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61-year-old grandpa joins college golf team

Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images News / Getty

Don Byers isn't your typical college athlete.

The 61-year-old insurance agent is set to join the men's golf team at Bellevue University in Nebraska, where he's enrolled in several classes for the spring 2018 semester. According to Bellevue, Byers is believed to be one of the oldest college athletes in the United States in recent history.

"Nobody believes me, they all laugh," Byers told WOWT 6 News when asked about his friends' reaction to him joining the team. "Then when they find out it's for real they say go on your bucket list, live your dream."

Bellevue is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which unlike the NCAA, doesn't have age limitations.

(Courtesy: Bellevue University)

Byers was recruited by Bellevue golf coach Rob Brown last summer after a round of golf.

"To have a 61-year-old is one thing, but to have a 61-year-old that can really play is fun," Brown said.

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