Why a 58-Year-Old is Playing College Football as a Freshman

It's never too late to follow your dreams, and a 58-year-old former powerlifter is returning to the football field to pursue his passion.

Per Daniel Trainor of US Weekly, Tom Cillo, a freshman defensive lineman for the Division III Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is pursuing his football goals over 40 years after graduating from Williamsport High School.

"I thought, I'm going to give this a shot and I'm going to write the script,'" Cillo told WNEP TV before the start of the 2025 season, per Trainor. "I'm not going to let somebody talk me out of this or self-doubt pull me back."

Cillo, who is four years older than his head coach, admitted that getting involved with drugs and alcohol stopped him from going after his football dreams earlier in life. He's also majoring in Criminal Justice at Lycoming.

"Honestly, I would have liked to have done this right out of high school, but the indiscretions of my youth prevented that," Cillo told The Philadelphia Inquirer.