Pastor who believes men should ‘play big’ makes college football team at 47

Justin Buzzard, the founder and lead pastor of Garden City Church in Los Gatos, California, who believes men should "play big" with their lives, put his message into action when he tried out for a spot on the San Jose City College football team and made the cut as a defensive end at the age of 47 this semester. He turns 48 in September.

The married father of three sons, who played four years of high school football but only one year in college before injuries cut his career short, announced his selection for the San Jose City Jaguars in a July 30 post on Instagram.

“It is SO FUN to be playing COLLEGE FOOTBALL @sjcc_football! I made the team, and got my own locker, pads, and jersey number!” he declared. “A big thank you to my teammates and coaches who have welcomed me warmly and keep making me a better football player. Go, San Jose City Jaguars!”

Buzzard told NBC Bay Area that he was inspired to try out for a spot on the team after watching retired businessman Tom Green make the football team at McDaniel College at the age of 60.

“My older son had this idea once he saw that Instagram reel of this guy in his 60s playing; he said, ‘Dad, you should do this.’ And I thought, ‘that’s crazy,’ then it stirred up this idea in me that maybe I should give this a shot,” Buzzard said.

In an Aug. 17 appearance on "Fox & Friends First," Buzzard reflected on his decision to return to the sport. "I think God cares about all of life. I think God thinks football is a fun thing. I'm going to go for it and enjoy it," he said. He also joked that the physical outlet has been welcome: "In church I can't hit anyone," he said, adding that it's nice to have a place to "go hard and smash into someone" using a different part of himself.

Buzzard said his teammates have embraced him despite his initial uncertainty about how a much younger roster would react to him. "No one's going easy on me... and I'm not going easy on them," he told Fox News. "I was really wondering, 'How are they going to handle ... a 47-year-old guy showing up?' Are they going to receive me? Are they going to accept me?"

His wife of 23 years had one condition. "She told me actually a couple of weeks ago, she said, 'I want you to make the team, but I don't want you to play in any games,'" Buzzard recalled.

Buzzard has also taken some physical risks in preparing for his comeback; he broke several ribs earlier this year while training in martial arts.

The pastor, who has written several bestselling books, including Date Your Wife, and is working on a new book about masculinity, explained on his website that he helps “men play big” because “manhood is a mess.”

“Decades after an injury ended my first shot at the game, I’m back on the field to practice what I preach: If you don’t risk, you rust. I help men play big,” he declares.

“Manhood is a mess. Most men play small with their lives—settling for boring life stories with tiny desires, weak influence, zero heart, surface friends, and a small god. Men are rusting, not risking. And the world suffers for it.”

He explained that he used to play small with his own life to avoid “hurt and failure,” but that posture was “interrupted by the real God and the real calling of masculinity.”

“Men, God is Big. And you can’t become a man until you start the adventure of trusting that God is BIGGER than every giant you face and that you carry unique gifts our world needs you to deploy at full volume,” he argues.

Buzzard is also offering to show other men the path to real masculinity through coaching and speaking engagements as well as other events for a variety of undisclosed prices. Some services such as the 3 F’s “Friendship, Finances, Fun” are already waitlist only.

“Many men (especially pastors) need help prioritizing friendship, growing their finances, and having more fun—which glorifies God and forms healthier pastors and churches. Join one of Justin Buzzard’s virtual cohorts where he coaches you towards healthier friendship, finances, and fun,” the program states.

“This 5-week/5-session journey is limited to 5 applicants at a time and gives preference to pastors but also includes non-pastors. The demand and waitlist for these cohorts is growing. Apply to get on The 3 F’s Waitlist, and hopefully be selected for a future cohort,” it adds. “If selected, there is a fee to join the cohort. If cost is an issue, explain this to Justin in your application; sometimes scholarships are available.”