Dwayne Cole: Dreams Do Come True

“All I have ever wanted to do is to play one more time, and now it's one more time again. It proves there is a God and with prayers dreams can come true.”

At Alumni Football USA^®, we love to get guys back on the football field. We also love getting warriors back to the field of life. There are a lot of warriors out there hiding behind big screens and underneath extra pounds, defeat, or apathy. We have a message for you: it’s time to step up, be a man, and get back in the game.

Dwayne Cole did. He lost over 60 pounds and is in the best shape of his adult life. At 50 years old, he dreamed of playing just one more game. When he heard that his old high school, Daniel Boone, would play their archrival, David Crockett, this May in the Legends of the Musket Bowl, he put down the remote and picked up the weights- and hasn’t looked back.

Pumped for the game, Dwayne commuted an hour to practice and an hour back home. With his dream in sight, and many hours of sweat and determination invested-he was driven, and nothing could stop him. “This old man can't wait to put the # 66 back on and hit somebody - as my Dad used to shout across the football field "HURT SOMEBODY COLE!" People to this day still talk about dad shouting this.Dad passed away a few years ago--this game day is for him!” This time, on the sidelines, stood his cheering family, including his pint-sized “biggest fan.”

The comraderie of the game brought him into a new community of like minded men. It also brought his family together to celebrate with him. Ultimately, it affected him spiritually, as he thanked God for a beautiful answer to many years of prayers. “If I am not in church Sunday you will know why-- please no mourning of my death if I happen to get killed out there. LOL.”

The moment Dwayne's foot hit the grass under the glow of the lights on game night, he'd already won. It didn't hurt that his team went on to beat their rivals 42-19. Boone took home the legendary Musket, and Cole walked away with the Oldest Player of the Game award. But neither were the biggest victory of the night.

“I actually only knew one guy out of all of them, but they took me right in like we all had played together for years. Each and every one of them has changed my life in so many ways these past few months it's unreal.” Every guy who’s played full tackle football knows the sting of waking up the morning after the game. It’s a badge of honor and keeps the memories of great hits fresh. After a two day recovery period, number 66 was back at it: “It took until Tuesday to get back to normal and back to the gym-- I was pretty sore but not too bad for an old man. Got back to the gym yesterday and headed there this morning-- going to keep doing my work outs and stay in shape for next year. Looking forward to the game next year really helps you stay on track to want to get up and go work out.” Dwayne’s eyes are locked in on a new dream: Legends of the Musket Bowl 2013. “I am just as pumped up now for next year as I was 3 weeks ago for this game... in other words I am doing great !!” After the lights were turned off, the popcorn swept from the bleachers, and the cleats hung up- the game is far from over. It lives on in Dwayne Cole. It woke up early this morning to go work out for the next big game.