my head.  All I could think about was grabbing my helmet, because I didn't want to be embarrassed about having it knocked off while I was on the field. 

"All I could remember was 'WOW, Welcome to college football,' because I had never been hit that hard. That went down in my memory as my very first play and the very first time I was introduced to college football."
 
Despite the cobwebs he must have experienced on that initial hit, Makins made the adjustment quickly.  He had 2.5 sacks that year and added two more with 24 tackles as a sophomore on the 1984 team. 
 
It wasn't until his junior year that he worked his way into the starting lineup, responding with 63 tackles, six sacks and 14 hurries.  Those numbers earned him a spot on the 1985 Kodak All-American Team. 
 
"Coach Steve McGill was my position coach and of course, Buddy Nix, who was my head coach, those two guys always believed in me and actually saw more in me than I did in myself," added Makins when asked about those who influenced his play on the field while he was at UTC.  "Coach McGill always pushed me to give my all. Sometimes I didn't quite understand some things, but he always pushed me.
 
"I just played the game and wanted to be the best at what I did. So it was always an honor at the end of the year when I was told that I made First Team All-Southern Conference and All-American.
 
To do it again my senior year really was special, because it's something that you strive for, and you know that so many others strive for it but don't get it. It was just a testament of hard work, and I was willing to put the work into be that guy."
 
His numbers improved even more as a senior, posting 101 tackles, while recovering three fumbles.  He also had three more sacks to give him 13.5 for his career.  In 1986, he was honored with a selection to the prestigious AFCA All-American Team.  
 
Despite the numbers and the honors, Makins, to this day, is quick to point out the influence of his teammates. 
 
"You have to have an understanding that you can do nothing without the people around you," he added. "It's hard to talk about me without the guys lined up beside me, the guys who helped me do what I did.
 
"I know it sounds cliché', but it's just true. There were days I wanted to quit and thought it wouldn't work. For whatever reason, you get tired, you get frustrated or you get injured. I had a torn MCL and sometimes I thought it wasn't worth it.  But you have your brothers on the field who keep motivating you, particularly my roommate Greg Moore.
 
"He would remind me of the goals we had set and would motivate me to get back out there. Those memories are what helped me be considered for those awards.
 
"That type of mindset is the same thing we used when we had to transition from playing football to our business lives. It was the same principles we used back then on Scrappy Moore that we use today to be successful."
 
Makins used his degree in Graphic Design from UTC to become a senior marketing manager and art director for AT&T. He has gone from destroying offenses on the field to creating the look and feel of AT&T stores across the nation. 

 

"I went to UTC to study graphic design and I've been working in that field ever since," said Makins. "That's my main job in regards to my 9-to-5.  I am also an ordained minister and I work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, particularly in South DeKalb County.  There I mentor young athletes who are much like myself."
 
Makins took a lot of life lessons from his time at UTC and is passing those experiences along to the next generation.  Come join him and the entire class of inductees at the annual Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, Feb. 19, at the Chattanooga Country Club.   
 
The banquet is open to the public, but seating is limited and reservations are required. The cost is $35.00 per person which includes dinner. Payments and RSVP's can be submitted to the UTC Office of Alumni Affairs at (423) 425-4785.  For more information, email Jayne-Holder@utc.edu.