Sports

55-Year-Old Man Likely Oldest Ever D1 College Football Player To Hit The Field

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Eric Lieberman Managing Editor
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A 55-year-old man was able to achieve a longtime dream of playing in a college football game decades after most student-athletes usually do.

While age-related statistics are scarce, Thomas is believed to be the oldest player to actively compete in a Division I football game.

Joe Thomas Sr. was on the South Carolina State’s practice squad for approximately four seasons, according to Sports Illustrated. He was finally given the chance to play in a real game on the football team’s “Senior Day.”

“It was the happiest day of my life,” he said after the game.

Thomas, who was raised in Blackville South Carolina, has a son, Joe Thomas Jr. who currently plays for the Green Bay Packers. After the younger Thomas enrolled at South Carolina State, his father joined along both as a student and as a football player.

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