An American military obstacle course couldn’t defeat a former National Football League linebacker in a contest this summer that pitted the professional athlete’s skills against the physical training that service members undergo.
Former NFL linebacker and Carolina Panther Luke Kuechly took on the challenge, which was hosted this summer by USAA, Official NFL Salute to Service Partner, as part of their “Salute to Service” initiative. Whistle Sports filmed it as part of its “I Could Do That” series on a day when the high temperature in Fellsmere, Florida reached 94 degrees.
“These Air Force guys are absolute machines,” Kuechly said in a video that documented the challenge. “I feel a little bit nervous actually. This is a little bit out of the training I’ve always done.”
During the challenge, Kuechly was teamed with Air Force veterans Daniel Skidmore and Justin Kiel.
“There’s absolute parallels between professional sports and the military, you know they go hand in hand,” Skidmore said. “You know you’re on a team. You’re mission-focused. You’re trying to win.”
Following a warm-up, Kuechly attempted a rope climb, initially using his upper body strength.
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“Luke addressed the first obstacle, the rope climb, with all arms,” Skidmore said. “Thinking back to my military career when I was in the Air Force as a combat controller the first times I ever ran an obstacle course I failed the rope climb just like Luke did.”
While Kuechly did struggle with some of the obstacles, Kiel said he asked a lot of questions and took all the coaching he was offered.
“Any unit I’ve been a part of so far he would be an instant value add,” he said.
“He failed an obstacle, we go over it and then he picks it up right away and the ability to adapt and overcome to whatever given situation that’s what we’re looking for,” added Skidmore.
After working on his techniques, Kuechly tackled a Marine Corps-type obstacle course with Kiel and Skidmore. They worked together to get through it in the quickest time possible.
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“I think everybody understands that you don’t do anything by yourself in this kind of setting so when you’ve got people from different environments that come together and understand the teamwork and the hard work and the accountability portion it, it just kind of meshes right together,” Kuechly said.
Kuechly played for the Carolina Panthers from 2012 to 2019. His brother is a veteran of the ROTC and Army Reserves.
“It’s very selfless to work in the military,” he said. “The time’s difficult, it’s difficult on your family, there’s a lot at stake.”
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The Whistle Sports “I Could Do That” has put other celebrities and athletes through difficult military tasks. Last year, Chicago Bears tight end Jimmy Graham took on skydiving with the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights parachute team. Before that, USAA and Whistle Sports challenged former San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson to a course inspired by the Navy SEALs iconic 24-week Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training course.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.