Army West Point football senior John Voit described growing up in Wildwood, Mo., as a classic All-American childhood.
He grew up across the street from his high school and his days revolved around spending time with good friends, making great memories, and backyard football. Things seemed simple enough, but when he turned his thoughts toward graduation, he wasn't sure what direction to take.
Voit had been able to watch his older brother, Luke, go through his senior year and graduation just a few years prior, but his experience wasn't the same. Luke's choices seemed all mapped out. Despite having the chance to play professional baseball right out of high school, his brother made the decision to go to a four-year college instead. He was then still fortunate enough to get another Major League Baseball offer after graduation to play for the St. Louis Cardinals. Voit didn't have any plans. All he knew was he had a passion for football and he wanted the chance to chase after that dream.
Along with that dream, Voit had a feeling the "normal college thing" might not be the path he wanted to take. As his friends looked for the regular college experience, he felt he was being led in a different direction.
Coming from a town where most of his graduating class would stay in-state for college, West Point didn't seem like a likely option for the 6-3, 265-pound defensive lineman. In fact, at the beginning of his college search, neither an academy nor military life were on his radar at all.
"I really didn't really know what an academy was," Voit said. "I didn't know anything about West Point. I had a great-grandad who was in World War II, but I wasn't really from a military family. I kind of wanted to serve, but didn't really know if it was a possibility. I was looking for football scholarships mainly."
And that scholarship search is eventually what led Voit to West Point. In the fall of his senior year of high school, a West Point coach came to Missouri to talk with Voit about joining the Black Knights on the Banks of the Hudson.
"He really sold me on it," Voit commented. "I came up here and fell in love with the prestige of the school, the academics, and the Division I football program."
When he visited, he saw immediately that it wouldn't be the quintessential college experience. This distinctive quality was something that intrigued him though – he thought a lot about the opportunity but eventually he decided to take the leap and enroll at West Point. In the end, getting a chance to be a part of a high-profile program, play in iconic contests such as the Army-Navy Game presented by USAA, as well as having an opportunity to serve his country, was just too good to pass up.
After being accepted, Voit was eager to get back on the gridiron and start pursuing his dreams. But he was quickly faced with a new challenge right off the bat. The coaching staff that had recruited him was gone, and Jeff Monken had been announced as the new head coach. When Monken arrived at the Academy, it was the now-seniors' first year on the team. The then-plebes and new coach were both transitioning and getting used to their roles at the United States Military Academy. Voit understands now the unique nature of that transition.
"I can't imagine being a coach, coming to an academy and dealing with all that this place is. I think the first two years it was hard to get adapted to the culture, but now I think it's helped us in so many ways.
"When I got here, the culture wasn't ideal. Obviously, we had been losing a lot. My first season we went 4-8, and the next year we went 2-10. But then last season we really broke down some barriers. We had a great season, we beat Navy, and it's really cool to see how a program went from being at the bottom of the bottom to now slowly rising up. And we are still rising. Being a part of that has been amazing."
As the program rose, so did Voit's role on the team and his relationship with Coach Monken and the coaching staff. That bond as well as his appointment this season to team captain has created a new opportunity for him – he has grown into a leader both on and off the field.
"Coach Monken has been awesome with us," said Voit, who is a member of the team's leadership council that makes decisions with Monken based on team needs. "We can ask him anything about the culture or anything the team needs changed, and he is all for it. He listens to us and believes what we believe. We have weekly meetings, and Coach Monken will come to us and ask, 'What do you guys think about this?' because he knows we have to deal with all that comes with being at a service-academy as well."
When looking at how the team has progressed over his four years, Voit appreciates the journey that the team has taken.
"My class has been through it all," Voit added. "We've been through it since we were freshmen. We can say that we've seen both perspectives about what a losing culture is compared to a successful one."
Voit has built a comradery with his younger teammates who have the same passions and dreams he first arrived at the Academy. Now, he has the opportunity to mentor and lead those same cadets on the field every Saturday in the fall representing The Brotherhood.
When it comes to his own leadership, Voit remains humble.
"It's a team game," Voit said. "I don't think I've personally done anything for the team without my teammates next to me."
Those very teammates know differently though. Ahmad Bradshaw, fellow firstie and team captain, knows the importance of the relationships Voit has built as well as his role on the team as a leader. He sees Voit as a decision maker and a team player, and someone the whole team respects.
"He is a great leader," Bradshaw said. "A lot of guys look up to him. He is always doing the right thing. He's not the type of guy who thinks he's perfect or better than anyone. He's the guy who is honest and open and realizes that he makes mistakes as well. Guys appreciate him for that. He's someone that everybody is open to talk to about things and feels comfortable talking to. He has built a relationship with a lot of people on the team, and they respect him for that."
For Voit, choosing West Point has presented him with the opportunity of building a brotherhood and learning from others. Any chance he gets, he tries to interact with people from a variety of difference backgrounds and experiences. Being on the football team and a member of the Corps has enabled him to do that. He has had a chance to play the game he loves, while also being able to understand his potential as a leader both on the fields of friendly strife and as an officer.
He took a chance when it came to choosing West Point – but the boy, who was once from a small town, has turned into a man – and he has no regrets.
"I've been truly blessed to have the opportunity to play football and learn here at West Point."
