Every year, millions of young men sweat and bleed and dream of the chance to play college football. Of the relative few that realize that dream, almost no one walks away from it willingly. Steven Padilla is the rare exception.

After a childhood filled with baseball, fishing and, eventually, football, Padilla gave up a chance to play in college to pursue a career in country music. Today, he’s a newlywed living in Hoover, waiting for the next phase of his career, a record contract, to become reality.

A native of Demopolis, Padilla said, “I love watching college football and, growing up so close to Tuscaloosa, I had no choice but to be a UA fan.”

Steven fell in love with music and secretly taught himself to play the guitar. His father wanted him to go to college and play football. He had the chance, earning a scholarship to the University of West Alabama. But when he couldn’t get his dreams of a music career out of his head, he quit football.

To read more about Steven Padilla and his music, check out the January 2013 issue of Hoover’s Magazine. Find your copy here.