Gator Country

Florida senior offensive lineman John Reichardt served seven years in the U.S. Army before playing for the Gators this season. / Gator Country photo by Saj Guevara

EDITOR'S NOTE: GatorCountry.com is highlighting the careers of each of the Florida Gators' football team's seniors in this ongoing series heading into their final game in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Louisville on Jan. 2.

Long before he ever wore an unadorned orange-and-blue uniform or practiced on Florida’s scout team, John Reichardt had already earned his title as a walk-on.

For the better half of a decade, Reichardt — a 6-foot-1, 297-pound offensive lineman — served in the U.S. military until returning to Gainesville with a goal to attend the University of Florida.

While the notion of a non-scholarship college football player toiling on sweltering practice fields for a slim chance of running onto the field on Saturday evokes thoughts of “selflessness” and “sacrifice,” Reichardt’s history as a member of our nation’s all-volunteer armed forces only reinforces that ideal.

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