Have a few years of eligibility and some game left in the tank? There’s name, image and likeness money to be made.
Just ask 63-year-old Debbie Blount, the nearly-senior-citizen sophomore member of the Reinhardt University women’s golf team. Blount joined the team as a freshman walk-on and has since received a partial scholarship and her first NIL deal with Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux as their “Walk-On of the Week.” The program aims to highlight the underdogs in sports and support collegiate walk-on athletes across the country.
“I had to work very hard to keep my grades up and qualify for all the tournaments, but I had a ball as a walk-on,” said Blount. She’s now playing in the lead spot and boasts a 4.0 GPA.
Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual
Our Walk-On of the Week is collegiate golfer Debbie Blount: a 63-year-old college sophomore who started as a walk-on on her university’s golf team. She’s no longer a walk-on, is playing in the #1 spot on her team & still balances a great GPA. Congrats, Debbie! #WOFamilyOfAthletes pic.twitter.com/y444iTMdGp
— Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux (@walk_ons) October 27, 2021
Blount began the season with a T-34, then bounced back with a sixth-place finish at the TWU Invitational top 25 at the Firehawk Invitational. Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia, competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).