Courtesy of Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier University of Louisiana alumni and former athletes David Egans and Olumide Olafioye recently pledged a recurring donation to their alma mater’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams for the upcoming 2022-2023 sports season. Influenced by their time at Xavier, Egans and Olafioye are on a mission to give back, starting with the team that brought them together, the Gold Rush.
The duo first became acquainted in 2006-2009 during Olafioye’s time on the men’s basketball team while Egans was an athletic assistant coach. Over the years, Olafioye and Egans’ relationship morphed from mentorship to business partnership after co-founding the nationwide tax preparation service, Get Max Tax.
“As we became more successful, we felt it in our hearts to give back because we feel the university has invested a lot into us,” said Egans as he reflected on the impact that receiving athletic scholarships had on the pair’s academic journey.
Though Egans was a Gold Rush basketball team member from 2000-2002, he and Olafioye credit Xavier’s professors and coaches for expanding their career goals outside of basketball while helping them strive for academic success.
“When I got to Xavier, they made me focus on the importance of education. My goal was to play professional basketball, but they opened my eyes to the need for balance, taking academics as seriously as athletics,” said Egans, who transferred from another institution and described feeling like “just a number.”
Olafioye and Egans expressed that their first time stepping onto Xavier’s campus felt like walking through the door of a family member’s home.
“It was the atmosphere of what the university had to offer [that made it feel like home], from Greek life to the education; Xavier is why David and I are as successful as we are today. We found our wives there,” said Olafioye.
Through their donation, Olafioye and Egans hope to directly impact the lives of all Xavier’s basketball players while inspiring current and future student-athletes to follow in their footsteps.
“We feel that Xavier Athletics has always had a vision for talent and has the potential to become a division one program,” Olafioye stated on the future of sports at the institution. “Current students keep going, it might seem like a long road ahead, but graduation is right around the corner. New students, take advantage of Xavier and all the resources you will need. Take advantage of the relationships you will build because these are the people that will be in your life for time to come.”
