Football's Sean Johnson is back in the game at age 37

October 17, 2005


By GENE McGIVERN
St. Thomas Sports Information Director

College campuses are a goldmine for inspirational stories. Individuals defy the odds and persevere to reach their dreams.

There's a gem of a story this season on the St. Thomas campus. Call this tale "Rudy" meets "The Rookie."

Would you believe a guy from Ponchatoula, La., one of 10 children, moves to Minnesota, lands a job at a cook at an on-campus restaurant, is a parent, and is now back playing varsity football after a long absence.

A 20-year absence, to be exact.

Did we mention he's a cancer survivor, too?

Meet No. 89 Sean Johnson, a St. Thomas sophomore defensive tackle. Born March 31, 1968 -- four days before Martin Luther King's death -- Johnson is living his own dream. He might be the oldest person ever to play Minnesota college football - he'll turn 38 in 2006, in time to attend his 20-year high school reunion.

As a Louisiana ninth-grader, Johnson contributed to Ponchatoula's first-ever unbeaten varsity football team as a running back/defensive back. His sophomore season was almost as fun with just one defeat.

Battle for His Life
But Johnson didn't feel right. His gradual 50- pound weight loss left doctors puzzled. After a battery of tests in a long hospital stay, he was diagnosed with leukemia. At age 15.

"I didn't know what I had and didn't know it was serious until I saw my Dad crying," Johnson recalled. "I went and looked up the word in the dictionary. They said I had a 45% chance of beating it. There was a whole floor of cancer patients when I went for treatment. I think only two of us survived."

Johnson was homebound as a junior while recovering. He returned to football for his senior season, but was not the same. He spent one year as a student at Southern University, but was frustrated by all he'd lost.

"I always expected the cancer would come back," he said.

"I was thinking 'Woe is me.' I was so mad about everything, I couldn't even watch football, even the NFL on TV."

Move to Minnesota
His 1989 move to Minnesota, where some of his uncles and aunts resided, provided a fresh start, but he still had fear.

"When the AIDS scare hit, they talked of people like Arthur Ashe getting the virus from tainted blood," he explained. "I'd been getting blood transfusions for several years, so it was scary. I didn't even think I'd live to be 37. That's why Linda and I never had kids -- I was afraid I wouldn't be around to raise them."

Johnson's first Minnesota job was as a cook at St. Catherine. He occasionally stopped over and used St. Thomas' weight room.

His desire to return to football was strong. "When I watched them put in that new Fieldturf at St. Thomas (in 2004), I told myself I was going to play on that field," Johnson recalled.

But real-world commitments came first -- his job, classwork, his steady girlfriend and the birth of their daughter, Kari, in 2002.

The Decision
Two negative events in one week last summer provided
the ultimate motivation. He lost his summer job, then had to deal with the death of his cousin, a talented artist who died in his mid-20s.

"At Byron's funeral I decided I would try to play football again. He was young and not able to fulfill his dreams, and I knew I needed to pursue my dream," Johnson said. "I didn't want to grow old wondering what might have happened. I called the coach on Friday, and fall camp was starting on Sunday.

"The hardest part of football for me was just making that first phone call. I didn't know how I'd be received. Coach just asked about my past experience and never did ask my age."

Johnson, who has played in two junior-varsity games, has weathered injuries and has position changes (from linebacker, to to defensive end to defensive tackle. He said he's starting to feel comfortable, despite a grueling schedule that includes morning classes and two work shifts sandwiched around football practice.

"I do wish there were a few more hours in the day," Johnson said. "I get about six hours of sleep on a good night. As for football, once you get out on the field and start hitting, it's OK."

Players "Rooting" For Sean
Coach Don Roney said the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Johnson
is a bit small to play defensive line, but nobody questions his desire and toughness.

"He's a good athlete, and likes to play football," Roney said.

"I think the other guys are rooting for him," said UST assistant Blane Tetreault. "They see how hard it is at their age and couldn't fathom doing it at his age."

Johnson "fits right in," according to Tommie co-captain Ben Kessler. "I was surprised when I heard that a player his age was going out. I wondered whether he would last," Kessler said. "But he has the resiliency of a 20-year-old. He's been an inspiration to all of us. If the rest of us are whining and complaining during practice, how does he feel at age 37?"

Long-Range Plans
Johnson's long-range goal may prompt him to hang up his chef's hat. "I think I'd like to do some work with kids," he said.

"I live in South Minneapolis and I've done some volunteer work there with the Boys & Girls Club. So many of those kids don't have role models and most of them don't have dads around. Having my daughter has made me think about helping kids.

"My goal for football is to win a championship -- that's what it's all about," Johnson said. "That's why I'm willing to play tackle -- any role I need to play to help the team. Now I just have to figure out how to score a touchdown as a defensive lineman."

Whether or not he gets his touchdown, Johnson has already achieved one measure of satisfaction.

"Ever since I started working here I wanted to buy a St. Thomas sweatshirt," he said. "But I decided to wait until I was playing football. Now it feels official."

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Life Begins At 37...
Life begins at 37...
While rare, a few non-traditional college students, age 37 and older, have played varsity athletics at NCAA schools, including:

.Millsaps (Miss.) presently has a 48-year-old senior TE in Jim Harper, an ex-Marine who began his playing career there in 1978.

.Guilford (N.C.) this year has DL Ricky Boykin, 43, a local fire chief

.South Carolina sophomore walk-on Tim Frisby, age 40, caught one pass in a recent game. He served 20 years in the U.S. Army.

.Chuck Roseberry was in his mid-40s in 1994 when he played football for Kutztown (Pa.).

.Jersey City State College's Doug Pugh, a 6-5 defensive lineman, was 41 as a senior in 1993.

.Shenandoah (Va.)'s Tammy Bullock, played volleyball and tennis from 2002-04 in her 40s as a wife and mother of teenage sons. She won the USA South Conference at No. 1 doubles and took third at No. 2 singles.

.The John Jay (N.Y.) College women's basketball MVP in 1992 was 38-year-old Shelvy Thomas.

.Montclair (N.J.) State's Gerry Citro was 40 in 1993 when at the time became the oldest player ever to make a 3-pointer in a college game.

.U. Mass-Boston's Dana Marek was age 49 when he closed a three-year career in D-III ice hockey. He played on the same line as his son Steve in 2001-02 and played against Steve in 2001-02 when his son played for Babson. Dana played on the Boston U. freshman team in 1970-71.