My alma mater did a great thing:

[Are_grits_groceries]

Jake Nicolopulos' journey to the Hill

Nicolopulos still walks with a noticeable limp. He shakes hands with his left hand, because he still can't do much with the right one after the stroke that nearly killed him in December 2009 when he was an 18-year-old star linebacker from nearby T.L. Hanna High School.

Nicolopulos had already promised to come to Clemson, and the school kept its commitment. He is a student-coach on scholarship, taking two classes, even though in the excitement right after coming down the hill at Death Valley, he couldn't recall their names. He apologized, but never stopped smiling.

The run down the hill was the conclusion of several promises Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and his chief recruiter back in 2009, Brad Scott, made at Nicolopulos' bedside after the stroke, when some wondered if Nicolopulos would ever walk again. They presented him with a No. 9 jersey and he grabbed the shirt with his left arm, the only one he could move at the time. He pulled it up to his face.

Three months later, rehab had helped him enough that he could sign his name to his letter of intent to Clemson. Seven months later, he was at Memorial Stadium to watch the Tigers 2010 opener against North Texas.

On Saturday, he wore khaki pants and a Clemson polo shirt as he got on the sidelines. He slapped players on the back on the bench and always answered when someone asked how he was doing. "Good. Leg is OK."

Swinney promised Nicolopulos' family they would treat him like any other Tiger. The head coach has said more than once that his team can learn a lot from him.

"God had a little bit of a different plan for him. But I don't have doubt at all Jake Nicolopulos will make an impact at Clemson," Swinney said when he signed
him.
http://www.tigernet.com/view/player_update.do?id=2570


They didn't have to honor his scholarship. In addition, the coaches and others kept visiting him. His Mama said that was a huge factor in helping him overcome his depression. He had offers from some other major schools, but he always loved Clemson. They returned it in spades and continue to do so.
:-)

[MarianJack]

1. Good For Them!

I've been pissed off at my Alma Mater (West Chester University in PA) since 2002 when they used 9/11 victim alum's death as a fund raising tool.

At the time I told them that it was malignantly cynical.

PEACE!

[11 Bravo]

2. As a UNC grad, it pains me to say this, but "Good job, Tigers!"

[Are_grits_groceries]

3. Well, the UNC mascot that got killed at a BB tournament when

he walked to get something to eat was an angel in disguise. I guess being a Tarheel or a Tiger isn't an irredeemable characteristic.
:hi:

[barbtries]

4. wrecked my make up.

good for Clemson and for him.

[rurallib]

5. Was there a cause for the stroke?

heard so much about head football injuries lately, I was just curious. Can't find anything in the articles.

This is certainly a different side of college football that is seldom seen. Good to hear.

[Are_grits_groceries]

6. Jake going down The Hill - 9/3/2011:

Former T.L. Hanna linebacker and Clemson football recruit Jake Nicolpulos makes his way down The Hill in the east side of Clemson Memorial Stadium.

What the doctors found:
<snip>
At the hospital, the neurosurgeon explained that Jake had suffered a left-brain stroke, caused, later it was determined, by a blockage in the carotid artery. For a person so young, doctors told them, a stroke is extremely rare.
<snip>
Clemson coaches have told Jake there will be a place for him at school and around the team whenever he is ready.

Then, one day, maybe not this season, maybe next, when he can once more trust his body, Jake can make the traditional Saturday entrance with the rest of the Clemson team. Past Frank Howard’s rock. Down the steep, grassy bank of The Hill and into the noisy valley of Memorial Stadium. He’ll be the one without a uniform.

And, said his father, “He might be the last one.”

Few may notice the kid who’ll never play another down, but such a day will belong to him.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/football-dream-takes-tragic-319583.html

To Jake: :toast:
Forever a Clemson Tiger!

[rurallib]

7. Thanks - I will actually cheer for Clemson this year

My sense is that this is rare in college football.