Army veteran Daniel Rodriguez — a recipient of a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan — was accepted into Clemson in May and cleared to walk on to the Tigers football team a month later.
The 24-year-old Rodriguez, however, isn’t simply happy to be there. He’s taking his opportunity to play major college football very seriously.
That’s evidenced by pictures from TigerNet.com of Rodriguez running the stairs of Death Valley wearing a gas mask (along with Army-branded athletic shorts).
Remember that claustrophobic scene in Jarhead where Swoff and the other Marines are running through the Iraqi desert with their gas masks on? That’s apparently Rodriguez’s idea of a workout.
Everything about Rodriguez indicates that when he wants something, he goes after it full-bore. He posted an awesome YouTube video in March that served as his recruiting tape. He’s also already taking classes at Clemson toward a political science degree.
He may be only 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, but something like that is a mere inconvenience for someone with Rodriguez’s intestinal fortitude. Clemson football fans, meet your new cult hero.
