By Tim Wetzel
FRANKLIN, Tenn. - At age 59, a Franklin grandfather went back to his old college, tried out for school's the football team and made it.
Mike Flynt is one of the oldest people to ever play on an NCAA team.
Flynt is a fitness instructor who pushes others to achieve their goals.
"You're never more alive than when you are living in that hope and chasing that dream," he said.
Flynt almost gave up on his dream. Once a college football star, his career ended early.
"Got into a fight my senior year, (and) was kicked off the team," he said.
"It became a regret that wouldn't go away," he continued.
Flynt coached football and worked on the sidelines for decades, but he always wondered: what if he was able to play just one more game?
Then at a class reunion, his buddy gave him an idea.
"What gets me more than anything, I said, I still think I can play. And one of them challenged me, 'well why don't you?'" he recalled.
After 37 years, Flynt went back to Sul Ross State University in Texas. He checked the school's policies and NCAA rules and found there was no age limit. The 59-year-old was eligible for one more semester of football.
"One semester is all I had left, that's all I needed," he said with a laugh.
Flynt became the first grandfather to try out for the team. His coach, who was eight years younger, let him play. In 2007, he became the oldest person ever to play on an NCAA football team.
"To have that helmet on again, to go through the practice, to do everything the players were doing, it was a dream," Flynt explained.
Fulfilling that dream landed him a major book deal, and a movie is now in the works.
Meanwhile, Flynt's helping fellow parishioners at People's Church in Franklin reach their goals by leading a fitness class three days a week.
"That's what I want to get across to people: follow your dreams, try to overcome those regrets in your life," Flynt said.
Another man beat Flynt's record as the oldest college football player this past year. At age 61, Vietnam veteran Alan Moore took to the field for Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama.
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