Ross Kelly, CBS Local Sports
Though the game won’t get many headlines, a bit of history was made in Tulane’s 45-31 victory over UCF: Aaron Golub snapped an extra point in the game.
Aaron Golub is legally blind.
After the Green Wave’s final touchdown in the fourth quarter, the coach put in the sophomore long snapper and he successfully executed the snap:
Courage defined. RT @espn: If you needed a little inspiration. Tulane’s Aaron Golub 1st legally blind D1 player: http://t.co/zEUz6yPcMg
— Mike Ryan (@SNFMikeRyan) October 3, 2015
Golub has no sight in his right eye and limited vision in his left eye. He did not play as a freshman but was a two year letterman in high school in Massachusetts. This isn’t some act of a coach letting a blind player play for good PR as Golub was a legitimate long snapping prospect coming out of high school and was a four-star recruit by some outlets.
This was a great display of determination and perseverance. After the game Golub talked about the moment with NOLA.com:
“It was a great opportunity. I’m happy they gave me a shot. It just felt great…I prepared and I just know that I’ve done this thousands of times. It was nothing. It’s the same as in practice. It was just me and Pete (punter Peter Picerelli) the holder and I just snapped it to him…I don’t consider my vision being an issue. I’m happy to go out there and do anything.”
Hopefully, we can see more of Golub in action throughout the year and why stop at just college football? He doesn’t consider his vision an issue and coaches at the next level shouldn’t either.
Ross Kelly is an Associated Producer for CBS Local Sports. He is from Louisiana and is a fan of all sports, but not of any teams (except LSU). He can be reached at ross.kelly@cbs.com.