Ray Ruschel is old enough to be his teammates' dad. That's right, his TEAMMATES.
After serving in the Army and National Guard for nearly two decades, the 49-year-old was working as a night-shift mechanic at a North Dakota sugar beet factory when he decided to enroll at the North Dakota State College of Science.
The school offers two-year programs in manufacturing, skilled trades, health care, and the liberal arts, and they also have a football team, one of the six sports the school offers.
And Ruschel found out he was eligible.
Ruschel told ABC 30, "Something just clicked in my head, like why not play?"
His last game action came when he was a high school senior in Pennsylvania, more than 30 years ago!
When Ruschel asked head coach Eric Issendorf, who is one year younger than him, for a tryout, Issendorf said sure, even though he worried that Ruschel might get hurt.
Now, Ruschel plays about a dozen snaps per game, and has earned the respect of his teammates.
Issendorf said, "Guys that he's playing against are bigger, faster, stronger than him, buthe's been able to manage it.
"His personality .... he's just a really likable guy with an ambition not to leave any stone unturned. As long as he's here on this earth."
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