Dickie Regan shares his journey through the turbulent waters of NCAA Division I college football at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina while experiencing the myriad conflicts associated with military cadet life. Despite being listed at the bottom of his college coach's depth chart, Regan fought his way to the starting lineup in rapid fashion and assembled a stellar athletic career culminating in an NFL football contract. Interspersed throughout the entertaining sports reports are cadet life anecdotes from his years at The Citadel, including many related to him by his peers of their trials, tribulations and triumphs as they negotiated their way through four years of those same uncompromising military restrictions. Regan was not the stereotypical role model, but his story echoes Mark Twain's memorable aphorism: "it's not the size of the dog in the fight; what matters is the size of the fight in the dog."