Former Army Ranger takes to the gridiron
The West Point graduate served three tours in Afghanistan before pursuing football professionally
October 27, 2015
Photo by Paula Lively/Flickr
By M1 Staff
For one member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the battle he faced on Sunday was nowhere near the toughest of his lifetime.
Former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva, or “The Giant” as he was called by the Taliban, served three tours in Afghanistan before landing on the turf at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sunday.
The West Point graduate and Bronze Star recipient was chosen to lead his platoon in Afghanistan out of many older and more experienced soldiers during his first tour, and his sense of duty and responsibility to his brothers in arms was one he didn’t take lightly.
“It’s usually a tough transition,” Staff Sgt. Jeremy Simon, friend and mentor to Villanueva, said. “A lot of times we get guys who come in there and are like, ‘I’m in charge. What I say goes.’ They don’t want to listen to the experience around them. He showed up and all of us were like, ‘Wow, the size of this guy…’ We didn’t know what to expect, but he was one of the few officers that was willing to adapt his thoughts to what we were telling him.”
After his final tour of duty and his military service contract ended, Villanueva went to training camp as a defensive lineman with the Philadelphia Eagles, but was ultimately waived. Eventually, he signed with the Steelers and remained on the practice squad during the last year.
However, it was his military background that got him noticed by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
“There was a guy standing over there about a head taller than everybody else saluting during the anthem, and it kind of got my attention,” Tomlin said. “I wanted to know about this enormous human being over there saluting.”
During the offseason, Villanueva added 65 pounds and made the official 53-man roster as a backup offensive lineman. On Sunday, he made his NFL debut after left tackle Kelvin Beachum succumbed to a season-ending knee injury last week against the Arizona Cardinals.
Nerves? A little. But his teammates have faith in him.
“He’s been read for this ever since walking into this building,” Steelers guard Cody Wallace said before the game. “In fact, he was ready long before he ever got here.”
https://www.military1.com/veterans/article/1554425014-former-army-ranger-takes-to-the-gridiron
