Blandford ’26: A Life Saved by Brotherhood

Earlier this year, Cadet Colin Blandford ’26 achieved an extraordinary feat, but not one he ever would have sought out, becoming the first NCAA Division I soccer player in history to return to the field after having suffered a cardiac arrest.

Blandford, an English major from Raleigh, North Carolina, vividly recalls the day in March 2025 when his life changed forever. “We had done a run in the morning with my friends, and then I went to soccer, then finished the day with basketball, as you do, and I was playing basketball and just collapsed on the floor, and a lot of cadets were there and knew what to do, and ended up saving my life,” he recounted.

After CPR was administered by one of his closest friends, a long hospital stay, and a surgery to implant a defibrillator, Blandford returned to action for the Keydets in fall 2025. Coming back, he feels, was only possible due to the support of his brother rats and the entire VMI community.

“I would definitely say the whole event really changed my perspective on VMI and a lot of my BRs,” he stated. “As a whole, you kind of know that the school is built on service and action, but until it’s really tested at such an extreme, you don’t realize the actual magnitude of it. And when I heard about it, in retrospect, it’s really amazing that everything that VMI says their cadets are, they really are.”

Like many cadets, Blandford came to VMI on an athletic scholarship, and he was also seeking a challenge. “I think going to college is about more than just soccer and a degree, and I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself,” he explained. “I had a lot of really strong male role models in my life growing up, both military and non-military, and they all went through hardships, and going here and putting yourself in a hard environment every day was something I was really interested in.”

Growth came quickly, as Blandford was named captain of the soccer team in his 3rd Class year, a rarity for a cadet-athlete. But growth is never without struggles, and for Blandford, academics were a major challenge. “Managing the balance of everything is hard, and when you’re coming from high school, it’s very hard to be prepared for it, and I wasn’t,” he commented. “Over the past 3 years, I’ve grown amazingly due to discipline and just the overall high-pressure environment. There’s no time to dwell in the moment. So I continue to grow, and I achieved Dean’s List last semester.”

This year, Blandford is a 1st Class private, a status that he says allows him to “uphold the standard” of VMI without the time commitments of holding rank. He’s also deepening his academic interests, taking advantage of the flexibility in the English major curriculum to earn concentrations in rhetoric and writing and literary studies, plus a business minor from the Department of Economics and Business.

On the soccer field, he’s been soaking up every moment of his last season. “VMI is a very unique place because you all go through the same experience, and you all suffer the same, and it makes you a lot stronger and a much more cohesive unit,” he observed. “We have so much more going on in our lives compared to the people we play against. … It’s amazing for team bonding. And we’re such a tight-knit group. Everyone cares about each other.”

Blandford has also been bolstered by the support of his scholarship donor, Claude “Lew” Reynolds ’70, and his wife, Judy. Having a donor that he’s come to know personally “builds up your why,” he noted.

“Whenever times get tough, you think about why am I doing this? Why am I here? Why should I see it through? And it’s remembering that there’s a donor out there who believes in you and wants to invest in your future, so it’s amazing.”

Knowing that donor personally makes for an even deeper experience. “I’ve got to meet Mr. Reynolds at alumni donor dinners, and it’s amazing to talk to him and hear his story and hear about his experience here,” said Blandford. “And it’s super cool that there’s people out there that believe in you to this level.”

As he concludes his cadetship, Blandford is grateful he chose the Institute. “When I look back on the experience as a whole, there were times at the beginning that it was tough, and I would really question whether it was worth it or not to stick it out,” he stated. “But looking back on it now, there’s the overall growth I’ve had as a person, my character, everything. I really hope that when I go out into the world after this, I stand out, and all these amazing qualities I learned while I’m here really show to the public.”

Thanks to his health scare, Blandford is now reassessing his future plans, but with the confidence a VMI cadetship provides, he’s awaiting a role that will allow him to flourish.

“I’ve had a lot of change in my life in the past 6 months, and things that were possible before are no longer possible, so I need to shift now and find a new direction. But I definitely have confidence and humility as I move forward because I’ve earned the title of VMI cadet. I know I possess the qualities needed to lead and stand out in the public eye, and I can’t wait to put those on display.”