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TCUDan is a valued member of the SaintsReport staff and contributor to the Saints SuperForum. In the article linked below, he chronicles the last ten years of his life and reveals his passion for playing and coaching American football. It is an interesting read and shows a love for football that us diehard Saints fans can easily identify with.
Daniel's Diary: A Ticket To See The World
If someone had told me 10 years ago that football would one day afford me the opportunity to travel the world, I would have… well, I actually don’t know how I would have reacted. Rolled my eyes? Laughed? Bought them another drink? But here am I today, a testament to that fortuitous—albeit hypothetical—prediction.
But my import story is not your father’s import story. My first opportunity did not arise from my college coach calling me into his office to tell me about the options overseas for “less-than-NFL prospects.” No, my story is a different one, one that starts with a 21-year-old student who had already given up on his football dream.
I discovered American football in Europe much by accident—coincidence, if you believe in that sort of thing. It was during a semester abroad in Ireland that a very lanky and unimposing Irish student came into our international orientation session to recruit Americans for his team, the University of Limerick Vikings. That student’s name was Liam Ryan, and he has since become a legend of sorts in the IAFL (Irish American Football League). But to me, at that time, he was just some skinny guy who looked like he’d break if I hit him hard enough. Yet from the moment he spoke those magic words—“American football”—my heart began beating like a bass drum in the pit of my chest. I couldn’t wait for my first practice. And honestly, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.
The Rest of Dan's story here
Daniel's Diary: A Ticket To See The World
If someone had told me 10 years ago that football would one day afford me the opportunity to travel the world, I would have… well, I actually don’t know how I would have reacted. Rolled my eyes? Laughed? Bought them another drink? But here am I today, a testament to that fortuitous—albeit hypothetical—prediction.
But my import story is not your father’s import story. My first opportunity did not arise from my college coach calling me into his office to tell me about the options overseas for “less-than-NFL prospects.” No, my story is a different one, one that starts with a 21-year-old student who had already given up on his football dream.
I discovered American football in Europe much by accident—coincidence, if you believe in that sort of thing. It was during a semester abroad in Ireland that a very lanky and unimposing Irish student came into our international orientation session to recruit Americans for his team, the University of Limerick Vikings. That student’s name was Liam Ryan, and he has since become a legend of sorts in the IAFL (Irish American Football League). But to me, at that time, he was just some skinny guy who looked like he’d break if I hit him hard enough. Yet from the moment he spoke those magic words—“American football”—my heart began beating like a bass drum in the pit of my chest. I couldn’t wait for my first practice. And honestly, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.
The Rest of Dan's story here
