Atlanta Falcons draft Fil-Am running back Tyler Allgeier

Tyler Allgeier with his mother, Ester, and Philippine sun tattoo. FACEBOOK

The Atlanta Falcons drafted Filipino American running back Tyler Allgeier during the fifth round of the 2022 National Football League Draft on Saturday, April 30.

Allgeier has a grandmother from Southern Leyte, and is in a short list of Filipino American players currently in the NFL.

He did not receive any college scholarship offer after high school and had to take a job at a Walmart to help pay his way through Brigham Young University, where he was a preferred walk-on.

During his final season at BYU, he became one of the best college football players in the nation. SCREENSHOT

He became a kick returner on special teams and linebacker on defense. Eventually, he became starting running back. BYU finally made him a scholarship player.

During his final season at BYU, he became one of the best college football players in the nation, leading the Cougars to a 10-3 record and No. 19 ranking. In 13 games, Allgeier ran for 1,606 yards — a school record — and scored 23 touchdowns, tied for the most in the country.

A tattoo of the Philippine sun and stars adorns his upper left arm, a tribute to “the Filipino side of the family that literally took care of me and my mom and my sister when things were rough.”

Allegier’s mother, Ester Allgeier, is a single parent who raised him in her mother’s home in Fontana. Ester enrolled him in almost every sport available, starting when he was three. His father then enrolled him in tackle football when he was seven years old.