Black History Month Alumni Series: Corey Mace

Corey Mace is Canadian. His uncle was neighbors with JG Aegerter, Palomar's defensive line coach. Mace's dad lived in Escondido at the time. He had no offers out of high school and wanted to play football in the United States. So, he moved in with his dad.

When Corey Mace came to Palomar in 2003, he was a tight end, but that's when Aegerter turned him into a defensive lineman.

"That was the best thing that ever happened to me," Mace said.

It was Aegerter who talked to him about the University of Wyoming, who told him about the brutal winters and what it took to be a Cowboy. Needless to say, Aegerter played an integral role in Mace's football life.

"I couldn't have had a better teacher and mentor in Coach Aegerter," Mace said. "He was my football dad. He taught me the ropes."

Corey left Wyoming early to declare for the NFL Draft in 2007. He was signed to the Buffalo Bills as a free agent and completed three seasons. Heading back to Canada, Mace then signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League and went on to play six more seasons. He retired following injuries and joined the coaching staff for the Stampeders in 2016 as the defensive line coach.

Mace went back to Wyoming to finish his degree during his first two years coaching as a part-time student and graduated in 2017 with a degree in Social Sciences.

"It was a promise I made to my parents and one I made to Coach Aegerter as well that I would make sure that I would leave that university with my degree," Mace said. "I'm glad that not only did I keep my promise for them, but for myself as well."

When you ask him about his time at Palomar, Mace tells you he loved it and that he is a proud alumnus of the program. He also praises the pipeline the football program has established of former players coming back and coaching. What he did during his time at Palomar and after led him to be inducted into the Palomar Hall of Fame in 2017.

Because of the impact, Aegerter had on Mace, he now hopes to become someone else's football dad and be an influential force in someone else's life.

"It's my goal to give back to the game that has given me so much and that's really what I focus on now is to give my guys the tools and life lessons that Coach Aegerter would give to us. I'm doing my due diligence and paying it forward to the younger generation," Mace said. "Hopefully I can be a football father to someone else in getting to know my players and that's a lot of the things I learned there at Palomar."