The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Sugar Bowl a homecoming for Malcolm Roach
12.31.2018 | Football
Junior defensive lineman Malcolm Roach grew up dreaming of the opportunity to play in the Sugar Bowl.
When Texas junior defensive lineman Malcolm Roach broke his foot in the third game of the season against USC in September, his father Mike asked him about his outlook for the rest of the year. His son's response was simple, "I'm going to play again." The answer wasn't all that surprising for the Baton Rouge native because it embodies the resilient nature of the region where he grew up.
Roach's first memory of football came from he and a couple friends throwing the ball around in the spiraling winds during Hurricane Katrina that struck the area in 2005. Malcolm and his father point to the blue-collar mentality of the region that helped the people rebound after the destruction as a source of pride for Louisianans. It's a quality ingrained in the region and stressed in the Roach household.
The Roaches brought this mindset to Madison Prep in Baton Rouge, La. while Mike was at the helm of the Charger program. When Malcolm and his father were heading out the door for 5 a.m. workouts during the summer, Malcolm's mother Nancy was up getting breakfast ready for his 60 teammates. After workouts, Mike would provide lunch for the players that decided to stay at the school to play pickup basketball. At the end of the day the Roaches would host anywhere between 8-10 teammates overnight before they'd do it all over again the next day.
Looking back on his time in high school now, Malcolm recognizes the reason behind his parents investing so much work into his teammates. It wasn't just a tactic to develop team chemistry, it was deeper than that. They wanted to help these young men grow off the field to become the 'All-American son' and 'All-American husband.' They emphasized to Malcolm and his teammates to use football - don't let it use you – as a means and not an end.
In 2017, Mike stepped down as the head coach of Madison Prep after compiling a record of 40-12 and an appearance in the 2016 Class 2A State Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the site of the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Tuesday night. It's a place that Mike and Nancy have dreamed of seeing Malcolm play in since he signed with The University of Texas.
They'll get that opportunity on Tuesday at the Superdome, along with 20-25 family members and, as Mike quipped recently, "the entire church will be there too." When Malcolm walks through the tunnel at the Superdome, that dream and vision will become a reality, not only for Malcolm, but for the entire Roach family. On Tuesday night, the Roach family will congregate with many members of Malcolm's church, to don the burnt orange and support Malcolm and his teammates in the city and region that raised him into a young man that makes his parents proud.
