Nate Boyer didn’t have much going for him when he was younger. At 20, he was aimless, living in a small apartment in Los Angeles, when his mother called him and told him to turn on the TV. It was September 11, 2001. He saw the World Trade Center in flames. His life was changed, and he knew he had to do something. He flew himself to Chad to work in one of the refugee camps and after his 60-day visa expired, he decided he wanted to continue trying to make a difference. He enlisted into the Army and trained to earn a spot with the elite Green Berets. He succeeded.
After his military career ended, he did what many service members do: he enrolled in college. At 29, he was a freshman at the University of Texas, where he decided to try his hand at football. He had never played a single game in his entire life, but somehow, he was able to make the team as a long snapper — and he was a good one, too. He played 38 straight games as the long snapper, with over 500 plays, and he didn’t have a single inaccurate snap. Now, he’s using the determination that led him to become a Green Beret and a college football star to let him accomplish his next goal: to play in the NFL.
At 34, it’s a long shot. But he’s hoping that there’s a team out there who will give him a chance. He knows he won’t be drafted; his size is working against him. But his college career speaks for itself, and he has a recommendation from Matt Overton, the current long snapper for the Indianapolis Colts. He’s hoping to get a chance at a training camp, where he could earn the chance to sign with an NFL team as a free agent. And he’s not just out there to achieve this goal for himself.
“The veteran suicide rate is 22 a day,” he said. “Twenty-two a day! Unacceptable. Totally unacceptable. People out there are trying to fix that, and I am one of those people. I want to prove to those leaving the military that if you believe in yourself and work and sacrifice, the same way you did in the military, you can achieve what you want in society. I want to make a difference for veterans, and what they can do in the world.”
