Afghan War Veteran To Walk On Clemson Football Team

HT: TigerNet.com

Daniel Rodriquez To Walk On Clemson Football Team

Daniel Rodriquez won’t be in the running for the Heisman Trophy this year.  He may not play a down this year but that doesn’t matter.  Rodriquez is getting an opportunity to make the football team at Clemson University.

Rodriquez was informed Friday morning by the NCAA he had been cleared to walk-on the Tiger football team.  He starts classes on Monday.

After graduating from Brooke Pointe High School in Stafford, Virginia where he was a three year starter on the football team, Rodriquez enlisted in the Army.  That led to a deployment in Afghanistan.

On October 9, 2009 Rodriquez and his Army unit became engaged in one of the bloodiest battles of the Afghan war, The Battle of Kamdesh.
Some 300 Taliban militants attacked American Combat Outpost Keating in the early morning.  The soldiers were backed into a corner before fighting back.  Outnumbered the unit killed or wounded over 150 Taliban soldiers pushing the insurgents outside the outpost.

While in the middle of the fight Rodriquez received shrapnel wounds in his legs and neck and a bullet fragment through his shoulder.

Rodriquez  recovered and completed his one year tour of duty as well as receiving a Bronze Star for valor during the battle.

With a G.I. Bill in hand Rodriquez starts classes at Clemson Monday and after a few years away from football Daniel’s ready to get back at it and compete for a spot on the Tiger football team.

“I freaked out I was so excited.” Rodriquez told TigerNet.com Friday. “But really, It will be just a cool feeling to run out on that field again and be a Clemson Tiger.”

We can’t wait either to see Daniel Rodriquez run down the hill at Death Valley.

Watch more of Daniel Rodriquez’s story from HD Net.