PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An Australian-born Villanova University football player is making waves as the oldest Football Bowl Subdivision athlete in the country.
Larsen fell in love with Australian rules football at a young age, but injuries forced him to stop playing after high school. So he took a different path and decided to coach women’s football.
While coaching, a door he thought permanently closed reopened — “and then found out I could kick a ball again,” he said.
Larsen then ran into his long-time friend and former Eagles punter Cameron Johnston, who encouraged him to give American football a go.
“The idea to try and kick a ball and go to a different country and go back to school was pretty enticing,” he said.
His skills landed him a scholarship at East Carolina University, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
And now, he's working on another master’s degree at Villanova, where he’s a punter on their football team.
Larsen says, although he’s 33 years old, he still feels like a young guy with the 19-and 20-year-olds he shares a locker room with, and in his classes.
“I’m doing my second master's degree. Not many people get to do that in succession from doing an undergrad straight to a master's,” he said. “There’s no real age disparity there at all. You’re all just doing the same thing, enjoying each other’s company.”
Larsen hopes to complete his second master’s degree in public administration by the end of this school year.