Upon first glance, seeing that the University of San Diego currently has a 34-year old running back would be cause for laughter. However, since that 34-year old is a member of the Special Operations Force in the United States military, you can stuff your laughter in a sack and like it, mister. J.P. Bolwahnn (No. 28 above) is excited to be playing football again after a 13-year military career. And while it may sound a little arrogant that he already has his first end zone celebration planned, you better believe it’s a good one.
He’s going to salute the American flag to honor his fallen friends and fellow soldiers on the eve of 9/11. Take that, Chad Ochocinco.
The gesture will be for Petty Officer Danny Dietz, killed six years ago in a firefight with Taliban guerrillas. It will be for Lt. Cmdr. Jonas Kelsall and Chief Petty Officer Robert James Reeves, who died last month when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. And it will be for all the other Navy SEALs still fighting abroad.
“I remember their names, I remember seeing their faces,” Bolwahnn said of Kelsall and Reeves, whom he trained during a four-year stint as a SEALs instructor. He was even closer to Dietz, shepherding the fresh-faced recruit through his early days in Bolwahnn’s unit. (Via The Los Angeles Times)
Bolwahnn’s teammates also talk about what an incredible badass he is in practice, bringing his drill instructor intimidation to the field. 34 or not, I bet this guy can be a monster on the field. But it should go without saying that San Diego’s lone priority should be getting him in the end zone.
I’m a huge sucker for anything that involves honoring the military, which is why I was disappointed by Iowa’s decision to hold off on letting Hawkeye the dog lead the Hawkeyes onto the field at their opener last weekend. So we need to pick up the slack now and a Bolwahnn TD would be just fine.
I’ve also included this clip of Bolwahnn’s Crossfit routine just because. Hopefully it scares the bejsus out of Western New Mexico and they let him score 5 or 6 times.
