{"id":22733,"date":"2026-08-18T09:55:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T13:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=22733"},"modified":"2026-08-18T09:55:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T13:55:16","slug":"47-year-old-california-pastor-returns-to-college-football-nearly-30-years-after-injury-ended-his-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2026\/08\/47-year-old-california-pastor-returns-to-college-football-nearly-30-years-after-injury-ended-his-dream.html","title":{"rendered":"47-Year-Old California Pastor Returns to College Football Nearly 30 Years After Injury Ended His Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
@justinbuzzardlife \/ Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearly three decades after an injury cut short his college football career, a 47-year-old California pastor, husband and father of three is getting an unexpected second chance to chase the dream he thought was long gone.<\/p>\n

Justin Buzzard recently earned a spot on the San Jose City College Jaguars, returning to the field as a defensive end \u2014 the same position he played years ago.<\/p>\n

And despite being decades older than most of his teammates, Buzzard isn’t asking for special treatment.<\/p>\n

“No one’s going easy on me … and I’m not going easy on them,” Buzzard told “Fox & Friends First.” “I’m giving them everything I’ve got, too.”<\/p>\n

Buzzard admitted he wasn’t sure how his younger teammates would react when a 47-year-old showed up hoping to join the team. But he said they quickly welcomed him.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

The idea<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

It was.<\/p>\n

His wife of 23 years was initially a little less enthusiastic about seeing her husband take hits from college athletes.<\/p>\n

“She told me, actually, a couple of weeks ago, she said, ‘I want you to make the team, but I don’t want you to play in any games,'” Buzzard recalled.<\/p>\n

Her feelings have since changed, and she now has his games marked on her calendar and plans to cheer him on.<\/p>\n

For Buzzard, however, the comeback isn’t simply about finishing something that began nearly 30 years ago. His faith is also helping guide him through the challenge.<\/p>\n

The California pastor said he’s 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.<\/p>\n

And 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.<\/p>\n

“Risk or rust,” he said. “You’re either risking, or you’re rusting as a man. Take risks. Don’t rust.”<\/p>\n

At 47, Buzzard is proving that sometimes an old dream isn’t necessarily a dead one \u2014 and a closed chapter can unexpectedly open again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nearly three decades after an injury cut short his college football career, a 47-year-old California pastor, husband and father of three is getting an unexpected second chance to chase the dream he thought was long gone. Justin Buzzard recently earned a spot on the San Jose City College Jaguars, returning to the field as a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":22736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages"],"yoast_head":"\n47-Year-Old California Pastor Returns to College Football Nearly 30 Years After Injury Ended His Dream<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 47-year-old California pastor returns to college football nearly 30 years after an injury ended his dream, leaning on faith.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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