Former 49er And Alabama Running Back Glen Coffee Is Now An Army Paratrooper
12 years ago

Glen Coffee, the former standout running back of the San Francisco 49ers and the University of Alabama, has traded in his cleats and shoulder pads for a digi camo getup and a parachute. Coffee enlisted in the United States Army on February 4, 2013, just about three years after he abruptly and unexpectedly retired from the NFL. He played only one season professionally before retiring, and with a promising career ahead of him. His heart, according to him, simply wasn’t in it anymore.

From AL.com:

“A lot of people aren’t going to understand and realize because they don’t have the wisdom to understand,” Coffee said in 2010. “Their eyes aren’t open like mine are open. True happiness is glorifying God and glorifying Christ. That’s what true happiness is. … And for me, that wasn’t the NFL. That wasn’t where I needed to be.”

[…]

“When we fill out our W2s, we’re in that category of entertainers, man. That’s not me. I want to be doing something to better myself, to better someone else. Glen Coffee’s not an entertainer.”

Glen Coffee wanted Glen Coffee to take a new life path.

With the time off and the rigorous schedule that comes with being an NFL football player in his past, Coffee pondered what he’d do with his life. He tried out a few different things, including boxing. He even got into some trouble — he was arrested on a weapons charge that was later dropped. It wasn’t until watching Tears of the Sun — a 2003 Bruce Willis movie where Willis played a Navy SEAL who leads “a mission to rescue a doctor and refugees during a Nigerian civil war” — that Coffee realized what he wanted to do. That’s when he chose to enlist.

“I’ve always considered myself a warrior, somebody who would fight for what he believed in,” he said. “It hit me like, ‘What do you think the military does and what do you think the military is full of? Warriors. All of a sudden, I had this respect for the military and I just realized that there is no America without the men and women who serve this country.

Coffee graduates today from Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. His next move is on to Fort Bragg, where he hopes to become a Green Beret.

Screen shot 2013-06-21 at 11.25.11 AM

[via AL.com]

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  5. fratanomics

    Glen Coffee is an awesome person. As always, the armed forces and especially those in the special forces, have my regard. However I think one might need to revisit what the word standout means:

    standout: “one that is prominent or conspicuous especially because of excellence”

    Glen Coffee career stats:

    83 carries, 226 yards, 1 TD, 2.7 YPC

    Erm… Well maybe he was a highly touted draft pick:

    “Glenwood Razeem Coffee, Jr (born May 1, 1987) is a former American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft and played one season before retiring in 2010.”

    Well at least he was a badass his junior year at Bama

    12 years ago at 12:15 pm
    3. Jon M Fratsman

      Third round isn’t terrible. Eddie Lacy was the best RB in the draft this year and he almost fell out of the 2nd. Considering the miniscule proportion of athletes that actually make it to the NFL, this guy’s probably decent at least.

      12 years ago at 12:38 pm
    6. fratanomics

      ^^^ Third rounds isn’t terrible by any stretch but it’s not an expectation of standout by anyone who watches the NFL.

      ^^ Proofread your shirt

      ^ I’ll learn to live with the hate. Have to admit I do admire the handle though

      12 years ago at 1:37 pm
    8. OurHero

      Most of y’all are asshats. Coffee clearly has excellent character. However, he wasn’t a star in the NFL, and nothing about his first year was indicative that he would ever become one.

      12 years ago at 9:51 pm
    9. John Fox

      Sweet, bro. Tell us about your NFL career that you walked away from to serve this country.

      12 years ago at 12:03 am
    10. fratanomics

      None of us had an NFL career to walk away from. It was clearly PGA dumbass.

      Either way, it doesn’t matter if we did or not. We can criticize the President, Congress, state government, and the ice cream man. It doesn’t matter who we are or what we do. We all want Coffee to dominate terrorism and be awesome. It doesn’t matter if anyone servied or not. Frankly, John Fox, you should at least be listening to your QB when he talks. He knows more about football than you ever will.

      12 years ago at 5:47 am
    1. Willy and Waylon

      I can only assume you support the Seahawks, because Oakland fans don’t have the internet. Cheers to Pete Carroll’s infinite khakis and the most addy’d out team in the league

      12 years ago at 12:40 am
  9. USArmy

    I applaud this Soldier for what he’s doing. It takes guts to walk away from the NFL and take on the role of the US Army Soldier. My hats off to him and I am proud to see him within our ranks.

    12 years ago at 12:18 pm
  10. General Fratmoreland

    My dad was a green beanie during Vietnam, 5th Grp, Ft. Bragg. Good for Mr. Coffee, takes a special man to even try the Q-course and I hope he earns that beret. Hoping once I graduate to enlist and give it a shot.

    12 years ago at 12:19 pm
    2. Northern Lax

      Because after you make captain you spend your time making powerpoints not kicking down doors.

      12 years ago at 2:23 pm
    4. tom green

      My brother is in fifth group. Though they work in the middle east now days. He just deployed again on Monday.

      12 years ago at 6:58 pm
    6. War Damn USA

      Still consider becoming an officer. May as well get some retirement or financial security through your service.

      12 years ago at 7:55 am
    8. General Fratmoreland

      ^^^^^^^ (that’s 7 arrows, you lazy fucks)

      ‘Cause only one member of my family that served did, and he HATED it. Made it to colonel in the Engineering Corps, and said he’d have enlisted if he knew how damn difficult it’d be. That was in the 70’s/80’s. All things go according to plan, I’ll graduate, enlist, try to get to Ft. Benning for jump school, and maybe, MAYBE make the cut for the Q-course.

      But War Damn, it’s never off the table as an option. My dad says now a days it’s all about wether you wanna go career or not. Tom Green, God bless your brother, he’ll be in my thoughts. Green beanies do the work no one else can/will.

      12 years ago at 8:45 pm