59 Year Old Mike Flynt to Play Division III Football

In 1965, Mike Flynt was on the first state championship football team at Odessa Permian, the high school featured in Friday Night Lights. He went on to play college ball at Sul Ross as a linebacker and ended his junior year as a team captain and leading tackler.

However, Mike had a propensity for fighting, and when he got into another fist fight at the beginning of his senior year, school officials decided it was the last straw. They threw him out of Sul Ross and off the football team. He finished his degree by completing his remaining classes at another school.

He went on to become a certified Master of Fitness Sciences, youth fitness trainer, and a former strength and conditioning specialist at the University of Nebraska, University of Oregon, and Texas A&M University. He is also the owner and inventor of the Powerbase Training System, a portable device that utilizes resistance tubing attached to a plastic base to provide progressive resistance to the user.

In spite of his success, Mike is still grieving over the loss of his senior year. "What really got me was I felt that was my football team and I had let them down," he said. "I don't know if I ever got over it, but I finally learned to live with it."

Then, not long ago, Sul Ross alumni held a reunion, and Mike Flynt got a chance to get together with his former teammates and reminisce. Over a couple of beers, Mike told them of his regret. "What really gets me is that I feel like I can still play."

"So why not give it a shot?" they asked.

And Mike Flynt, now 59 years old, decided he'd do just that.

When he returned home to his wife, she wasn't as excited about the prospect as her husband. "I feel like I'm married to Peter Pan," she laughed.

Mike Flynt returned to Sul Ross after a 37-year hiatus. He tried out for the Division III team, and on Wednesday, he found out he made the roster. He could be taking the field as soon as September 1st as the oldest player in NCAA history. He's a grandfather, he's eight years older than his coach, and he has two kids older than any of his teammates.

Keep in mind he also runs a five second 40-yard dash and still bench presses a hell of a lot more than most men half his age.

Mike Flynt is an inspiration to middle-aged men everywhere and proof that, if you maintain a high level of fitness and pride in your appearance, there is no limit to what you can do. As Cartman would say, "Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake. BEEFCAKE!"