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What NFL players were in the military?

Author

Emily Cortez

Published Mar 14, 2026

What NFL players were in the military?

  • 1 Pat Tillman. Tillman was a safety on the Arizona Cardinals from 1998-2001, but quit following the Sept.
  • 2 Allejandro Villanueva. Villanueva has been an offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014.
  • 3 Mike Anderson.
  • 4 Roger Staubach.
  • 5 Joe Cardona.
  • 6 Bryce Fisher.
  • 7 Rocky Bleier.
  • 8 Chad Henning.

Also know, how many NFL players were in the military?

The two NFL players drafted into the military in 1966 were St. Louis Cardinals rookie quarterback Gary Snook and second-year New York Giants halfback Smith Reed. Neither played in the NFL again. Only six active NFL players served in Vietnam.

One may also ask, has anyone from Navy played in the NFL? This is a list of Navy Midshipmen football players in the NFL Draft.

Selections.

Pick3
Overall129
PlayerRoger Staubach
TeamDallas Cowboys
PositionQB

Additionally, can military football players go pro?

Military academy athletes can now delay service, go pro. Esper signed a memo last Friday laying out the new guidelines, which says the athletes must get approval from the defense secretary, and it requires them to eventually fulfill their military obligation or repay the costs of their education.

Can Army or Navy football players go to the NFL?

Under existing Department of Defense policy, those enrolled in military academies cannot play sports before serving at least two years in the armed forces. Proponents of Trump's order highlight cases like former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who was drafted into the NFL in 2016 after deferring his military service.

Can West Point football players go to the NFL?

Army to allow West Point graduate to sign NFL contract
Washington (CNN) The US Army signed an exception to regulations Thursday night to allow a West Point graduate to play in the NFL, waiving some of his required active duty service time in the Army, defense officials tell CNN.

What college has the best NFL players?

While some schools are known for producing CEOs or millionaires, these 10 colleges have the most NFL players on active rosters, according to NCAA data.
  • Pennsylvania State University—University Park.
  • Texas A&M University—College Station.
  • University of Georgia.
  • University of Oklahoma.
  • Florida State University.

What NFL player left the army?

Patrick Daniel Tillman

Can Army college players go to NFL?

Under existing Department of Defense policy, those enrolled in military academies cannot play sports before serving at least two years in the armed forces. Proponents of Trump's order highlight cases like former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who was drafted into the NFL in 2016 after deferring his military service.

Do Air Force football players serve?

Under existing Department of Defense policy, those enrolled in military academies cannot play sports before serving at least two years in the armed forces. Proponents of Trump's order highlight cases like former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who was drafted into the NFL in 2016 after deferring his military service.

Who wears number 11 in the NFL?

11 | Julio Jones. Carson Wentz probably has the best chance of stealing this just because he's a QB. Legacy-wise, give it to Larry Fitzgerald. If you're Tom Brady, give it to Julian Edelman.

Where do the Army football players go to school?

The Naval Academy is in Annapolis, MD and The United States Military Academy (the Army's version of the Naval Academy essentially) is in West Point, NY. Both of these schools are colleges in the sense that you apply to them after high school as an 18 year old.

Do the military academies recruit athletes?

Strictly speaking, there are no athletic scholarships at the service academies. Every student at Army, Navy, and Air Force is on scholarship. The scholarship that an athlete receives at a service academy is no different than the scholarship of every other midshipman or cadet.

What GPA do you need to get into West Point?

With a GPA of 3.64, West Point requires you to be above average in your high school class. You'll need at least a mix of A's and B's, with more A's than B's. You can compensate for a lower GPA with harder classes, like AP or IB classes.

Can ROTC cadets be deployed?

Can I be deployed while participating in Army ROTC? You will not be deployed if you are a contracted Army ROTC cadet unless you volunteer or in the case of a declaration of war or national emergency declared by Congress or the President.

Can I play college football after the military?

The NCAA says that your eligibility to play is put on hold while you are serving your country, this means that when your service is over you can still play all 4 years at college. When military athletes play sports in college after service, not only the team and school benefit, but the athlete does as well.

How do military sports work?

Each branch takes applications from exceptional athletes among its active-duty members (and reservists on active duty) to play their sport of choice on an "All" team -- as in "All-Army," "All-Marine," et cetera. Military athletes compete in Olympic competitions.

Can you do ROTC and play football?

There's a chance that playing football will hurt your chances. Ultimately it's up to you, as ROTC will let you play sports as well as be a cadet.

Can you play sports in the military?

Each branch takes applications from exceptional athletes among its active-duty members (and reservists on active duty) to play their sport of choice on an "All" team -- as in "All-Army," "All-Marine," et cetera. Military athletes compete in Olympic competitions.

Can professional athletes get drafted to war?

In the United States, professional athletes were drafted. Now, only a minority of these athletes ever served in combat (although two Major League players did die in combat during the war). Many played exhibition matches in US Army- and Navy-run baseball teams as morale-boosters for American soldiers.

Who is the most decorated NFL player?

Tom Brady, six as starting quarterback with New England Patriots, earning the most rings in NFL history as a player in any position.

Are there NFL players that didn't go to college?

Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers, TE. Gates didn't even play football in college at all. After graduating, Gates was told he wouldn't likely have a professional career as a basketball player, so he tried out for some NFL teams.

How many games are in the Army Navy?

Army–Navy Game
StadiumsLincoln Financial Field (2019–2020, 2022) MetLife Stadium (2021)
TrophySecretary's Trophy; Third leg of triangular series for Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Statistics
Meetings total120
All-time seriesNavy leads, 61–52–7

Where does NFL players come from?

You might expect most players come from California and Texas, because that's usually how this country's population beaks down. That is true. They are the top two states, though let's do a comparison by percentage of 2012 NFL players in each state to percentage of U.S. population by state in 2010.

How many NFL players went straight from high school?

The NFL Draft: A complete breakdown of players drafted by state and high school. USA Football announced today that a total of 243 high schools contributed to the 256 players selected in the seven rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft on April 26-28.

How big are NFL players?

The average height of an NFL player is 74.14 inches with a bound of . 3211 inches on the error of estimation. The average weight on an NFL player is 245.86 pounds with a bound of 2.556 pounds on the error of estimation. In conclusion the average size of an NFL player is about 6'2” 245 lbs.

Did Roger Staubach serve in the Navy?

He attended the U.S. Naval Academy where he won the 1963 Heisman Trophy, and after graduation he served in the U.S. Navy, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. Staubach joined Dallas in 1969 and played with the club during all 11 seasons of his career.

What is a military waiver?

If you need a waiver, that means you are ineligible to join the military. The waiver is the process of you asking the service to make an exception in your particular case. The recruiter is the first step. If they are doing well meeting their recruiting numbers, the chances of waiver consideration/approval go down.