On your Ahner, Part II: Kadena grads make Louisville grid team roster
Published: February 17, 2013
Now, it can be told: Kadena graduates Aaron Ahner (2011) and his brother Gabe (2012), who helped lead the Panthers to back-to-back Far East Division I football titles last decade, have officially been added to the University of Louisville’s team roster.
They’re now part of a NCAA Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision) Cardinals program, a member of the Big East, a Bowl Championship Series conference, that stunned two-touchdown favorite Florida 33-23 in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2 at New Orleans. The Ahners join the team after spending the 2012 season working with the practice squad after they walked on, Aaron after having transferred from D-III Dubuque.
“I didn’t realize I was on the roster until my mom called me. But it feels good to finally be on the roster,” Aaron said via Facebook message.
Neither has been assigned a jersey number, but Aaron is listed at 6-foot-3, 270 pounds (wow, did he grow!), a redshirt sophomore defensive tackle; he played defensive end and kicker for Kadena. Gabe, who was an interior lineman for the Panthers, is listed at 6-3, 268, a redshirt freshman defensive tackle.
“This definitely sends the message that even DODDS student-athletes can achieve this feat and they should follow their dreams of being a D-I athlete,” Gabe said via Facebook. “They just need to keep working hard and staying humble.”
