Did you know that military veterans are still eligible to play college sports after they transition out of the military? The NCAA says that your eligibility to play is put on hold while you are serving your country, this means that when your service is over you can still play all 4 years at college.
Army Logistics Major David Smith coached the All-Army Basketball team for 4 years and brought 6 USA All-Armed Forces teams around the world to face international opponents. He’s seen the benefits of coaching service members, and he knows they make outstanding athletes. But his whole coaching career started accidentally. Smith enlisted in the Army in
For me, this mission has always been personal. I spent the better part of four years fighting sandstorms and fending off the enemy during my deployment to Iraq as a U.S. Marine. But my biggest battle began when I returned home. It was 2008 and I started the post-military job search in the midst of
Rulon Davis always knew he wanted to be in the military. His father had been a Marine. Rulon grew up in Covina, California, but at age thirteen, he chose to attend the Marine Military Academy in Texas. He returned to California for high school and played football, but his resolve to join the Marines after
Corey Sandberg has always been motivated and hard working. As a kid, growing up in Prescott Valley, Arizona, Corey started his own business building retaining walls. As an adult, Corey completed his service in the Army and walked onto the University of Idaho football team without any serious football experience. Corey joined the Army in
Kyran Griffin, former Marine and attendee of Athletes of Valor’s 2019 March Football Combine at Camp Pendleton, is starting his freshman year off strong at Palomar College in San Marcos, California. Griffin, who’s established himself as one of the top Wide Receivers on the Comets’ roster, has had 40 receptions for 539 yards and 4
Kyle Boyd always wanted to play football. Growing up in Texas, his heart was set on a Big 12 program, and by the time he had graduated from high school in 2011, five Division I football programs had offered him scholarships. Boyd ended up signing a national letter of intent with Baylor University, which was
When Nick Jones graduated West Seneca West High School (Seneca, NY) in 2007, he believed that college was not in his future, so he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a Marine, Jones was placed on a Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team. In 2010 his team was sent to Haiti in order to secure the
Luke Boyd is an impressive individual. In 2013, at twenty-six years old, Boyd—a Marine, an overseer for ROTC, a husband, a father, and a student—walked onto the Louisiana State University football team. Boyd was one of the few athletes who made the LSU Tigers football team as a walk-on, and his path to one of
I was a three year varsity football player at Gateway Regional High School in Woodbury Heights, NJ. I was a co-captain my Junior and Senior season. I led the team in tackles for loss my Junior year while playing outside linebacker and strong safety. I also made over 100 tackles my senior year after moving
