ESPN College Football

Originally Published: November 26, 2003

'I don't take things for granted anymore'

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By Eric Crawford
Special to ESPN.com
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Jimmy Estes, a walk-on wide receiver for the University of Louisville football team, might be the most grateful player in college football this Thanksgiving.

A year ago, Estes spent the holiday waiting tables in a Ruby Tuesday restaurant, drifting in life, unsure of his future and, according to friends, piddling away his potential. Today, he is playing for his hometown college football team and living a dream.

But it took living through a nightmare to get him there.

Estes played another position for most of the past year -- U.S. Marine Corps corporal on an M1A1 Abrams tank crew with Alpha Company, 8th Tank Battalion. A Marine Corps reservist, he reported for active duty in January and found himself in the Middle East two months later. After that, he found himself involved in one of the most celebrated military rescues in American history.

"Last year, I didn't know what being thankful was," Estes said. "This year, I can't turn around without finding something to be thankful for. I don't take things for granted anymore. I realize life can end. I watch the news and almost every day see news of a soldier dying in Iraq. I saw it happen. Every day, I feel fortunate to be alive."

Upon arriving in Iraq, Estes' A-8 Marines pushed toward An Nasiriyah and what turned out to be some of the toughest fighting of the war. A loader in the tank, Estes also manned the 240-millimeter gun on top, exposing half of his body as he traded fire with the enemy.

In his first taste of combat, Estes said he thought of the football field.

"It was a heck of an adrenaline rush," he said. "I was scared, excited, all those things. I think of it like going into a big game, only times 100. Obviously, the stakes are much higher."

He still lives with the memories of his own shots that found their marks.

"The first time you see somebody get hit with a round is a crazy feeling," he said. "It's a sick feeling. But when you sign up to be a Marine, that's something you obviously know can be a part of the job."

In late March, Estes' tank crew received word that it had been picked for a secret mission. It would lead a group of three tanks escorting a Special Ops unit into town. Estes said his tank commander warned the crew that the mission could be dangerous, and ordered them to clear out space in the tank should it need to carry bodies.

On April 1, Estes and his crew mates rolled into Nasiriyah, taking positions around a hospital and laying down cover fire as Army Rangers and Navy SEALs went into a hospital to rescue Pvt. Jessica Lynch. Estes remembers one of the Special Ops soldiers asking for a shovel, and he remembers watching as it was used to dig shallow graves for some American soldiers from Lynch's company. It was the last combat Estes would see.

Later, he said he didn't realize how big a deal the mission was until he saw it on the cover of Newsweek.

Those kinds of experiences would change anyone. And they changed Estes.

"Absolutely," Estes agreed. "I kind of piddled around at jobs here and here, not anything I'd call a career. If I hadn't gotten deployed, to be honest, I don't know where I'd be right now."

In the lonely Arabian nights, Estes said he began to ponder what he was going to make of his life. And he came up with one great dream. He was going to play college football. He had played some high school football, but chose the Marines over a chance to play at Georgetown College in Kentucky.

He returned home from Iraq in July and after a week began to work out toward his goal of walking on at Louisville. He approached the coaches and was invited to a one-day group tryout. He was one of four chosen. He didn't get to join the team until after Louisville's season-opening win, because he couldn't start practice until classes started. But he had a goal, and his aimless days were over. At age 23, he was on a college football team.

"That first day on the field was awesome," Estes said. "Just putting the equipment on again, it felt tremendous. I was looking around saying, 'I'm playing with a Division I football program. Four months ago I was shooting Iraqis and running around with AK-47s.'"

But there were better days to come. Before the Cardinals' sixth game of the season, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino pulled Estes aside and gave him the news -- he would be dressing out for the next game.

Appropriately, that game was against Army.

On Oct. 11, Estes took the field at Louisville's Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and soaked it all in. But that wasn't the best of it. In the second half, Estes got into the game on kickoff coverage. His lone play wasn't particularly spectacular. He got wiped out by a defender gunning downfield.

But he still smiles when he thinks about it.

"Everybody loves the movie, 'Rudy,'" he said. "I've always loved it. And now I feel like I've lived it. From where I was, to getting here and getting out on the football field, I'll always have that. I'll always know I can accomplish things in life. I'll never forget that moment."

And he'll never forget the moment in the locker room after the game. Petrino called Estes up in front of his teammates and told the team, "Because of guys like this, guys like us can go out every weekend and play this great game. Jimmy, I want to thank you for everything you've done for this team and for our country. And this team wants to thank you. We're proud to have you be a part of this team."

Said Estes: "It was one of the great moments of my life. Definitely top five."

Estes now is finishing up his first season and doesn't know how many more he'll get to play. Because of NCAA rules, his current semester of football should be his last, since 10 semesters will have passed since he first enrolled in college. Louisville is appealing that to allow him more seasons. Regardless, Estes has more than made good on his promise to himself.

"A kid like that, most of us can't imagine the things he's been through," Petrino said. "He's made a real commitment to football and to our team. I'll tell you this, I'm grateful to have him. And our team is, too."

Eric Crawford covers college football for the Louisville Courier-Journal.