How Far Would You Go for the Love of The Game?
How a Fake Identity Allowed One Man to Have a 7-year College Football Career
While it technically isn’t illegal to embellish your resume, it is not advised and it can certainly backfire. However, if you do it the right way, it may lead to a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don’t endorse lying on your resume however it does make for a compelling story.
Ask yourself:
“How far would you go to live out your childhood dreams?”
This is the story of a young man who possessed an impenetrable passion for football. He received zero offers to play collegiately despite an illustrious high school career playing wide receiver. His name was Ron Weaver — or Ron McKelvey I should say as this was the alias he used to cover up the fact that he had used up all of his NCAA eligibility.
Unfinished Business
After graduating high school, Ron enrolled and played at a junior college in 1984. A couple of years went by and he made an upgrade to play the remainder of his collegiate eligibility at Division 2 Sacramento State in 1988. He’d been a star in high school, a great player in junior college, but only decent here, certainly no superstar. Ron had commitment and zeal. But he never made a name for himself. Which is what made his coming journey so incredible.
His NCAA eligibility was depleted in 1989. Many people would quit the sport altogether after the years of physical punishment coupled with rejection. But not Ron. It was time to go big or go home. He subsequently tried his luck at the NFL and CFL before coming to the harsh reality that he was neither strong nor fast enough to be an effective professional football player.
Time to Move On?
His dream of playing professional football did not turn out as he had hoped. Like many of us, he faced the collision of reality against his childhood dreams. He returned to work at the family liquor store. A situation he’d worked tirelessly to avoid.
A few years into running the business, a shining beacon of hope came to Ron in the form of a store visitor who extended an offer to be an assistant coach at his former junior college. He saw it as an opportunity to escape the monotonous grind of adulthood, even if it was temporary.
Ron rediscovered the game somewhat by accident. While teaching his players drills and line releases, he realized that he was better than them.
The Master of Disguise
Ron’s desire to be on the gridiron raged as he would work the store and coach his former team. Over time, he developed a solid friendship with a buyer for another alcohol distributor. This man would be consequential in Ron’s life. His name was Joel McKelvey and if you saw the two standing by each other, you’d see striking similarities between them. They were of similar stature and the same race. The difference? Ron’s friend never played football which would soon be a key asset.
One evening, Ron invited his new friend over to his home to have some drinks. Drinking makes some people feel warm. Drinking with friends makes some people feel that they can achieve anything. In Ron’s case, it was making it to the pros, so he laid out his plan of action.
“What if I use your name, go down to Los Angeles and play football under your name?” he asked McKelvey.
Go for it, said McKelvey and he handed over his social security number and personal ID. At that moment, Ron McKelvey was summoned.
New Identity, Same Actor
The fall season came around and the newfound Ron McKelvey enrolled himself at Pierce College, another junior college. He entered the head football coach’s office under the guise of a high school graduate. The coaches assumed that he had taken a few gap years. This team didn’t need wide receivers. They needed defensive backs.
Ron was a highly-skilled wide receiver in his former identity but the transition to cornerback wouldn’t be too back-breaking for him as he had taken new knowledge from each of his multiple failed professional tryouts. He blew the coaches away with his practice and game performance as he looked like a man amongst boys. Almost as if he had numerous years of experience compared to the rest of his teammates.
The coaches scratched their heads and questioned why he’d never received any offers coming out of high school. He said he was a “late bloomer” who was just looking for a chance.
Tenacious Work Ethic
To enroll at a junior college, all he needed was a Social Security number and tuition money. Ron worked as a waiter after practice 4 nights a week and opened a checking account in McKelvey’s name.
While it was fraudulent activity, he didn’t open any other accounts or engage in reckless spending.
Despite being enrolled as a student-athlete and holding a job, Ron spent more time in the weight room and on the track than anyone else on the team. He would lift and run more even after the team conditioning sessions.
Despite being the same size and having the same speed as when his first NCAA career ended in 1989 at age 23, he was able to cut his 40-yard dash time and add 75 pounds to his max bench press nearing age 30.
Manifesting the Dream
By his second season at Pierce College, Ron was getting scouted by numerous big-name schools. It usually takes a stroke of luck for most players to get looks from major football programs coming out of a Junior College program but for Ron, he was a veteran in his sixth college season.
His childhood dreams became a reality when he signed a letter of intent to play for the Texas Longhorns. He earned an athletic scholarship and had finally made a name for himself.
Unfortunately, that name wasn’t his own.
Ron stood out on campus. He was a standup guy who never complained and did everything that was asked of him with excellence and enthusiasm. He wasn’t a starter, nor did he get much playing time. But when he did play, he made it count.
Blown Coverage
No, this is not a play on words for a mishap on defending a pass play, this was the grand revelation of the true identity of Ron McKelvey.
Right before the 1995 Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech, a journalist who wrote for the Salinas Californian exposed the truth that Ron McKelvey was actually 30-year-old Ron Weaver playing in his 7th season. Reportedly, he’d told the reporter he was planning to write a book about his experence.
Word got to Ron that his cover was blown and he was forced to skedaddle from the team hotel just hours before kickoff. He never got to play in the bowl game.
All’s Well that Ends Well
Amazingly, nobody was sanctioned.
The University of Texas was never sanctioned by the NCAA for bringing Weaver onto the squad. The Texas authorities contacted the real McKelvey about the whole fraud scheme and chose not to pursue legal action against Ron Weaver.
There was a film deal in the works with Leonardo DiCaprio’s management team, but it was shut down when the feds threatgned an indictment for conspiracy.
Weaver got away with it. Hestill lives with the fond memories of his very unique road to playing on a big-time team.
The truth was stretched to the fullest extent in pursuit of a hefty goal but the story serves as a reminder that if you want something badly enough, your body and mind can sustain life’s setbacks.
Hero? Scam Artist? Both? You decide.
