Meet Bryan Sperry, an 89-year-old World War II veteran who played college football for both Kansas and Kansas State. Last Saturday in KU’s alumni flag football game, he scored a 37-yard touchdown with some assistance from his teammates. The best part – he scored with a huge smile across his face.
Sperry has a lot to be happy about and has lived quite a life in his 89 years. The Kansas City Star’s Rustin Dodd tells the story of a journey that includes playing collegiate football at three schools, including one in England, and serving as an infantryman during the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.
He began his college football playing days at Kansas State when he was 17, but the war interrupted his career. After the war ended, Sperry had to attend a university in England, because returning soldiers home by boat took months to accomplish. He played 13 games with the English team.
When Sperry was able to return home in February of 1946, Kansas’ head coach at the time, George Sauer, held a football tryout for war veterans. Sperry made the team, and would go on to play for two seasons, including an Orange Bowl berth season in 1967. Even after 89 long years of life, he hasn’t gotten away from the game of football just yet.
