National Football Foundation

Nate Boyer, the starting long snapper at the University of Texas, a Green Beret Bronze Star recipient and a First-Team Academic All-Big 12 Selection with a 3.84 GPA, was selected as the 2013 NFF Legacy Award Recipient.

Nate Boyer graduated high school unsure about his path in life. He enrolled in community college, and he tried acting in Los Angeles while caring for autistic children to pay the rent. Looking for a challenge and to make a difference, he made his way to the Darfur region of Sudan to help in the refugee camps. The experience, coupled with his memories of 9/11, inspired him to enlist in the U.S. Army as a Special Forces candidate, and he became one of 11 from his class of 150 to graduate with a Green Beret. He has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning a Bronze Star for heroism in combat.

“Nate Boyer represents all that is good about the Army and Special Operations,” said Admiral Bill McRaven, who heads the U.S. Special Operations Command in which Boyers serves. “He is a citizen soldier who answered the call of duty when America needed him and he continues to serve both on and off the field. It's been my honor to work with him.”

Pausing from his military service, Boyer sought his next challenge, trying to walk-on to the Texas football team despite never having played on an organized team because his high school did not sponsor the sport. His tenacity and athletic prowess netted him a spot on the team as a defensive back, but he lacked the skills to contribute during live games. He analyzed the roster, and he saw a potential opening at long snapper. He mastered the position, earning a starting job the past two seasons. Former Texas head coach Mack Brown calls his story one of the most inspirational and unique he has ever seen.

Brown also credits Boyer’s leadership and life experiences for helping the Longhorns to understand the parallel between football and the military with an emphasis on the importance of the guy on the left and on the right to the success of the unit. His contributions have earned him the honor of carrying the flag and leading the Longhorns out of the tunnel and onto the field each Saturday. During his summers, Boyer has continued his military service, including tours of duty in Eastern Europe and Greece in 2011 and 2012 as a member of a Special Forces unit of the Texas National Guard. This past summer, he completed an assignment with the elite Special Operations Joint Task Force in Afghanistan, serving with NATO Forces from May 1-July 31. He returned to Austin just in time to start fall practice with the Longhorns on Aug. 4.

A native of Dublin, Calif., Boyer graduated from Texas in May, earning a bachelor’s degree in Physical Culture and Sports Management with a cumulative GPA of 3.84. He is currently working on a post-graduate degree in advertising. In 2012-13, he was named First-Team Academic All-Big 12, as well as being a member of UT’s Athletics Director’s Honor Roll and the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Boyer’s many accolades include 2012 Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year, the 2012 Disney Spirit Award, the Armed Forces Merit Award (presented by the Football Writers Association of America), a nomination for an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award and being named a William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist.