Prairie State Pigskin began its Moving the Chains Q&A feature in Sept. 2016 with Illinois State and future Chicago Bears offensive lineman Cameron Lee. Since that time we have profiled 48 players and one coach across all four Illinois FCS schools during the football season.

So, for our milestone 50th Moving the Chains, we have a special treat. Given the challenging circumstances everyone is now facing in our daily lives, we have decided to carry Moving the Chains into the offseason. From time to time readers will learn more about support staff and those close to ISU, EIU, SIU and WIU football in ways other than blocking, tackling, running, throwing, receiving or catching.

To kick things off, we feature Omar Akil Solomon of Eastern Illinois University Admissions. Solomon, 33, grew up in south suburbs. He graduated from Rich South High School, where he was very active as a student and the community.

Get to know Omar in today’s Moving the Chains Q&A:

What sports and activities did you do in high school?

Anything I could get involved in. I played football; I was a starter my senior year. I was left guard. We went to the second round of the playoffs, lost to Joliet Catholic. I also played tennis for four years. I did the morning announcements, which led into my profession down the road. I used to start every morning by saying, “Gooood morning, Rich South High School!”

Where did you go to college?

I started out at community college, Prairie State in Chicago Heights, then I transferred to EIU. That’s where I graduated with a degree in communication studies in the fall of 2009.

While at Eastern, Omar took classes taught by Mike Bradd and Jack Ashmore, both of whom broadcast EIU Panther football and basketball games.

(Twitter photo)

How long have you been at Eastern in a work capacity?

I returned in the spring of 2011. Previously I was working at Elmhurst College in admissions. I worked at Elmhurst for a year and loved everything about Elmhurst, but I had the opportunity to come back to EIU and I took it.

What’s the best part of your job?

I’m what you call an old man in admissions. To me, every opportunity to interact with a student, every opportunity to learn their story, watch them grow and then fast forward four or five years down the road when they graduate and see how they have flourished on Eastern’s campus, I’m enriched and blessed that I’ve worked at this university for a long time . . . it’s just fun to see how far and where our students can go.

That’s the best part, just working with our students.

How much do you talk about a Romo or a Garoppolo or use football when you talk to students or potential students?

Each and every student is different. I pride myself in trying to get to know every student. Every student is not the same. I’m not always going to drop out Romo or Jimmy G or whatever or whoever. For some cases, when we are talking about athletics, I point out we are a Division I university. We have a starting (NFL) quarterback in Jimmy, a head coach in Sean Payton, a GM in Ryan Pace, an offensive coordinator in Tim Kelly and a middle linebacker in Kamu Grugier-Hill. And we have one of the highest paid announcers in Tony Romo. That’s a quick reference when I’m talking about athletics. Usually the student’s eyes light up. I can talk about personal experiences. I got to meet Sean Payton (when he was back on campus) and I got to know Jimmy throughout his time at EIU.

Mike Shanahan & Omar

Who were some of your favorite EIU football players?

I have to say that one of my first favorite players is from when I arrived at Eastern, Micah Rucker. He was a tall receiver from Florida. He would just go down the field and catch every ball that was thrown in the air whether it was Cole Stinson or Bodie Reeder at quarterback. He caught everything. He was poetry in motion when he ran down the field.

Of course, Jimmy G and Erik Lora, that connection in that era with Coach (Dino) Babers. That was one of the best times to work at the university. I was at every game as a student and as an employee being loud in the stands, cheering, getting everybody riled up. To see the pride that was in Charleston at that time . . . I wish I could bottle that up and use it everywhere because games were over at halftime at some point; the stands were packed. You’d walk around campus and everyone had EIU apparel on. That was an amazing time. It wasn’t just Jimmy, it wasn’t just Erik. I’m talking about Shepard Little, Jimmy Lera, Jeff LePak . . . on the defensive side of the ball, there was Artavious Dowdell, Pat Wertz . . . the list goes on and on.

I really enjoyed (safety) Bradley Dewberry. He was a stud for four years. (Defensive back) Mark Williams came in as a freshman and has done an amazing job. I like the young kid that we have right now, (running back) Jaelin Benefield from Texas. He’s very shifty.

I follow all our athletes. I love everybody.

What were some of your favorite Eastern football memories?

Dino’s first year (2012), the double overtime victory over Murray State. Erik Lora, 21 catches, 269 yards and he throws the game-winning pass (for the two-point conversion) in the corner off the end zone to (tight end) Von Wise off a double reverse. That was crazy and just beautiful to watch.

There was the Illinois State game that we won (57-24). Anytime we get to beat Illinois State that’s always fun.

The game against SEMO, 2017. It was a low-scoring game (19-16) and Bradley Dewberry caught an interception near the end zone. That game was special because we had a tailgate for admissions and we had a lot of families visiting. The game ended on that victory-sealing interception. It was fun to see our families happy and enjoying the game.

If the athletic teams do well, the university does well. We’re all in this together.

What is your favorite tailgate food?

I’m a chicken connoisseur. Anytime someone can put chicken on the grill, I love to try different seasonings. I love to try different people’s food. That’s all I need. I’m also big on burgers, so those and chicken are my go-tos.

You love to sing karaoke. What’s your favorite song to perform?

I consider myself a connoisseur of karaoke. I pride myself in trying to perform for any crowd. It’s very stress-relieving also. It depends on the crowd, but I love to sing Disney music actually. I love to sing anything from Aladdin or Mulan. Those would be some of my favorite songs. I also enjoy singing (laughs) Justin Timberlake because I’m the biggest male Justin Timberlake fan of all-time. I’ll sing anything to be honest with you. It can range from ’90s music to Motown to R&B to rap. I play with the crowd and go with how I feel.

Anything else you wish to share?

Once everything gets back in session I want to see everybody supporting EIU athletics, and not just football. Be loud, be proud, be blue, we are EIU. I would love to see somebody pick up the mantle and be that loud person in the stands and spread that enthusiasm because from talking to the players, they love that energy from the fans. We want to bring that 24/7 to all of our sports. And you can bring that to the classroom as well. Enjoy life, ladies and gentlemen, we only have one life to live.