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Nate Boyer
refer to caption
Boyer in 2018
Personal information
Born: (1981-01-09) January 9, 1981 (age 43)
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Valley Christian (CA)
College:Texas
Undrafted:2015
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only

Nate Boyer (born January 9, 1981)[1] is a United States Army Green Beret, actor, and former professional football player who played one season in the National Football League (NFL) as a long snapper. He played college football at the University of Texas and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

After serving six years and multiple tours for the Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Boyer played college football as a walk-on at the University of Texas despite never having played a down of organized football in his life.

Early life

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Boyer grew up in Pleasanton, California, and attended Amador Valley High School before transferring to Valley Christian School. His father is a veterinarian and his mother is an environmental engineer. After graduating high school, Boyer briefly worked as a deck hand on a sport fishing boat in San Diego. He also trained to become a firefighter before quitting.[2] After high school graduation in 1999,[3] Boyer moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. In 2004, he became a relief worker in Sudan, building camps for refugees of the War in Darfur.[3] After a short stint there, he enlisted in the United States Army, training at Fort Benning,[4] and later was accepted into the Green Berets. After multiple tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Boyer earned an honorable discharge as a staff sergeant after six years of service.[5]

College career

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Despite never playing a down of organized football in his life, Boyer played for the University of Texas as a walk-on. He was a redshirt for his freshman year in 2010, while playing once in 2011 against Texas Tech as a member of the kickoff team. The following year, he became the team's starting long snapper,[3] and played 38 consecutive games for the Longhorns.[4] From 2012–2014, he was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 Conference member, while also being named an Academic All-American in 2012. He was also named the 2012–13 Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year, the third Longhorn to be honored, and was the inaugural winner of the Armed Forces Merit Award. From 2013–14, he was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. In 2015, he was named to the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which recognizes athletes with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 during their college careers.[6]

Boyer graduated in May 2013 with a physical culture and sports degree.[6]

Professional career

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Boyer at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2018
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Bench press
5 ft 10+1⁄8 in
(1.78 m) 		216 lb
(98 kg) 		29+3⁄8 in
(0.75 m) 		9 in
(0.23 m)		 5.03 s 1.76 s 2.93 s 4.57 s 7.63 s 18 reps
All values from Texas' Pro Day[7]

Boyer was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, although he attended Texas' Pro Day on March 24, 2015.[7] Boyer later attended the San Francisco 49ers' Pro Day on April 17, 2015.[2]

After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft, Boyer signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks on May 2, 2015.[8] He was involved in three plays in the Seahawks' first preseason game against the Denver Broncos,[9] and recorded a tackle. He was released by the Seahawks on August 18, 2015 to make room for quarterback Jake Waters.[10]

During the Seahawks' 2016 preseason, as Colin Kaepernick had been sitting during the National Anthem, Boyer advised Kaepernick that, if he could not stand for the flag, then taking the knee would be more respectful than sitting.[11]

In media

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In 2015, Boyer and Fox Sports analyst Jay Glazer founded Merging Vets & Players (MVP), a foundation to support military veterans and retired athletes.[12]

He appeared in the Madden NFL 18 video game's story mode Longshot as Captain McCarthy, a soldier who assists protagonist Devin Wade in rediscovering a love for football.[13] Like Boyer, Devin was a Texas Longhorn and member of the Army, though Boyer stated the connection was coincidental; an ESPN documentary about Boyer was also titled The Long Shot.[14] Boyer played a secret agent in the 2018 film Den of Thieves.[15] Boyer also appeared in Mayans M.C. on FX as a private military contractor.

He began hosting the Discovery Channel reality competition series Survive the Raft in July 2023.[16]

In 2020, Boyer starred in and produced his first feature film Secret of Sinchanee. He made his directorial debut in 2022 with MVP, which was inspired by his work with Merging Vets & Players and his colleagues in the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.[17][18]

References

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  1. ^ "Nate Boyer Stats, News, Bio".
  2. ^ a b Inman, Cam (April 17, 2015). "Green Beret Nate Boyer relishes his audition at 49ers pro day". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Davis, Nate (May 2, 2015). "Former Green Beret and Texas long snapper Nate Boyer hopes to hook on in NFL". USA Today. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  4. ^ a b King, Peter (April 6, 2015). "The NFL's Most Improbable Prospect". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  5. ^ William Wilkerson (September 13, 2012). "Life experiences fuel Nate Boyer". ESPN. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Nate Boyer". Texas Longhorns. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Nate Boyer". NFL Draft Scout. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  8. ^ Smith, Michael David (May 2, 2015). "Seahawks sign 34-year-old Green Beret Nate Boyer". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  9. ^ "Broncos vs. Seahawks - Play-By-Play". ESPN. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  10. ^ Henderson, Brady (August 18, 2015). "Seahawks release former Green Beret Nate Boyer to create room to add QB". ESPN. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  11. ^ "The Veteran And NFL Player Who Advised Kaepernick To Take A Knee". NPR. September 9, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  12. ^ Perez, AJ (August 6, 2023). "Combat Veterans, professional athletes join forces to support one another". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  13. ^ EA Tiburon (August 25, 2017). Madden NFL 18. EA Sports. Julia: 8,000 miles from home, and it was this place that brought you back to football? / McCarthy: I'll field that one, if you don't mind. You see, I knew who Devin was. I don't know if the other guys knew, but when he got here, he was reclusive, always had his head down. Year or so in, I decided to give him a little push. So I hid these footballs around, here and there. Boy, did he ever take the bait.
  14. ^ Lilley, Kevin (August 18, 2017). "Army plays supporting role in 'Madden 18' story mode ... and so does a former Green Beret". Army Times. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  15. ^ "Nate Boyer Joins The Show". WYGM. January 17, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "Discovery Channel Greenlights "Survive the Raft," A New Series Where Survival Epic Meets Social Experiment" (Press release). Warner Bros. Discovery. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023 – via The Futon Critic.
  17. ^ Bohls, Kirk (November 10, 2022). "Bohls: Thank you for your service, Nate Boyer — and for your movie, too". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  18. ^ Barber, James (January 10, 2022). "Former Green Beret and Football Legend Nate Boyer Just Directed a Movie". Military.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
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