Robert Gill was hoping to be picked up by the Arizona Cardinals this year. That’s why he joined a mini-camp training session in hope of getting noticed. After a short run yesterday, it looks like he got his wish.
Gill uploaded a video yesterday to YouTube simply titled, “Robert Gill Arizona Cardinals 25MPH treadmill.” The video, seen below, shows Gill running as fast as the treadmill will allow him as it maxes out at 25MPH. The video, which has since gone viral with over 1.5 million views, has caught the attention of the nation and the Cardinals who signed him on the spot after his run.
What makes Gill’s unorthodox entrance into the NFL even more amazing is that he never played college football. He’s also old by rookie standards at 29-years-old, but there’s a reason for that. He never played football in college as he much preferred track as a runner. During his time at Corpus Christi, he was part of a team that raced at the Drake Relays, but never made it to the NCAA finals.
After college, he began to turn to football. He tried out for a lot of UFL teams, and was even signed to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Unfortunately, he was cut right before the season started. He eventually joined the AFL under the Kansas City Command and played in the 2011 season.
It was after this that he was called up by the Cardinals by Josh Scobey – a pro scout. Scobey had previously seen Gill play when he was trying out for the Las Vegas Locomotives in 2009. He was invited to a mini-training camp for the Cardinals, and that’s where the above video was filmed. After the run, he was offered a three-year contract to play with the Cardinals.
[h/t: Arizona Cardinals]