Eric LeGrand
signed by Tampa Bay Buccaneers—LeGrand
is a former Rutgers University football player who sustained a severe spinal
injury in a 2010 game. Throughout LeGrand’s ongoing recovery, one of his
staunchest supporters has been then-Rutgers coach Greg Schiano.
Schiano was hired
as head coach of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this year. One of his
first personnel decisions was to symbolically sign LeGrand to a player
contract. LeGrand spent almost three months as a member of the Buccaneers
before announcing his retirement in late July.
Man Climbs Sears
Tower Using Bionic Leg—It may not have
taken place on a track, field or court, but Zac Vawter’s story deserves
recognition as a symbol of the convergence of human spirit and advances in
rehabilitation. Vawter, who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident three
years ago, climbed all 103 flights of stairs of Chicago’s Willis (formerly
Sears) Tower in November with the help of a bionic leg.
Designed to respond
to electrical impulses from muscles, the leg is controlled by the mind. As
Vawter climbed the stairs, the leg worked in conjunction with his body and mind
to propel him forward. While the device itself will continue to be improved and
perfected, Vawter’s accomplishment was an inspiration to athletes with
disabilities everywhere.
Oscar Pistorius
Competes in 2012 Summer Olympics—Pistorius,
who has double below-knee amputations, was the subject of a long legal battle
to determine his eligibility to run against able-bodied athletes in
international competition. This year, the South African star qualified and
competed in the men’s 400-meter race, where he advanced all the way to the
semifinals, racing against eventual gold medalist Kirani James of Grenada.
Pistorius also
qualified for South Africa’s men’s 4 x 400-meter relay team in the London Games
before winning two gold medals and a silver in the Summer Paralympics later
that month.
Manteo Mitchell
Breaks Leg, Continues to Compete in Olympic Event—One of Oscar Pistorius’ opponents at the 2012
Summer Olympics was Manteo Mitchell of the United States. Running the first leg
of the 4 x 400-meter qualifying heat, Mitchell felt a pop in his left leg. He’d
broken his left fibula.
Amazingly,
Mitchell continued on—the injury occurred at about the halfway point in his
lap— to finish his leg of the relay and keep the United States’ medal hopes
alive. With a substitute runner in Mitchell’s place, the United States would go
on to win the silver medal in the finals of the event, cementing Manteo
Mitchell’s spot in Olympic history.
Adam Greenberg
Returns to Major League Baseball—In
2005, Adam Greenberg was a rookie outfielder for the Chicago Cubs. In his very
first plate appearance in the majors, Greenberg was struck in the batting
helmet by a 92 mile-per-hour fastball. The pitch left Greenberg with a
concussion, vertigo and vision problems and derailed his baseball career.
Slowly, he
recovered and returned to the sport—a comeback that culminated in signing a
one-day contract with the Miami Marlins this past October and earning a
pinch-hitting appearance against the New York Mets and eventual Cy Young Award
winner R.A. Dickey. The baseball portion of the story doesn’t have a fairy-tale
ending—Greenberg would strike out against Dickey—but Adam remains determined to
continue his comeback.
“Life throws you
curveballs," Greenberg said. "Mine threw me a 92 mile-an-hour
fastball, and it hit me in the back of the head. I got up from it, and my life
is great.”
Sports Doc, Expert Advice on Staying Fit and in The Game, December
12, 2012
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