For the majority of Kyle’s childhood, Gwen wasn’t working, which allowed her to fully embrace her son’s endeavors. She spent countless hours driving him to local football practices or games, while her husband handled taking Kyle to camps that were far away.
From peewee football to Pop Warner, Gwen never imagined football as a career for her youngest child. She remained focused on supporting her son’s passion while ensuring he learned the importance of competition and facing challenges.
“We always wanted to give him the best opportunity to not be the best player on the field,” Gwen said. “You never know how good you are or how far you can go if you’re the best player on the team.
“He was on a local peewee team when he first started, and he was better than everybody. We didn’t want him thinking he was the cat’s pajamas, so we put him someplace where there were kids who were better than he was, bigger, stronger, and [could see] see how he’d measure up.”
Providing her son those real life learnings through football is something Gwen takes pride in, and in her eyes, makes Kyle’s journey to the NFL that much sweeter. For the Monangais, draft weekend delivered a rollercoaster of emotions.
Gwen hosted a small group of close relatives and friends, per Kyle’s request of not creating a spectacle of his draft moment. As the final four rounds started to go by on April 26, the stress levels inside the house rose. Kyle hadn’t eaten all day, and like any mother, Gwen could feel his emotions as her own. But when Kyle’s phone rang during the seventh round, and he began speaking to members of the Bears front office, Gwen felt both relief and absolute joy.
“After he was called, I saw a tear run down his face and he just hugged us,” Gwen said.
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