Army football fans in search of an uplifting story from this weekend may have to shift focus a bit farther south than West Point. We’ve written about former Army Sgt. Daniel Rodriguez’s inspiring journey from the Afghanistan battlefield to the Clemson gridiron, but his story made the national spotlight over the weekend, airing on the “CBS Evening News.” Rodriguez talks about losing his best friend in battle, dealing with alcohol abuse after leaving the military and his quest to play big-time college football as a 5-foot-8, 175-pounder in his mid-20s. Last week, before his Clemson Tigers moved to 4-1 with…
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A former soldier’s quest that started with a YouTube workout video ended Friday, as the NCAA granted Daniel Rodriguez permission to join the Clemson football team for the upcoming season. Rodriguez earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart in Afghanistan in October 2009, and also served in Iraq, according to The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier report announcing his eligibility. He left the Army as a sergeant and posted a workout video that caught the attention of many, including our workout folks at the PT365 blog and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. Rodriguez enrolled at Clemson and will use his…
The Sunshine State is ready for an Army football revival. West Point, which hasn’t had a winning record since 1996, is ranked No. 44 in the Orlando Sentinel’s pre-season rankings of all 120 Division 1 college football teams. That’s right. The Orlando Sentinel has Army ranked higher than college football powerhouses Tennessee, Michigan, Clemson and even Notre Dame. Coach Rich Ellerson, who is entering his second year as Army’s head coach, led the Black Knights to a 5-7 record in his first year, one win shy from the program’s first bowl game since 1996. Ellerson brought back the option offense…
