Tag: US Army

Meet the Army Veteran and Notre Dame Football Walk-On

It would appear that Rudy might need a remake…

Notre Dame football added another player to the roster earlier this week and by doing so the average age of the team went up.

30-year old kicker Eric Goins, who kicked at The Citadel previously has walked-on to the Fighting Irish football team.  Since graduating from The Citadel in 2015, Goins served seven years in the United States Army.

According to FightingIrish.com, Goins:

Served seven years in the United States Army as an active-duty Officer. Began as an Airborne Infantry Officer as a Second Lieutenant before becoming a First Lieutenant. After four years, promoted to Captain and served as a Signal Corps Officer.

When Goins last played at The Citadel in 2015, he was 16-of-21 on field goals and a perfect 42-of-42 on PAT attempts.  He also was a 2015 Second-team All-Southern Conference selection, the 2015 Special Teams MVP at The Citadel, and a 2015 Fred Mitchell Award finalist.

Goins will compete with Mitch Jeter, a transfer from South Carolina, for the placekicking job this fall.

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Former Cardinals CB Jimmy Legree joins U.S. Army

He spent 2014 on the practice squad and the 2015 offseason and preseason with the Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals, because of Pat Tillman’s decision to give up his career in the NFL to serve in the U.S. Army, have been connected to military service.

Another former Cardinals player has decided to serve.

This time it is former cornerback Jimmy Legree, who spent 2014 as an undrafted rookie on the practice squad and the 2015 offseason and preseason with the team.

Now, five years later, he is in basic training in Fort Sill in Oklahoma.

He talked about his decision on FOX & friends.

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It was something he always wanted to do, he said.

“Just growing up as a kid, watching military movies, it always seemed like something I wanted to do,” he said. “I always wanted to be part of that military family.”

He was motivated to join for many reasons.

“The respect, the joy you get from serving your country, that protection to fight for the freedom of the country and just having that respect on you, it was very important for me,” he said. “I always wanted that.”

Legree said his having spent time in the NFL doesn’t get him special treatment. He has answered a few questions for soldiers and sometimes there are jokes about it, but he said he is just one of the guys.

The decision is honorable.

He isn’t the first former Cardinals player since Tillman to look to military service. Former Cardinals offensive lineman Daryn Colledge joined the Army National Guard in 2016.

Legree will graduate from basic training in February and report to Fort Gordon in Georgia for advanced training.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 255

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Ep. 254

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