Father and Pastor, 48, Returns to Playing College Football Decades After Injuries Ended Career
Justin Buzzard wears 48 for a reason.
The San Jose City College defensive end turned 48 on Monday.
He is a full-time pastor, a husband, and a father of three. He is also listed as a freshman.
But 30 years after injuries ended his first college try, he is back on the field, The Athletic reported.
Buzzard redshirted as a defensive end at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. The neck roll era ended in the training room. He transferred, went to seminary, and planted Garden City Church in San Jose.
Football became the thing he watched from the bleachers. Sons Cru, Hudson, and Gus played. He cheered and trained them.
Then Cru sent him a clip of a man in his 60s still lining up.
Buzzard told The Mercury News that the idea sounded crazy. But just a few seconds later, he was considering it.
He approached San Jose City College coach Jim Winkler at a recruiting event. Winkler gave him a shot. Buzzard added about 10 pounds of muscle, enrolled in 12 credits, and made the Jaguars.
Teammates first thought he was a dad helping a son. Then he kept up in sprints.
He debuted Aug. 29 against College of the Redwoods. SJCC lost 41-21.
Late in the game, his number was called. He lined up at right defensive end, helped collapse the pocket, and saw the middle linebacker finish the sack.
“You prepare a lot in football to just play a little,” he told the Bay Area News Group. “So it was great to actually get a rep. I’m hungry for more.”
His motto is “risk or rust.” He has said God thinks football is fun.
Weekend logistics are the punch line. Friday night, he watches Hudson and Gus at Lincoln High. Saturday morning, he is in pads a mile from home while they sleep.
Cru now hurdles at Westmont. The pastor is the one with eligibility left.
Older coverage called him 47 because the season started before his birthday. The jersey was always the countdown.
A video clip of the snaps and his Instagram posts turned a junior college lineman into a national oddity.
He is not chasing the NFL. He is chasing the snap he lost in the 1990s.
College football’s oldest active player is still asking for another down.
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