Pastor playing college football – 30 years after career-ending injury
Although God often gives Christians the desires of their hearts, his timing may be different than what they expect. Justin Buzzard, a 47-year-old pastor in California, is resuming his college football career nearly three decades after it ended with an injury.
He recently earned a spot on the San Jose City College Jaguars team as a defensive end, the same position he previously played. Beliefnet reported. “No one’s going easy on me … and I’m not going easy on them,” he stated on “Fox & Friends First.” “I’m giving them everything I’ve got, too.”
Buzzard said his much younger teammates quickly welcomed him.
“I was really wondering, ‘How are they going to handle a 47-year-old guy showing up?’” he said. “Are they going to receive me? Are they going to accept me? Will they try to go easy on me? Will they try to attack me? And they’ve been incredible.”
The idea for the unusual comeback came after one of Buzzard’s sons showed him a social media video about a 60-year-old man playing football on the East Coast. Inspired, Buzzard contacted a coach at San Jose City College to see if his own return might be possible.
It was.
His faith is helping guide him through the challenge. He is praying that God will keep him healthy enough to “go the distance” and complete the season while contributing however he can to his new team. His unlikely return to college football has given Buzzard a message for others who may wonder whether they’ve waited too long to pursue a dream.
“Risk or rust,” he said. “You’re either risking, or you’re rusting as a man. Take risks. Don’t rust.”
At 47, Buzzard is proving that sometimes an old dream isn’t necessarily a dead one — and a closed chapter can unexpectedly open again.
–Alan Goforth
#JustinBuzzard #CollegeFootball #ChristianAthlete #FaithInSports #SanJoseCityCollege #NeverTooLate #RiskOrRust #InspirationalStory
