Age limit for Div. 1 football players?

[Tidester]

Does anyone know if there is an age limit for Div 1 football. I know Wienke played when he was 26. I also know there was a 46 yr old man a year or so ago that played, but not sure what div.

 

[Dr. Van Nostran]

There is currently not an age limit. Just the 5 year eligibility limit.

 

[Bama-94-00]

Why?

Why would there would there be an age limit anyway?

 

[bayoutider]

I think I am over the age limit to pass the physical.

 

[Boclive]

I've already used two years of eligibility playing basketball in college, where does that leave me for football?

I'm 6'6" and 260lbs, just turned 49 years old.

My first step is good, but I lose a little on every step after that.

I'd have to be defense,though. I don't want anyone counting on me to remember snap counts, much less plays.

 

[Alanbama27]

I've already used two years of eligibility playing basketball in college, where does that leave me for football?

I'm 6'6" and 260lbs, just turned 49 years old.

My first step is good, but I lose a little on every step after that.

I'd have to be defense,though. I don't want anyone counting on me to remember snap counts, much less plays.

Technically you still have 4 years of football eligibilty left, but assuming you were on scholarship for those two years, I believe (I'm not positive, but I believe) you would have two years of scholarship time left...actually since it would technically be a transfer, you may lose a year and have one scholarship year, but 3 if you paid for yourself.

Now, realistically you're like me...an old fart who couldn't stay out there with these young kids! Also, I'm guessing but your 40 time would be somewhere between 6.0 and NEVER FINISHING! LOL! Sorry, I can't resist!

 

[Boclive]

Let's just say that on the eighth step, I'm at the couch. :wink:

 

[CapstoneGrad06]

The walk-on reciever at South Carolina was 41, I believe. However, he was a former Marine. There was also a 45 or 46 year old TE at Milsaps in Jackson, Miss. I think he's from Birmingham.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

I think the distinction is between scholarship and playing...

My understanding is that there is an age limit for being on scholarship. Something like you lose a year of scholarship for every year you're over 25. Or maybe 23. I obviously don't know the specifics, but it's along those lines.

But that's a separate issue from playing. I'm unaware of a cap on age for playing. Prohibitions against returning from pros to college. Prohibitions against being a pro in one sport, but a college football player. Caps on age for being on scholarship. Lots of prohibitions against one thing and another.

But I think you can play at any age, provided you don't trip another prohibition, and provided your coach thinks an OFC member can actually contribute against the whippersnappers.

In which case, you might have a dumb coach. Or one with a perverse sense of humor.

 

[Bama-94-00]

Age limit for scholie?

My understanding is that there is an age limit for being on scholarship. Something like you lose a year of scholarship for every year you're over 25. Or maybe 23. I obviously don't know the specifics, but it's along those lines. ..

What makes you think this? There's been a few players in that age range that dropped out of minor league baseball to go to college and play football on scholarship.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

What makes you think this? There's been a few players in that age range that dropped out of minor league baseball to go to college and play football on scholarship.

Seems that back in the cobwebs, it came up in relation to a baseball player.

The key assumption in your question is that if a former baseball player is on the football team, then he is on scholarship. And I don't know that that's the case.

I do know that some of the contracts call for the baseball club to pay for a college education if the player doesn't make the show in a specified number of years. So a player could be on the college football team, not paying for his own education, but not be on scholarship either.

Second, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find a NCAAZI-dictated situation whereby a player counts against the school's 85 scholarship limit, but can't actually get his education paid for because he's too old.

Maybe some FSU fans out there can clarify. Wienke would be a great example.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

So far as I know...

there's no limit to the age that a baseball player can get his education paid for. The distinction is that MLB is only paying for his education. If he wants to play ball, then that's fine - up to him. The NCAA would be on thin ice indeed if they tried to meddle. In fact, an old "family friend," with a relationship preceding the signing can contribute whatever he/she wants to an athlete's education, even if the athlete be on scholarship. The NCAA has recognized that they have no power in that sphere, even if it's abused, a la UT...

 

[Bama Reb]

My understanding is that there is an age limit for being on scholarship. Something like you lose a year of scholarship for every year you're over 25. Or maybe 23. I obviously don't know the specifics, but it's along those lines.

But that's a separate issue from playing. I'm unaware of a cap on age for playing. Prohibitions against returning from pros to college. Prohibitions against being a pro in one sport, but a college football player. Caps on age for being on scholarship. Lots of prohibitions against one thing and another.

But I think you can play at any age, provided you don't trip another prohibition, and provided your coach thinks an OFC member can actually contribute against the whippersnappers.

In which case, you might have a dumb coach. Or one with a perverse sense of humor.

Are you sure about the prohibition against being a pro in one sport but a college football player? It seems to me that a couple of years ago UF had a former pro baseball player (Marlins?) playing football for them. I don't remember his name but I'm pretty sure about the stat.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

The most recent...

example of the prohibition is the Colorado kicker who had to give up his scholarship in order to ski professionally...

 

[stlimprov]

example of the prohibition is the Colorado kicker who had to give up his scholarship in order to ski professionally...

I believe that technically he wasn't banned for skiing, per se, but for taking endorsements.

I find it intereresting, in that for certain other sports almost all funding is derived from endorsements, while in others with multiple revenue sources this can be obfuscated. In the same way that team sports that own their own media outlets tend to undervalue their media rights fees when they want to appear more poor (see baseball before congress, the nhl before/during lockout), baseball teams certainly produce revenue from advertisements/endorsements.

Let's say that I am a company (say a sport-related product like a drink or energy bar) looking to spend some money to gain exposure. If Jeremy Bloom is a skiier, I can have him sign an endorsement, figuring I get extra value because he plays for Colorado. If he is a baseball player, the equation is the same (although the team potentially gets extra value if it raises the profile of their player and thus generates excitement for the team/organization).

So why would Jeremy Bloom the baseball player get to play for the Colorado football team, while Jeremy Bloom the skiier does not? I suspect the answer lies in there being no well organized billion dollar skiing league that might be disturbed. And/or that Jeremy Bloom the skiier is a pretty unique case, whereas there are enough baseball/football players that eliminating that source of talent would generate unrest from football coaches. In either case, it would seem that enforcement may be less about clear principle and more about the ability of the enforced to fight back.

Note that Bloom was barred from participation, not just from receiving a scholarship.

http://www.ncaa.org/releases/miscellaneous/2004/2004081701ms.htm

 

[Stephen323]

To clear up a few things:

1. There is no age limit for participating in college athletics, and there is no penalty for age. However, if you participate in oragnized athletics after your 21st birthday, then each year that you do so reduces your eligibility in that sport by 1 year (with some exceptions for swimming/diving). This only applies to Division I.

2. Just because someone only uses 2 seasons of eligibility in a sport does not mean that he or she can return to school years later and play 2 more years in that sport or 4 more years in another sport.

The NCAA manual very clearly lays out that once you enroll in a full-time course of study and attend your first day of class, or participate in intercollegiate athletics as a part-time student, you then have 5 calendar years in which to complete your athletic competition. The only exceptions are for armed service, church missions, foreign aid services, pregnancy, and international competition/training. Anything else would require individual consideration.

The following is from the NCAA manual:

14.2.1 Five-Year Rule

A student-athlete shall complete his or her seasons of participation within five calendar years from the beginning of the semester or quarter in which the student-athlete first registered for a minimum full-time program of studies in a collegiate institution, with time spent in the armed services, on official church missions or with recognized foreign aid services of the U.S. government being excepted. For foreign students, service in the armed forces or on an official church mission of the student’s home country is considered equivalent to such service in the United States.

14.2.1.1 Determining the Start of the Five-Year Period

For purposes of starting the count of time under the five-year rule, a student-athlete shall be considered registered at a collegiate institution (domestic or foreign; see Bylaw 14.02.3) when the student-athlete initially registers in a regular term (semester or quarter) of an academic year for a minimum full-time program of studies, as determined by the institution, and attends the student’s first day of classes for that term (see Bylaw 14.2.2).

Time spent in the armed services, on official church missions or with recognized foreign aid services of the U.S. government is excepted from the application of the five-year rule. Among such services that qualify a student-athlete for an extension of the five-year rule are:

(a) Military Sea Transport Service;

(b) Peace Corps; or

(c) Service as a conscientious objector ordered by the Selective Service Commission (or the equivalent authority in a foreign nation) in lieu of active military duty.

 

[davefrat]

i vaguely remember a piece on espn a few years back about a guy who was in his late 50's who played on the d-line at a tiny d3 school. it was a really cool bit and you could tell the kids on the team totally loved him and he loved them back. he was older than some of his teammates' grandparents.

 

[TexasTideFan]

The walk-on reciever at South Carolina was 41, I believe. However, he was a former Marine.

There was a piece on this guy on Real Sports on HBO. I think we was in his 40's but he was former Army, as I recall, and not a Marine. Actually I think he was a Ranger. Anyway, he played WR and actually got some PT under Spurrier at USC. He got a book deal and his college football career is now over.

I think the answer to the overall question is there is no age limit if you haven't burned your eligibility.

 

[JessN]

The South Carolina guy is Tim Frisby.

The short answer, paraphrasing Stephen's post, is that you can be 100 if you want to so long as you haven't entered college and started your "eligibility clock" yet.

 

[cbi1972]

Tim Frisby at 39.