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University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Talk With Duke Anyanwu
9/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Duke Anyanwu talks about his internship, going for his master's degree, funniest guy on the team, playing close to home and more in the latest Gopher talk.
Gopher Sports: What did you do this offseason?
Duke Anyanwu: We obviously had a lot of workouts. Other than that I did a lot of networking professionally and working myself. I held an internship out in Eden Prairie with API group doing a project manager internship. I did a lot of things network-wise. I tried to broaden my horizons and meet a lot of people and set up for life beyond football. On the field, we grinded a lot. Leadership this offseason was phenomenal. To be able to talk to some of those guys and see how some of those guys like Mitch and Damarius have stepped up and lead us to being a way better program since I've been here.
GS: What did you do at your internship?
DA: My internship consisted of overseeing technicians, whether it be HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) guys, plumbers or workers of that nature. I oversaw where they went. I was in charge of filling quotations and getting jobs set up for big buildings like hospitals or corporate buildings. My job was to go out there and take care of any issues these people had that were HVAC and plumbing related. I also worked with some of the project managers they had there. I helped with customer relations and pitching field quotes to some of the managers that were at some of the sites that we worked with.
GS: How's the progress on your master's degree going?
DA: I was fortunate to graduate early with my sport management undergraduate degree and a leadership minor and I'm also now going to graduate in the spring with my master's degree in sport management. It's been a great ride. School is something I take very seriously because your body may not hold up forever as a lot of people know and you have to be ready for life after football. You have to be able to hop into the work world. School is something I really take pride in. I'm excited to graduate this spring with my master's and see where life goes from there.
GS: Do you have any plans after you graduate?
DA: I have another year of eligibility so if I stay healthy that would be awesome. If not, I will hopefully get into the NCAA leadership program, that's an internship out in Indianapolis. There's also a few opportunities I'm going to explore at the corporate level or work in athletic administration. I want to end up at a private institution and ultimately be an athletic director. That would be really great for me depending on where I can get in because sports is a really big world but everyone seems to know everyone.
GS: Who's the funniest guy on the team?
DA: I would say it has to be a dead-tie with Hunter Register and Rashad Still. When you get those two together it's magic. It's crazy to see those two work. They are very interesting kids. They are very funny.
GS: What's it like playing college football so close to home?
DA: It's everything. That's one of the major reasons why I came here. You get to play in front of your hometown friends and family. You get to go home and get a home cooked meal every now and then. You get to play in front of people that you grew up with. It's really cool, it's a really great blessing and experience.
GS: Did you grow up a Minnesota sports fan?
DA: I was born and raised in California and moved to Minnesota in middle school. Growing up I was a huge USC fan but as soon as I moved here I was a diehard Minnesota fan. As soon as I moved here I knew this is where I wanted to play.
GS: Who's the athlete you most look up to?
DA: My role model and favorite athlete of all time is Kobe Bryant. I'm a huge Kobe fan. In the sport of football, my favorite player was Tony Gonzalez, who was a great tight end. He had a great career and he did things the right way. Those are the two players I look up to in terms of their play and their brand and who they are.
GS: What are some of your hobbies outside of football?
DA: I'm really big into photography and I love music and movies. Those are my three kind of things that I'm really into. I love going out and doing photoshoots. I love finding new music and watching new movies. Those are the things I'm doing if I'm not playing football, working out or hanging out with friends.
GS: What's your favorite kind of music?
DA: Favorite kind of music is tough because I like all kinds of music. I really like hip-hop, rap country, EDM, house. I'm all over the board.
GS: What's your favorite movie?
DA: I'll give you my top-four. In no order I like 'The Great Gatsby', 'The Prestige', 'Creed' and 'Never Back Down'.
GS: What's your favorite place to eat on campus?
DA: Shuang Chang. I'm a big Chinese food fan. My go-to meal is the gluten free orange chicken and the fried rice with no veggies. It never fails.
