Expert: Vic Winnek - 2/8/2012

Question
How difficult would it be for a 35yr old former High School QB to walk on to a D3 football team? Also, what schools are open to this possibly? Thanks

Answer
Ken,

There is no real way to answer this question or to quantify  your chances or to quantify/qualify the difficulty you might encounter.  It is certainly possible and has been done.  A lot will depend on your body, the your physical and mental condition and your athletic abilities and skills.  You potentially offer great maturity, spirt and leadership and these are all great qualities for a team player.  As for the colleges that would be open to this, I really have no insight, it will come down to you marketing yourself to the football coach and school. At the Division III level, eligibility is governed by institutional, conference and other NCAA regulations.  Contact the Division III school or conference you are interested in to learn more about their eligibility requirements. Over the past few years there have been older student athletes making college football teams.  It also was not uncommon after World War II that older more mature vets returning to civilian life attended college on the GI Bill and played for their college's sport teams.

Here is the story of a 40 year old Football player at University of South Carolina
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12pf5DHbRb4

In October 2011 there was a story about a 61 year old player/kicker at Faulkner University, a small Christian college in Montgomery, Ala.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/61-year-alan-moore-kicks-college-football-history/story

In 2007 Mike Flynt returned to Sul Ross State College a Div. III school and made the team at age 59.  This year there was a story about Allen Moore, a 60 year old who made the Mississippi's Holmes Community College football team as a kicker.  The Holmes Community College place kicker was the second-oldest player to play in a college football game, behind 61-year-old Tom Thompson, who made an extra-point kicking cameo for Austin (Texas) College last fall

Here is a list of Conferences competing in Division III and a
List of NCAA Division III football programs   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_III_football_programs

American Southwest Conference*
Atlantic Central Football Conference*
Centennial Conference*
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin*
Eastern Collegiate Football Conference*
Empire 8 Conference*
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference*
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference*
Liberty League*
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association*
Middle Atlantic Conference*
Midwest Conference*
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference*
New England Football Conference*
New England Small College Athletic Conference*
New Jersey Athletic Conference*
North Coast Athletic Conference*
Northern Athletics Conference*
Northwest Conference*
Ohio Athletic Conference*
Old Dominion Athletic Conference*
Presidents' Athletic Conference*
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference*
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference*
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference*
University Athletic Association*
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference*
USA South Athletic Conference*
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference*