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Daniel Rodriguez Highlight
I hate categorizing it as ‘military life’ vs. ‘civilian life’—it’s life. Everybody has different roads and avenues—it’s life.
About Daniel
- When his dad suddenly passed away after his high school graduation, he realized his life was directionless—within two weeks, he’d visited a military recruiter and signed up for the Army.
- He was sent to Iraq almost immediately; ended up serving two tours of active duty, one in Iraq, one in Afghanistan.
- While in Afghanistan, he fought in the Battle of Kamdesh, one of the bloodiest battles of the war; he was injured and lost several of his friends.
- After receiving the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device, he was honorably discharged from the military.
- He went through a period of deep depression, then eventually realized that the best way to honor the lives of the friends he’d lost was by living out his own dreams.
- His biggest dream was always to play professional football, so he trained as hard as he could for a year, then spent his last dollar on a recruitment video.
- Clemson University took notice of the video after it went viral and signed him as a walk-on player; he won several bowl games with the school, then briefly played for the St. Louis Rams.
- Recently sold the film rights to his autobiography, "Rise: A Soldier, a Dream, and a Promise Kept", which was also featured on the New York Times’ best-selling sports books list.
