Football | 10/13/2016 10:21:00 AM

Wingate, N.C.----DeMarkes Dogan was always in the middle of the action as a record-setting linebacker for Wingate Bulldogs football teams in the early 2000s. He's now in a different kind of spotlight, trying to establish himself as an actor in TV and films in southern California. The all-time leading tackler in Wingate gridiron history says the two endeavors to which he's devoted so much energy in his life have a big thing in common. 

"My coaches at Wingate used to say that repetition is the mother of all success," Dogan says during a telephone interview from his West Hollywood home. "The more you do something the better you get at it…and the one thing that is consistent in everything you try to do is you."

For the past 10 years, Dogan has been in California and has appeared in episodes of TV series ranging from "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "The Mindy Project" to the Ariana Grande series "Sam & Cat." He's also appeared in a number of independent films. 

Pretty heady stuff for a young man from Boiling Springs, S.C., who came to Wingate to play football in the fall of 2000. "I know, right?" he says, laughing at the writer's reference to his small-town roots. "It's America and anything can happen. But it doesn't always happen overnight." 

And an acting career didn't happen overnight for Dogan, who still holds the record for tackles in a Bulldog career (357) and earned All-South Atlantic Conference first team and All-NCAA Division II South Region second team laurels his senior year. 

Dogan says he was interested in continuing his football career after college, but couldn't get an opportunity with a professional team. "I thought about something like the Canadian Football League, but nobody was calling me back." 
So in 2005, Dogan went out and grabbed another kind of opportunity. He traveled to Atlanta to audition for a spot as a host in Black Entertainment Television's (BET) "New Fresh Faces." 

"I was one of 1,000 people standing in line for seven to nine hours," Dogan says. He was one of 10 finalists. He identifies this experience as a turning point in his life. 

"That made it an easy transition from football," Dogan says. "Being in the entertainment industry was something I could do past the age of 35 or 36 and it was going to be a lot less stressful on my body." 

He moved to California on a full-time basis in 2009 and hopes that his next step is to advance to bigger and more regular roles. "In seven years, I've built a resume," Dogan says. "Now I want to jump over that last bridge and get to the other side." 

He's coming back to Wingate for the first time since his move west when he's inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 14. "This was a place where I learned a lot about life," Dogan says. "Sports is life. You have adversity and you have to get back up and get back into the game. That's the beauty part of sports. It's going to be great to see everyone." 

10 QUESTIONS WITH DEMARKES DOGAN ('04)
 
What are you doing now?
 
"I am living in West Hollywood…doing TV and films with the hopes of becoming a leading man. I want to become a face people resonate to and recognize for the next 10-15 years."
 
What was your most memorable athletic experience at Wingate?
 
"We beat Virginia Union 13-12 on Sept. 8, 2001…in the heat…wearing all blue! We weren't supposed to win…I believe Virginia Union was the superior team…but Coach Rashaan Jordan (defensive coordinator) had us some focused…we came out and won the game."
 
What was your most memorable non-athletic experience at Wingate?
 
"…working on the Wingate State TV show with Brent Hartis, Ben Reed, Trey Raley…and so many others. We took something small…and made it really big. It was fun to do and overall a great experience for me."
 
Who was your favorite professor at Wingate (and why)?
 
"My favorite professors…were all my communication professors. I majored in Communication Studies…and I always looked forward to going to the Cannon Classroom Building (now the Neu Classroom Building). I enjoyed every single second of my time in my Communication classes. Each of these individuals made a lasting impression in my mind…they hold a special place in my heart."  
 
One word you would use to describe your personality?
 
"Enigma"
 
What would you most like people to know about you?
 
"I am persistent."
 
If you could be fictional character from any movie, television show, book, etc., for a day who would it be and why? 
 
"I would be Batman…I would be Bruce Wayne…millionaire playboy by day and a vigilante by night."
 
What was the first pair of shoes you wore when you first started playing your sport?
 
"My first pair of shoes were Rawlings low-cut cleats. Actually, they were soccer-style cleats. I was in the sixth grade…and didn't know any better."
 
Why would you recommend Wingate University to others?
 
"Wingate University is a tight-knit group…a family. Everyone…the faculty…the staff…becomes a part of your family. At a big school, I don't think you would ever get this feeling…family at Wingate becoming your family away from home."
 
Describe your experience at Wingate in one word?
 
"Altering"
 
DEMARKES DOGAN ('04)
 
DeMarkes Dogan is Wingate's career tackles leader with 357. He played for head coaches Joe Reich and Bob Brush. Dogan was named to the All-SAC first team and the All-South Region second team his senior season (2003). His senior year statistics ledger included a team-best 100 tackles (62 solo) with three tackles for loss, two QB sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Dogan led the SAC in tackles per game his junior year with 10.3 (2001).

WINGATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS HALL OF FAME

The Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will begin on Friday evening, Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the LaVerne Banquet Hall. Tickets for the induction ceremonies banquet are $25 per person and $10 for children 12 and under). For more information about the WU Sports Hall of Fame, contact committee chairman Bill Nash at 704-233-8121 or via E-mail at bilnash@wingate.edu.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,100 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 34 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 10 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 86 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 86 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 95 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.
 
(Dr. Keith Cannon contributed this article. Cannon is chair of the Department of Communication and Art and is John B. Ashcraft Professor of Journalism at Wingate University.)