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Dan Stoddard is a 38-year-old bus driver turned college basketball player. Six months ago, he was approached about trying out for the Algonquin College men’s basketball team in Ottawa, Ontario. Now, he’s 50 pounds lighter and playing college basketball.
He plays ball for the Algonquin Thunder.
Stoddard is the father of two teenage sons. He stands 6-foot-8 and is affectionately known as “Old Man Dan” by his teammates on the Algonquin men’s team. He first caught the attention of Algonquin Thunder head coach Trevor Costello during an alumni tournament game, which Costello was referring, according to Kelly Egan of the Ottawa Citizen.
The 38-year-old OC Transpo bus driver maintained a full-time job and online course load, all the while getting himself into enough shape to drop 50 pounds. He has quickly become a fan favorite as part of the Algonquin College men’s basketball.
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“We played an exhibition game against last year’s national champs,” Stoddard told Egan on Wednesday. “I scored a basket, they called out my name (on a loud speaker) and I could have cried on the floor.”
Who is Dan Stoddard?
Stoddard is both a bus driver and a college basketball player. He’s 38 years of age and stands tall at 6-foot-8. He has two teenage sons, and currently plays for Algonquin College men’s basketball team in Ottawa, Ontario.
He trained for six months to lose 50 pounds and get into the right shape to play college basketball.
In April 2016, Stoddard made the news when he pulled his bus over to pick up a woman fleeing from assault. He was highly praised for how he handled the situation. He convinced the abused, half-naked woman in distress to come aboard the bus. “She said that she had been assaulted physically and verbally”, Stoddard said, “Beyond that it was just a matter of listening to her story, reassuring her and telling her it wasn’t her fault.”
What Happened?
Dan Stoddard stands out among his teammates, who are all college-aged players. He’s a 38-year old bus driver/college basketball player. He fulfilled his “hoop dreams.”
“I hear the laughter,” he said, referring to an exhibition game against an opposing team. “I walk down the hallway and they’re laughing, going, ‘Look at the old guy, look at the old guy,’ ” adding, however, “It’s not quite as funny when we beat them.”
Point guard Ernest Tolete, 23, said that he originally thought Stoddard was a coach of the friend because of his age, but he eventually came to accept him as a teammate. Tolete added, “You can still love something, regardless of how old you are.”
