"There was one big problem. This candidate said, up front, that he would need some flexibility and time off. Not to go to a wedding or on vacation, but for something a little bigger he had planned. Boone Niederhofer was going to need to do everything necessary to make the 2026 U.S. Olympic bobsled team. "It was definitely a foreign concept to anyone that I brought it up to," Niederhofer said. It was "a little atypical, you could say," Schwarz said."
"A high school football star from San Antonio, Niederhofer opted to walk on at Texas A&M in 2012, redshirting during Kevin Sumlin's first season and the Aggies' first in the SEC. In 2014, Niederhofer caught 29 passes for 293 yards and a touchdown, including a 42-yarder against LSU, then earned a scholarship, all while working toward a degree in petroleum engineering in 2016."
"Getting that flexible job was the last massive hurdle Niederhofer needed to clear to be able to chase an unthinkable dream that began, ironically enough, when he was laid off by a Midland oil company in 2019. Seven years ago, while he was looking for work, Niederhofer got a call from Sam Moeller, another Aggie football player and overachiever who made 39 consecutive starts as Texas A&M's famed 12th Man walk-on -- the most in school history -- and had a locker next to Niederhofer."
Boone Niederhofer pursued an unlikely goal of making the 2026 U.S. Olympic bobsled team while building a career in the Permian Basin oil industry. He grew up as a high school football star, walked on at Texas A&M in 2012, redshirted, earned playing time and a scholarship, and completed a petroleum engineering degree in 2016. After a 2019 layoff, a former teammate encouraged him toward new athletic avenues. He sought a flexible production-engineer position to accommodate intensive bobsled training. Production manager Michael Schwarz hired him despite the atypical request, impressed by Niederhofer's history, drive, and persistence.
Read at ESPN.com
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