RantsNCrap

It was November 17, 1991 and Detroit Lions guard Mike Utley was doing what he always did which was protecting his quarterback and blocking his heart out to help his team win.

Late in the fourth quarter of that game against the Los Angeles Rams, Utley attempted to throw a block in pass protection when he went down with an injury that would change the course of the rest of his life. He had fractured the 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae in his spine and was paralyzed.

On February 15, 1999, after nearly eight years of grueling rehabilitation and tireless work with his Foundation, Utley stood up at a hotel in Phoenix and took his first steps since that fateful day in Detroit. His accomplishment served as inspiration for anyone in a wheelchair wondering about the possibility of walking again.

“What that showed was that hard work gets you further,” he offered.