2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Army
Joey Stutson, from Mandeville, Louisiana, played football for Mandeville High. His dream was to play football in college. But first, he had to serve his country. Driven by a sense of duty, he put aside his college football dream for a while. After joining the National Guard, he was assigned to the 1-244th Aviation Battalion, U.S. Army. His next stop was a year in the mean streets of Iraq in 2004, looking for weapons, bombs and IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices).
When Stutson finally returned home safely, he enrolled at LSU and received an invitation to walk-on for spring football practice as a fullback. As he recalls, “I went out and did well. They used me as a walk-on guy, doing the dirty work in practice no one else wanted to do."
LSU Coach Les Miles said at the time, “It's not easy for any walk-on. Joey is just a great kid," he said. "We're honored to have him here. But there's a lot of good players ahead of him. This is a very good team.” It proved to be a great team, winning the 2006 National Championship by defeating Ohio State.
Stutson never played a down in his LSU football career, although he dressed for every game including the national championship. He would do anything to help the team and played in practices like they were real games. From his military experience, he understood how important teamwork could be in attaining victory. "I can honestly say what I remember the most [about Iraq] is us getting through it and coming together like a football team. It's a lot like here at LSU with the coaches and the players."
Despite making the team, Stutson did not feel like he had made it. "I feel more like I have a lot to work on," he said. "I feel like just getting on the team is not an accomplishment. I feel like it's an honor." He feels his time in Iraq helped him prepare for the challenges of juggling football, school and being a loving father and husband. "Mentally I am a lot stronger," Stutson said. "I care less about myself and more about others. I have become humble. I don't need gratification from people. I just know that as long as I'm trying my best, I don't need people to tell me."
Stutson wasn’t sure what would be in store for him on the football team, but he was thrilled he had the opportunity to play. I've dreamed about this, even in Iraq, of running on the field and hitting somebody," he said. "It's just so weird that this could become a reality. God gives us a drive, and I can't explain where this drive comes from. It's like a mountain that I just can't seem to get around. It just keeps getting in front of me, and I feel like I'm meant to climb over it. I feel like I have a lot of hurdles, and it's a pretty big mountain to climb. I feel that if it happens, I'm going to climb it, whatever it is, whatever is in store. I feel like I can do it.
(LSU, The Reveille, March 29, 2007 — Nick Vlahos )
After LSU won the national championship game, Stutson remembers, "I was overwhelmed with emotion; I was the lowest man on the totem pole, just like in Iraq. But I was on two great teams … It was a lot of fun. I've been blessed beyond imagination. God has a way of leading people down the right paths. Another door will open for me." Playing football for LSU was "a dream come true.”
After graduating from LSU, Stutson served with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office as a member of the SWAT team. He also graduated from Army Officer Candidate School in October 2011, and, as with many others, he continues in his civilian career while also serving as a proud member of the Louisiana National Guard.