Rob Konrad Swims 9 Miles to Safety in Early Candidate for 2015 Story of the Year

A routine fishing trip by former NFL fullback Rob Konrad reportedly turned into one of the most herculean efforts anybody will produce in 2015. After falling out of his boat, he swam nine miles to shore in Florida to survive.

Jeff Tavss and Peter Burke of Local10.com in Miami report the U.S. Coast Guard was told Konrad fell off his boat while it was on autopilot Wednesday night. Unable to recover it, he survived in the ocean for at least nine hours as he swam the nine miles to safety, arriving around 4 a.m.:

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The former second-round draft pick came ashore near a home at 1800 S. Ocean Blvd. in Palm Beach. Konrad, 38, was taken to an area hospital to be treated for hypothermia.

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It's a remarkable story on many fronts. The most incredible factor is having the physical ability to cover that much distance, especially in the middle of the night. An element of luck also seemingly played a role, as he was able to maintain course back toward Florida despite the darkness.

Terri Parker of WPBF reported Konrad was wearing only underwear when he reached shore and explained to police what happened. The former Miami Dolphins player said he'd seen the search crews overhead during his swim, but they didn't spot him.

Parker later noted the boat was located in an area with an ominous name:

Of course, given the extraordinary nature of the story, there's reason for skepticism. It sounds like something from a movie script rather than the news headlines. But no conflicting details have emerged to suggest the story of survival is a tall tale. At least not yet.

There was plenty of reaction on social media as the story went viral.

NFL kicker Jay Feely knew about Konrad's toughness but was still very impressed:

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports joked about getting the former Syracuse star a look for the 2016 Summer Olympics:

Doug Gottlieb of CBS is taking a more cautious approach to the story, referencing a few other stories that made headlines in recent years:

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No it is Josh Shaw of ’15 RT @jdubs88: Is Rob Konrad's 9-mile swim the Lennay Kekua of 2015 football-related stories?

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) January 9, 2015"

Only time will tell whether the story holds water. But unless facts emerge that dispute the claims made by Konrad, it should go down as a truly uplifting story of survival. It would be interesting to know what was going through his mind during the long journey.

Only about a week of 2015 has gone by, leaving plenty of time for other awe-inspiring stories to occur. This is one that, if it holds up, should have no trouble standing the test of time. When the year in reviews are constructed in December, it deserves recognition.

Rob Konrad was a solid football player. But it appears he may have missed out on his true calling: long-distance swimmer.