Walking on to any college sports team is a challenge. Knowing there were no offers to play college ball can be a difficult notion to process.  Working to overcome adversity is the key to succeeding.

John Koopman knows exactly how the story goes. A graduate of Enumclaw High School, Koopman is a sixth-year senior playing football at Central Washington University.  He walked on to the football team after receiving no offers from any college.

“The main reason I chose Central was because my brother-in-law, Jason Patterson, had played there and knew the coaches very well,” Koopman said. “He was able to get a couple of other buddies and I to do a combine-type tryout back in 2007.”

Koopman plays middle linebacker on the Wildcats’ defense. For the defense, the number 44 jersey is special.  It signifies the player has shown what it takes to become a special leader on and off the field. Koopman was selected by his teammates to don the 44 jersey for the upcoming season as a symbol of his hard-working ethic.

“It is such a great honor to wear the number 44,” he said. “I’ve looked up to all the previous holders of the number, as they were always the hardest working and most dedicated players. To be picked as the next candidate for the number 44 means a lot to me; it shows that all the hard work I’ve put into the game of football is really showing.”

Not often has a walk-on player had so much success. Walk-ons, in many cases, are treated like the runt of the litter and usually placed on the scout team to help the first team for the upcoming game that week. Walk-ons have to show the coaching staff what they’re capable of.

Before growing into a star at Central Washington University, Koopman had to be patient. He redshirted as a freshman, as most freshman at the Division II or I level do. As a sophomore, he started on special teams. In the second game of the season, an opposing player’s helmet smashed into Koopman’s ankle, slightly fracturing it.  Since it was so early in the young season, Koopman was able to obtain a medical redshirt, giving him four more years of eligibility. Koopman had to overcome the pain of waiting to step on the field again and eventually became a defensive star in Ellensburg.

He is majoring in exercise science, which has helped him overcome his injuries and get back on the field.

“Since I’m majoring in exercise science, I’ve learned the importance of exercise,” Koopman said. “Playing football has given me even more drive to get better and better. I’ve learned there is always a way to be better, whether it’s mentally or physically and in all aspects of life. Specifically for football, I try to spot the mistakes I make during the season and fix them in the off-season so I never make them again.”

With an eye toward his future following graduation from CWU, Koopman has an internship at a chiropractor clinic, so chiropractic school is an option. But a far different path holds some appeal.

“I’ve been working on a ranch in Othello for a few weekends the last couple of months and I’ve absolutely loved it,” Koopman said. “My dad used to own a dairy in Enumclaw so I’ve grown up with that type of work, but I always took it for granted as a kid.”

Koopman, wearing his number 44 jersey, will lead the Wildcat defense against Texas A&M-Kingsville during the season opener Sept. 1 in Texas.