Retired businessman, 60, who beat stage 4 cancer, joins D-III college football team as freshman walk-on
Tom Green, a 60-year-old retired businessman and cancer survivor, has joined McDaniel College's Division III football team as a freshman walk-on. After being diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer in 2015, Green was declared cancer-free in 2018 and decided to pursue college and football for the first time. Now preparing to play on the defensive line, he aims to inspire teammates and make the most of his second chance at life.
- ▪Tom Green is a 60-year-old Maryland native who beat stage 4 kidney cancer in 2018.
- ▪He enrolled at McDaniel College and joined the school's Division III football team as a walk-on freshman.
- ▪Green plans to play on the defensive line and could become the oldest college football player if he plays past his 62nd birthday.
- ▪Teammates initially doubted his involvement but now view him as an inspirational figure.
- ▪Green grew up near McDaniel College but previously pursued a career in business and semi-pro football instead of higher education.
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US News Retired businessman, 60, who beat stage 4 cancer joins D-III college football team as freshman walk-on By Caitlin McCormack Published May 4, 2026, 10:52 p.m. ET A retired businessman enrolled in college for the first time — and joined the D-III football team as a freshman walk-on — after a dire cancer diagnosis reinvigorated his zeal for life. Tom Green, a 60-year-old Maryland native, stunned school officials when he tried out for the football team during his freshman year at McDaniel College. 4 Tom Green, 60, joined the McDaniel College football team as a freshman walk-on. Fox17 Now, he’s slated to be one of the oldest college athletes in US history, about a decade after beating cancer.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at New York Post.