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Kevin Newell
Editor, Coach & Athletic Director Magazine

Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director
Coach of the Month

High school coaches are America’s unsung heroes. Tell us why your coach should be the Coach & Athletic Director High School Coach of the Month.

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Did You See This?
Giving it the “Old” College Try

Mike Flynt, a 59-year-old linebacker, suited up for Sul Ross State University for the first time in 37 years.

Flynt, who is eight years older than Lobo coach Steve Wright, played Sept. 15 against Mary Hardin-Baylor in the American Southwest Conference opener for both teams. (Sul Ross State was thumped, 55-14.) He had missed the Lobos previous two games due to a groin pull.

Flynt last played for Sul Ross, located in Alpine, TX, in 1970. He was kicked off the team before the 1971 season because of a fight and never got over the regret of missing his senior year. He shared that with some former teammates at a school reunion earlier this summer and one of them suggested he should rejoin the team.

Flynt said he never considered making a comeback because he thought he was out of eligibility. Turns out, he had one semester left. He's now also taking graduate school courses.

"There are not many times in life when you have an opportunity to go back and right a wrong," he told a Sept. 3 press conference of local, regional and national media. "I want to play, but at the same time, I want to help these young men; to make up for some young men I let down 36 years ago."

Flynt didn’t receive preferential treatment by the Lobo coaching staff in making the team. He had to earn it in two-a-days, just like the rest of the players, some of whom are 40 years younger. He remained in great shape over the years as a strength and conditioning coach at Nebraska, Oregon, and Texas A&M, and later by selling the Powerbase, a fitness machine he invented.

“The opportunity like what I'm going after right now is just a testament to what you do at any stage of your life if you'd just take a few minutes every day to prioritize your health and take better care of yourself," said Flynt, an Odessa, TX native who was a member of the Permian High School 1965 state champions.

Flynt did not become the oldest college football player, as Edgard Barreto played for Ashland (Ohio) University when he was 60 in 1997. Barreto, however, got in for only one play in the fourth quarter of a blowout in the next-to-last game of the season. So Flynt could be considered the oldest player counted on to be a regular contributor.

Not everyone applauded Flynt’s enthusiasm and bravado for returning to the gridiron.

"I feel like I'm married to Peter Pan," said Eileen Flynt, Mike’s wife of 35 years.