On an early Wednesday evening in May, a car pulls into the parking lot at Liberty First Credit Union Arena.
The building looks deserted. Three men wearing Omaha Beef gear get out and walk to a side door of the arena. They go in and prop the door so others may enter.
Then they go down a flight of stairs to the lower level. The hallways are quiet. Soon, you can hear the loud banter of a locker room.
Finally, out pops a familiar face.
Tommy Armstrong, Jr.
Remember, Nebraska?
Armstrong doesn’t look a day over 2016.
That was Armstrong’s last year as Nebraska quarterback. He led the Huskers to a 9-4 season. They won their first seven that year, were ranked in the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings before losing in overtime at Wisconsin.
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That was the last year NU went to a bowl game. Yes, that long ago.
Armstrong is still playing football.
He’s quarterback of the Omaha Beef, who have clinched the top seed in the Champions Indoor Football league. Omaha is 9-0 behind Armstrong, a three-time league player of the week who has completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 24 touchdowns. Their final home game is Saturday night.
I know what some of you are thinking: The Omaha Beef are still around?
Passion for football is a wonderful thing. The Beef organization and players still have it. So does Armstrong. They are kindred spirits.
Armstrong is 29 now. He swore to himself he would be done by 28. But then he kept playing, stayed healthy and grew better with experience. And kept loving the game.
“I’m just enjoying it,” Armstrong said. “My wife (former NU soccer player Jaylyn Odermann) is doing a great job of keeping me motivated, keeping me playing. I just love proving to everybody that I can still do it.”
That pride and passion has guided him on a backroads journey.
After the 2016 season, Armstrong took his shot to the NFL. He agreed to train as a receiver. He didn’t get invited to the combine. He wasn’t drafted.
The Minnesota Vikings invited him to try out as a running back. He was moved to safety. He was cut on June 17.
He then bounced from Your Call Football to the Alliance of American Football (Salt Lake) to Indoor Football League (Nebraska Danger, Grand Island). Armstrong was IFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019, then signed with Sioux Falls.
He’s talked to the USFL and XFL but neither have been interested so far. So he signed with the Beef, hoping to get their attention.
“I’ll have a good enough resume after this season to send some film to those guys and show them, look, I’m still playing, still active, still on top of my game,” Armstrong said.
“Maybe get a shot to go to camp. I’m still in great shape. I think I’m the best quarterback in the league. Doing what I can to win a championship, put another stamp on my resume.”
When Armstrong says “camp,” he means USFL or XFL. The NFL isn’t a reality. He’s accepted that. But he’s sure he has the arm and the accuracy to play in the USFL or XFL.
He’s even got a connection. Armstrong still talks frequently to Mike Riley, who coached him at NU from 2015-16. Riley is the head coach of the New Jersey Generals of the USFL.
Riley told Armstrong he was going to bring him into camp last year, but it fell through, Armstrong said.
“Each year I told myself, “I don’t want to be 28 playing football,” Armstrong said. “Then I got to 28 and I started feeling better, running with my buddies like Jeremiah Sirles, out there throwing the ball around. I can still do it.
“(To retire) it’s got to be something where, okay, it’s time to hang it up. But some of my buddies have had injuries where they are told they won’t be able to play again. For me, nothing has really hindered my playing, so why not?”
A new perspective arrived a year ago. Armstrong’s son, Tatum, is a year old now. Armstrong is a proud papa and there’s nothing better than having wife and son at his games.
“I’m enjoying it, just having him there,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong lives in Lincoln and commutes to Ralston for evening practices and games. He’s followed Nebraska football. Recently, he went up to the football offices to meet Matt Rhule and his staff.
In the fall, he’s offensive coordinator for Lincoln North Star football.
That’s the future. Not necessarily being a coach of a team. Armstrong wants to train young quarterbacks. He’s had youth quarterback camps through the A4academy and recently had one with the Beef.
“I train quarterbacks from fifth grade all the way up to high school,” Armstrong said. “After I hang up my cleats I’m still going to be involved with some type of football. I think the kids in Lincoln and Omaha need someone who has experience and knowledge in general, what it takes to learn and develop.”
That full-time gig can wait. The teacher still wants to play.
“I still love the game,” Armstrong says. “I’ll always love the game.”
