Texas State University, fresh off its multiple suspensions from the NCAA, plans to start a 34-year-old freshman quarterback in the upcoming season. Paul Blake, a former Texas state high school legend, has decided to pursue the dream of playing college football that he gave up when his father died 17 years ago.
Texas State became desperate for players after the football team was found guilty of accepting multiple improper benefits. Nearly all the players from the team were found ineligible to play the rest of their careers, leaving the Armadillos scrambling to fill out their roster.
Entering spring camp, Blake sits atop the depth chart at QB. It was over a decade ago when he became a high school legend, throwing five touchdown passes to win the Texas State 5-A Championship. Blake was deciding between attending Texas and Penn State for college, but the death of his father led to a change in plans. He ultimately decided to give up football to remain home and run the family’s farm, but the persistent recruitment by Coach Wally Riggendorf led to Blake’s return to football.
Riggendorf recruited Blake out of high school for Penn State and never forget about the quarterback he calls “the best I ever saw.” When the team was short on options at quarterback — walkon Ed Papke was the only arm on the team — he decided to drive to Blake’s farm to gauge the man’s interest in returning to football. After much pleading and begging, Riggendorf was able to convince Blake to give football another shot.
At 34 years old, Blake is believed to be the oldest person to play quarterback collegiately.
This post is a part of the Friday Film Festival at Larry Brown Sports. All contents of the story are purely fictional and based entirely off the sports movie, Necessary Roughness. To learn more about the movie, go here.
