TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — At 29 years old, Glen Coffee wants a second shot in the NFL after serving four years in the sixth Ranger Training Battalion as a U.S. Army paratrooper. His former team, the San Fransisco 49ers, filed the necessary paperwork on Friday for him to become a free agent, so he can sign with any team that will take him.
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Coffee was a star during Coach Nick Saban’s early years with the Alabama Crimson Tide. He played a critical role in Bama’s 2008 breakout 12-2 season, where he rushed for 1,383 and 10 touchdowns. The 49ers drafted him in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft to serve as a backup to pro bowler Frank Gore. During his rookie season, Coffee rushed for 226 yards and a touchdown.
But before the start of the 2010 season, Coffee suddenly retired, citing lack of genuine interest in the game and a different calling from God.
“I got to high school, and I played because my friends played, and then when I realized that I was good enough for college, at that point it was to get school paid for,” Coffee told the Washington Post. “And I still had a year left to play at ’Bama, but I didn’t come back because I didn’t want to play football anymore. So I figured if I got paid to play football, I would tolerate it. So I got to the NFL and I got the money, and it was mo’ money, mo’ problems, pretty much. And I found out it wasn’t for me.”
Instead of football, Coffee felt God called him to be a paratrooper working for the Sixth Ranger Training Battalion in Fort Walton, Florida, training the nation’s elite soldiers. But Coffee never closed the door on a return to football someday.
“I would never say never, but as of right now I have so much I want to do,” he said back in 2015. “So my first option is not to make this a career. But, you get to a certain age in life, and you realize that life doesn’t always happen as you plan, so we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.”
Coffee’s time off from the league has not hurt him as a player. On the contrary, the running back feels he is in better shape now than at any point in his life. “My cardio and endurance is definitely a lot better right now,” he said. “Because in football, you’re not really in shape. People think you’re in shape, but you’re really not. Not like that.”
Coffee has been training for his NFL return at UA’s facilities in Tuscaloosa. He currently awaits calls from interested teams.
