When Zach Von Rosenberg was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school in the sixth round of the 2009 MLB draft, his childhood dreams finally came true. He spent one season in rookie ball, four in Low A and one in High A—all in the Pirates’ system—but after six years in the minors, he began to feel like there was an expiration date on those dreams.
“I had been battling injuries, and it just didn’t pan out,” Von Rosenberg says. “A lot of guys battle injuries, and they can fight through it. I just wasn't one of those people. I just wasn’t good enough to play major league. It is what it is. The dream came to an end.”
A torn hamstring, nerve issues in his hand and wrist, recurring shoulder problems and a condition where he lost blood flow to his lower arm all resulted in the end of his baseball career. But after playing sports for 20 years, Von Rosenberg couldn’t walk away that easily.
“I talked to my mom, and I was like, ‘I don't know what I can do now. I’m still able-bodied, and I know I’m physically fit enough to play another sport. I haven’t been to college, and I want to walk on the football team,’” he says. “She was like, ‘Zach, you don’t know a life without sports, so I don’t see why you wouldn’t continue now?’”
While many ex-athletes seek out careers in coaching, sports broadcasting or even acting, Von Rosenberg hit the weight room and began training to walk on to LSU’s football roster at the age of 26. He became a four-year starting punter, two-time second-team All-SEC selection and a national champion in 2019. On top of it all, he was one of the oldest players in college football, playing his senior season at the age of 30.
Von Rosenberg isn’t the only college football player to use his eligibility later in life. Since 2004, at least 14 players across the NCAA have played above the age of 30—at least nine at the Division I level and seven in Power 5 programs. Some of them just barely crossed that 30-year mark—others more than doubled it.
Some chose to play to prove a point to others; some did it to prove something to themselves; some did it to make up for something lost; others did it to pay it forward. While they all have different stories and circumstances, each player defied the odds and accomplished a feat that most wouldn’t dare attempt.
