When the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation opened tryouts for the Fort Benning Doughboys to all Soldiers on post, head coach Jason Gibson expected he would see even more talent on the field than when he coached the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team last year. That team defeated Columbus State University’s club team 29-13 in October.
On Thursday, Gibson said he got what he hoped for as 83 Soldiers from various units tried out for the team. Once formed, the team will play its first game Oct. 2 against LaGrange College.
“It looks good,” Gibson said. “From an athletic standpoint, I think we’ve got better players.”
Gibson, who is also head coach of the Columbus Lions, and his staff worked with the Soldiers and evaluated their talent by having them run drills similar to those run at the NFL combine.
Gibson said he plans for practices to be three-hour sessions, Monday through Thursday.
“I’d be fully committed to the team if I made it,” said Derek Guignard, who tried out for a defensive line position. “I’d show up to every practice and go to every game. This is something I’ve wanted to do since I got out of high school. Coming out here and being able to play again, is a great honor.”
Soldiers from 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team who played for Gibson last year returned to try out again, but were told at the beginning that being on the team last year meant no guarantee of a spot this year. Radonda Beauchamp, who played last year, had no problem with that.
“It’s a great experience for everybody,” Beauchamp said. “There’s a whole bunch of athletes on this post, so everybody should get a chance.”
Beauchamp said having a football team with representatives from a parity of units would be an opportunity for players to work with Soldiers they would otherwise not be able to.
“Already, we’re brothers as Soldiers, but as football players you bond just a little more,” he said.
Ken Wetherill, sports director for DFMWR, said although playing for the Doughboys will not be considered a special-duty assignment, one of the main reasons he wanted to bring tackle football back to Fort Benning was to provide Soldiers who quit the sport one more opportunity to play the game they love.
Two such players were Guignard, who was an all-state defensive tackle at Cinco Ranch High School in Texas, and Blake Powers, a former quarterback at Indiana.
Powers started 14 games for Indiana from 2005 to 2006 before an ankle injury forced him to change his position to tight end.
“It would mean a lot to me,” Powers said about the possibility of playing again. “I thought my playing days were over when I joined the Army, so if I could be fortunate enough to play again, it would mean a lot to serve my country and play football at the same time.”
Powers, who recently graduated from Officer Candidate School, said the responsibilities of being the starting quarterback for the Doughboys could help him become a better platoon leader.
“It would be the same way you lead in the Army — be accountable, work hard, set the example and inspire others to reach their full potential,” he said.
Guignard, 20, said he joined the Army after high school and did not pursue a college football career because of a knee injury he suffered his senior year. Major universities such as Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Michigan withdrew scholarship offers after the injury, he said.
Now, Guignard has an opportunity to continue playing.
“It would be a great thing to be able to play the sport I fell in love with, the sport I’ve played from the third grade to the 12th grade, after I’ve been wanting to play for almost two years now,” Guignard said. “It would be a great thing to come back out and put the pads back on and hit people if I get chosen.”
