S.C. State: 55-year-old Joe Thomas Sr. just carried the ball in an actual Division I football game

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The story of Joe Thomas Sr. is one of resilience and overcoming the odds. Thomas, who is more than 30 years older than any of his teammates, is getting a second chance to play a young man’s game — a chance the sharecropper’s son missed out on in his youth.

Thomas was raised in Blackville, South Carolina, a small town about 40 minutes from Orangeburg, where South Carolina State’s campus is located. Throughout his childhood, Thomas was partially deaf, but a doctor helped him clear his ears when he was 17. During his junior and senior seasons at Blackville High School, he was a star defensive lineman and a promising running back. But he did not get the opportunity to play college football.

Officially, there’s no telling if he’s the oldest Division I football player ever, but we’re pretty confident in saying he is.

He has practiced with the team for four years, and on senior day he got his shot.

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