Of the five service academy graduates on NFL rosters, per the league’s official website, three of them remain in the title hunt even though 28 of the league’s 32 teams are done for the season.
Not only does the trio include each academy, it’s also entrenched in … well, in the trenches: If you’re an NFL lineman from a service academy, your Super Bowl hopes are still in play.
Sunday night’s AFC Championship will feature Alejandro Villanueva (Army West Point) and the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on Joe Cardona (Navy) and the New England Patriots. That afternoon, Ben Garland (Air Force) and the Atlanta Falcons host the Green Bay Packers to decide the NFC title.
Villanueva’s likely the best-known of the trio, the subject of a high-rotation commercial and a number of pieces by big-time sports media outlets. But his bio, even in brief, makes it clear why his story is sought-after:
- He came to West Point as a defensive end, switched to offensive line as a sophomore, then became the team’s leading receiver as a senior in 2009.
- After earning his commission, he went from college football’s tallest wideout to 6-foot-10 Army Ranger, serving three tours in Afghanistan and earning a Bronze Star Medal with “V” device.
- He signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 as a defensive lineman, was picked up by the Steelers and switched sides of the ball again, packing on about 90 pounds to morph from “Army Strong” into offensive tackle shape and eventually earning a spot in the starting lineup.
Villanueva moved into the Army Reserve as his NFL career launched, but Cardona remained on active duty while long-snapping for the Patriots in 2015, after being selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft. Serving at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island, made the transition possible, albeit with a 60-mile commute and a work week nearing 100 hours.
He’s now in the Navy Reserve, making the transition prior to the start of the 2016 season. He’s also recorded three tackles on the year; in 2015, he told Military Times that adjusting to the NFL return game’s speed was one of the biggest challenges he faced.
“You definitely get humbled pretty fast,” he said. “Whether it be trying to make a block in protection or getting downfield, being one-on-one with a return man, you realize very fast that this is a whole other level of competition.”
New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona walks on the field during an NFL football training camp practice July 30, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass.
Photo Credit: Michael Dwyer/AP
Like Villanueva, Air Force Academy graduate and Atlanta Falcons lineman Ben Garland began his NFL career on the defensive side of the ball before making the move to offense. Unlike Villanueva, he still moonlights on defense — something Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson saw up close last weekend.
Wilson tripped and fell while taking a snap near his own end zone, and before he could reach his feet, Garland had broken through and recorded a sack-safety. The play pulled the Falcons to within a point at 10-9; they would rally for a 36-20 victory.
Ben Garland falls onto Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for a safety during the first half of their NFL playoff game Jan. 14 in Atlanta.
Photo Credit: John Bazemore/AP
Garland was a second-team all-Mountain West Conference nose guard as a senior at Air Force, drawing the eyes of the Denver Broncos, who signed him as a free agent in 2010. He bounced from practice squad to military service, finally seeing time as an offensive lineman before he was cut prior to the 2015 season. The Falcons snapped him up and moved him to the main roster from the practice squad in late 2015.
Garland also continues service as an officer in the Air National Guard and is active with SoDE, an anti-human trafficking organization.
Other academy graduates in the pros, per NFL.com: Former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, now a wide receiver with the Baltimore Ravens, and Army West Point’s Josh McNary, a linebacker with the Indianapolis Colts.
