Now a Super Bowl champ who signed a $4 million contract; has Racine's Chris Maragos changed?

RACINE (WITI) -- Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined becoming a Super Bowl champ. But now that he is one, Racine native Chris Maragos doesn't plan to change. He wants to use his position to help change young lives.

"It was unbelievable, just because you almost felt a little shocked, you know," Maragos says, of winning the Super Bowl.

It was February 3rd when the Seattle Seahawks trounced the Denver Broncos 43-8 to win Super Bowl 48 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The celebration could be heard all the way back in Seattle -- and in Racine, where friends and family members of Maragos reveled in the moment the native son became a Super Bowl champion -- sharing in the glory with former Badgers teammates Russell Wilson and O'Brien Schofield.

"(The ring) is pretty heavy, you know. Honestly, I look at this and it symbolizes so much. I look back on high school and college -- all the hard work and the sweat -- all the things that you do and the early morning workouts -- this is just kind of the icing on the cake," Maragos said.

Maragos is living the dream.

In March, the defensive back and special teams ace signed a three-year $4 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles -- but you can bet your bottom dollar that the remarkable journey he went through to get to the top will help Maragos keep everything in perspective.

"It's by God's grace, really, that I'm in this position. To see all the obstacles that had to be overcome, I'm really thankful actually that I was probably a little naive as to how hard it actually would have been to make it because if I would've known what I know now -- looking back in college and even being drafted into the NFL I might've quit or I might have been, you know, discouraged," Maragos said.

Discouraged maybe, but Maragos doesn't quit.

From Western Michigan walk-on wide receiver to University of Wisconsin walk-on -- where he switched to defensive back, earned a scholarship and became a captain, Maragos persevered. Through his free agent, signing with the 49ers, through being jettisoned to the practice squad and released multiple times Maragos wouldn't give up, so he's not about to let up.

"One of the best quotes I've ever heard is 'it takes forever to build, and just a second to lose.' Always, you know, understanding what it takes to get to the top, when you do get to the top, you know the blueprint and you don't deviate. You don't say 'oh, I know what to do,' or 'I got it.' You know those steps, the hard work, those things you need to do and those disciplines, those character builders, all those things you need to have in place to keep you in that moment," Maragos said.

Having said that, Maragos doesn't plan to become hung up on all the fame and fortune the world has to offer.

"Whatever it is around me doesn't define who I am. I really feel that what's inside me defines who I am -- so just because your outside circumstances change, that doesn't matter. When I look back on my life, I want to be remembered for something more than championships or being a football player. I hope when people look at me -- they don't say 'there's Chris Maragos, the Super Bowl champion,' but rather 'a man of character, a man of dedication, a man of integrity, a man of faith,'" Maragos said.

Recently, Maragos was in his hometown of Racine -- enjoying a great meal served up by John and Eda at Salute Restaurant for the Maragos family and several of his friends who worked at his annual football skills camp.

By his own admission, Maragos lost his way as a youngster and made some bad choices. Perhaps that's partly why he has such a heart for kids. Football is the vehicle he uses to try to make a difference in their lives.

"Everybody's always saying what you can't be or what you shouldn't be or all this other stuff. It's like, why not show people what you can be? I think when you look at it from that aspect, and you look at the opportunity you have to really change the course of someone's life or give them something they can take and really help themselves, help someone else, then you can really make a huge impact," Maragos said.

Maragos says that no matter where else his NFL career takes him and his family, he'll always come back to Racine.