Published by Tom Thinnes on Tue, Jul 01, 2014
Captain Dave Powell, dean of the College of Aviation, is often quoted as saying, “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky, than good.” Very often, we have the best of intentions; going into something with a keen sense of where we are heading. However, it is common to experience some turbulence, or other life-changing event, resulting in rerouting our plans. Sean Egglesfield was both good and lucky.
For Sean Egglesfield, aviation was not his dream. Graduating from a high school in Crete, IL, Egglesfied’s mind focused on two things: football and medicine. “I will tell you, when I graduated from high school and selected Western Michigan University as my college of choice, becoming an airline pilot was the last thing I would have told someone as my goal for a career,” remembered Egglesfield. “I chose WMU solely on being awarded a ‘presidential’ academic scholarship (part of the Medallion program) and being recruited in high school as a wide receiver to play Division I football for the Broncos.”
Entering the University as a freshman, Egglesfield’s concentration was on running routes, catching passes, and keeping up in his biology major. “My first year at WMU was spent studying biology/premed with all intentions of going to med school after graduation,” said Egglesfield. However, he would soon catch something other than a mid-field pass from Tim Lester: he would catch the aviation bug. “Long story short, after a dorm friend, who was enrolled in the aviation program took me flying one weekend, I instantly saw the ‘career light’ and chose to switch majors beginning my sophomore year.”
Many people ask, is it possible to study aviation and play Division I varsity sports? The time requirements for both of these pursuits are significant and occasionally push people away from doing one or the other. As Egglesfield recalls, this was no walk in the park, “I will say playing Division I football and being enrolled in the aviation program was no easy task. At the time, there were only two of us that attacked the extremely strenuous schedule.” Both Egglesfield and Bronco Hockey player Jason Redenius, currently with FedEx, took on the challenges.
According to Egglesfield, “The experience of playing football for WMU while seeking an aviation degree taught me how to prioritize my time and a lot of internal discipline. There were times I had to pass on some of the traditional ‘fun things’ that my friends, who were typical college students, got to experience. Ultimately, it all paid off. Having lettered in football after playing for four years and, more importantly, graduating from the WMU College of Aviation, I was WELL prepared for the road that was ahead of me, leading eventually to my dream job at Southwest Airlines.”
Much like others in aviation, Egglesfield's path to this field of aviation was not always a dream. Similar to others, he has worked his way up the ladder to his current position at Southwest. Graduating from WMU in 2000, Egglesfield soon found his way into the world of flight instructing, working at WMU from August 2000 until March 2001. This was followed by a stint at C&M Airways flying a Convair 640 from April 2001 to December 2001. For the next three years, Egglesfield flew a Saab 340 for Chicago Express Airlines until February 2005. Continuing in the Saab 340 over the next year and a half, Egglesfield worked with Colgan Air until July 2006. Making his last jump in August 2006, he landed in the Boeing 737 flying for Southwest Airlines.
The Field of Dreams Experience for the Egglesfield Clan
While Egglesfield looks back on his time at Western Michigan University fondly, it took a while before he realized the value of his WMU aviation degree. As he recalls, “I didn’t realize the importance of receiving a degree from the WMU College of Aviation until I got to my dream job at Southwest Airlines and met many other colleagues that were former Broncos. I often fly with pilots from other backgrounds, who continually tell me the great things they have heard about the WMU program. From my perspective, this speaks to the reputation the program has gained in the airline community.”
Summing up his experience at Western Michigan University, Egglesfield said, “Every time I fly over West Michigan heading into DTW or GRR for Southwest, I look down below and reflect on the memories of flying in and out of airports like Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Marshall, Three Rivers, Coldwater, and of course the grass strips like Plainwell. Each time, I cannot help to think how blessed I was to learn to fly where I truly believe is such a beautiful part of the country. I also know that it really wasn’t that long ago that my instructor Pat Denney got out of the 172R we were flying there at BTL and said, ‘It’s all you” for my first solo. To see where I am today from where it all began, I owe the WMU College of Aviation and its people (i.e. Decker, Ardema, Rantz, Homen, Grossman, Schneider, the Seilers, and many more) all the gratitude in the world. The program and the people helped to mold me into the professional aviator I am today! GO BRONCOS!”
Interesting facts:
- Started WMU Aviation program the first year it moved from AZO to BTL and became an official College at WMU
- Starred in a Southwest Airlines commercial in 2010 playing my guitar, a favorite hobby of mine
- Played in a celebrity softball game honoring the 25th anniversary of the movie “Field of Dreams” at the actual field in Iowa with Kevin Costner, Bob Costas, fellow Michigander Timothy Bussfield, and my brother, actor Colin Egglesfield
- Originally born in Warren, MI but grew up in Crete, IL, a south suburb of Chicago
- Currently reside in Chicago a half mile west of Wrigley Field with my wife Tammy (WMU Class of 2000) and two kids, Meg (4) and Tristan (2).
- Still a die-hard Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings fan. Became a Chicago Bears fan when we moved to Chicago the same year of the 1985 Super Bowl champions (I was easily influenced!)