Approaching 50, Willie Gault Could Still Suit Up in the NFL

Normally, I'd think this was a completely ridiculous possibility, but something tells me that if anyone could pull this off, it's Willie Gault. A guy who last played in the NFL in 1993? Yeah, really. Let me explain.

The 49-year-old Gault, who averaged nearly 20 yards a catch during his pro football career, was a world-class speedster who ran track well enough to qualify for the 1980 Summer Olympics that the US ended up boycotting. Three years later, along with Carl Lewis and two others, he helped set a world record in the 4x100-meter relay at the World Championships. Four years after that, he set another world record, as part of a four-man bobsled team. Yes, I said bobsled team, and he even made the 1988 Winter Olympics as a bobsledder.

Fast forward 18 years to 2006, 13 years after he retired from the NFL. That year, Gault set a world record by clocking a 10.72 seconds in the master's 100 meter run, for those aged 45 to 49. In 2008, he set another world record for the over-45 set, this time in the 200-meter race, with a time of 21.80 seconds. And according to a Yahoo article from last year, in 2008, he ran the 40 in 4.27 seconds. As a comparison, the best time at the NFL Combine this year was a 4.28 by Jacoby Ford, who's 22, 25 years younger than Gault was in 2008.

According to this Sports Illustrated profile, Gault "refuses to eat chicken or red meat, sticking to a diet of fish (twice per week), vegetables and soy." As Gault was quoted, "I treat my body like a temple, because it's the only one I have, and I want to use it as long as possible." And as the article claims, "according to reality, visual analysis and all possible rules of physicality, Gault is 25. Thirty, tops."

He's also got his head on straight, including being a founder of Athletes for Life Foundation, a group with the objective "to create a new, positive commitment to what modern role models can be."

The guy may be six months from turning 50 and the NFL is a brutal sport, but if Chris Chelios can suit up with the NHL's Columbus Thrashers at the age of 48, there's really no reason why Gault can't make a case for playing in the NFL. If Willie wants it, I say give the guy a chance. And talk about inspiration for those who might think their best years are behind them.

Photo by PR Photos.