Pops first set
goal in high school, but when he graduated he thought he wasn’t mature enough to pursue it so he enlisted in U.S. Army. He dreamed about it as a member of 82nd Airborne as he became an Army Ranger. Later, in first Gulf War, he thought about his goal again, as he also did during his service in Kosovo conflict. For 20 years, through his Army career, a war, marriage and six children, Pops kept dream and goal alive.
Never mind that he was considered far too old to pursue his dream, Pops just couldn’t let go.
When he retired from Army at 39, he decided it was finally time to do something about goal he’d set so many years before. He moved his family to Columbia, South Carolina and enrolled as a freshman at University of South Carolina.
No, he wasn’t considered too old for that. Many others, much older, have pursued college degrees for first time. What Tim “Pops” Frisby did was even more special. At an age when even most professional players have hung up there helmets, he began working out with South Carolina Gamecocks football team during winter. Working out with players half his age, all of whom were young enough to be his son, he competed for a position on a Division One major College Football Team.
It was a goal that Pops had lived with for a long time and he began to realize it when coaches invited him back for fall drills. When South Carolina kicked off their season against University of Georgia, Tim Frisby was on sidelines wearing Gamecock jersey number 89. On September 25th, against Troy, legendary Lou Holtz, head coach at South Carolina, sent Pops into game for its final four plays. “I have a lot of respect for guy,” Holtz said. “A Ranger, 20 years in Army, six kids. He loves this team. I thought it would be good to get him in. I’m sorry we could not throw it to him.” But knowing way that Pops Frisby makes his dreams come true, that’s just a matter of time.
