Bryan Sperry’s still got it.
Though it’s been close to 70 years since Sperry donned a football jersey, the 89-year-old World War II vet showed glimpses of the great Doak Walker last Saturday, as he rumbled nearly 40 yards for a touchdown in his alumni game at the University of Kansas.
Sperry’s football career began when he attended Kansas State University as a 17-year-old. Two years later, he found himself a solider, immersed in the bloody Battle of the Bulge in the waning months of WWII.
Upon returning home to Kansas in 1946, Sperry enrolled at Kansas University and tried out for the football team, despite not being on the radar of head coach George Sauer.
“I went and asked him if I could go out,” said Sperry. “He asked if I could block and tackle. I said I thought I could. He says come on out. We had 138 guys. First time we lined up, I was on the 13th team.”
After finishing his career as a Jayhawk, Sperry became a high school football coach and math instructor at Pittsburg State.
Check out the video of Sperry’s alumni game touchdown below:
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