Alejandro Villanueva’s tale has been told many times since his arrival to the Steelers, including yesterday in an NFL Network segment and back to last year in an impeccably detailed ESPN.com feature. Short version: He’s a U.S. Army Ranger who served three tours of combat duty in Afghanistan and is now pursuing his dream of playing pro football as a 6-9, 330-pound offensive lineman on the Steelers’ practice squad.
Ben Roethlisberger opened his weekly meeting with us reporters by acknowledging Veterans Day and divulging that the players approached Mike Tomlin to request that Villanueva accompany the team to Nashville, something a practice-squad player would never do.
And it’s funny, but as a side note, we always take every minute we can with Roethlisberger until the 1 p.m. closing of the locker room. Not this time. A big group of us peeled away to go talk to Villanueva once he showed up. Kid looked genuinely stunned.
Awesome, I like the link to the ESPN article. Great read. I love that they are taking him to Tennessee. I hope he finds his way onto the 53 man next year. So often people call athletes heros. Villanueva is one of few athletes who have earned the right to be called a hero!!
Inspirational guy... I really hope he makes it all the way into a regular rotation. 6-9, 330!!! Tell him to do footwork drills with Le'Veon in the offseason!
Thank you Alejandro! You probably won't see this but your tours are appreciated. Now get to work so I can see you on that football field! Great interviews, Dejan. I love seeing things like this!
Being a vet myself, I'm always glad to see one get a chance at fulfilling his dream. Good luck and thanks for your service, Ranger. After what he's seen and done, the NFL should be a piece of cake.
Great gesture on the part of the players and Steelers management. We all thank Alejandro for his service to our country and to all our other servicemen and women both past and present.
November 12, 2014
Interview: Alejandro Villanueva, Steelers
by Dejan Kovacevic • Videos • Steelers
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
Alejandro Villanueva’s tale has been told many times since his arrival to the Steelers, including yesterday in an NFL Network segment and back to last year in an impeccably detailed ESPN.com feature. Short version: He’s a U.S. Army Ranger who served three tours of combat duty in Afghanistan and is now pursuing his dream of playing pro football as a 6-9, 330-pound offensive lineman on the Steelers’ practice squad.
Ben Roethlisberger opened his weekly meeting with us reporters by acknowledging Veterans Day and divulging that the players approached Mike Tomlin to request that Villanueva accompany the team to Nashville, something a practice-squad player would never do.
And it’s funny, but as a side note, we always take every minute we can with Roethlisberger until the 1 p.m. closing of the locker room. Not this time. A big group of us peeled away to go talk to Villanueva once he showed up. Kid looked genuinely stunned.