A former Green Beret who came back from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan to become a long-snapper for the University of Texas football team has been offered a chance to make a NFL squad,
USA Today reports.
Nate Boyer, who says his military journey helped to focus his life, was offered the opportunity by the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday after walking on to the Longhorns football team at age 29 and learning his position on the field, having never competed in the sport in his life.
"I didn't want to regret never playing, and I'd never had the opportunity," Boyer, now 34, told USA Today. "It was always my favorite sport to watch."
The lessons he learned on the battlefield, of tenacity and endurance, served him well, said Boyer, who earned a Bronze Star.
The news organization called his football feats "the longest of long shots."
But, it added, "unfavorable odds typically don't deter men who have served with the Green Berets, and Boyer's beaten them before."
"I'm definitely fortunate," Boyer told USA Today. "It just makes me want to do more and accomplish more and pursue all those things that I'm able to do now that I'm home. And that comes with the realization that you don't have these opportunities everywhere else.
He added: "We're so fortunate here. Happiness is doing what I love. I want to inspire everyone else to do the same thing, not just veterans."
The undrafted free agent was contacted by Seahawks coach Pete Carroll after the NFL draft had finished and offered the opportunity to try to make the team, ESPN reported.
"I don't even know what to say,"
Boyer told ESPN of the chance. "It's so cool."
"The thing about Nate is he's such a hard worker," Texas coach Charlie Strong said in a statement, according to
ABC News. "Any time someone represents your country, when you talk about courage, you talk about honor, that's what it's all about. I love him so much.
"He did a great job, he's an unbelievable leader, and he's going to be truly missed in our program."
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