Eric J. LeGrand (born September 4, 1990) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
defensive tackle who played
college football at
Rutgers
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and w ...
. He became
paralyzed
Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 ...
while making a tackle in an October 2010 game, but has since regained movement in his shoulders and sensation throughout his body. As of 2020, LeGrand has been making consistent recovery at the
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation is a division of the Select Medical Corporation that provides physical medicine and rehabilitation programs and services. There are currently three inpatient rehabilitation facilities located throughout New Je ...
. The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
signed him to a symbolic contract as an undrafted free agent in May 2012. In 2017, LeGrand was inducted into the
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously i ...
as the third recipient of the Warrior Award.
College
![Greg Schiano at a 2019 Rutgers Press Conference (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Greg_Schiano_at_a_2019_Rutgers_Press_Conference_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In 2008, as a true freshman, LeGrand made his collegiate debut against the
North Carolina Tar Heels on September 11. He saw action on special teams. By 2009, coach
Greg Schiano
Gregory Edward Schiano (born June 1, 1966) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Rutgers University, a position he held from 2001 to 2011 and resumed before the 2020 season. Schiano served as the head coach for the Tampa ...
decided to channel LeGrand's strength and speed at a new position,
defensive lineman.
LeGrand earned himself the backup defensive tackle position to Charlie Noonan, but he managed to appear in all thirteen games that season, racking up 33 tackles. Schiano saw him as a multipurpose player, and LeGrand proved himself to be with 13 tackles on kickoff coverage in his sophomore season. LeGrand recorded a tackle for loss in seven games, and played eleven games where he had multiple sacks. He went on to tie his career-high four tackles against the
Maryland Terrapins
The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...
. LeGrand added three solo tackles, including a tackle-for-loss against
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
on December 5 and at
Syracuse on November 21. LeGrand posted three tackles versus
South Florida on November 12 and matched his career high four tackles and had 1 tackles for loss along with a fumble recovery against
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
on October 16 and three tackles and an assisted tackle for loss against
Howard on September 12.
[Bio]
In 2010, LeGrand's junior season, he proved to be a crucial performer at defensive tackle in the first six games before having career-ending spinal cord injury. He had his season-high three tackles and a tackle for loss against
Tulane
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...
on October 2. On September 2 versus
Norfolk State, LeGrand proved useful to the team defense; posting up a pair of tackles including a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. He added two tackles at
FIU on September 11, and assisted on a sack against
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
on September 25. On October 16 in a game against the
Army Black Knights at
MetLife Stadium
MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. Opened in 2010 to replace Giants Stadium, it serves as the home for the New York Giants a ...
, he suffered an injury in the fourth quarter during a collision with Army's kickoff returner, Malcom Brown, ending the defensive tackle's season with 13 tackles including two sacks.
Injury
On October 16, 2010, LeGrand had severe
spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...
during a game against
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
in
East Rutherford, New Jersey, at MetLife Stadium. On a kickoff to Army, LeGrand unintentionally put his head down while running and ended up driving the crown of his head into the shoulder of the ball carrier, Malcolm Brown. LeGrand was credited with the tackle, but he lay on the ground for several minutes before being carted off, unable to move anything but his head and unable to breathe.
As the gurney rolled off the field at MetLife Stadium, LeGrand tried to force a thumbs up to the crowd but was unable to perform the gesture, saying "it felt like a thousand pound cinder block was holding me down".
He was taken to the intensive care unit of the
Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) is a 781-bed non-profit, research and teaching hospital providing tertiary and healthcare needs located seven miles (11 km) west of New York City, in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey. As ...
, in
Hackensack, New Jersey, where doctors determined that LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down. He fractured his C3 and C4
cervical vertebrae. About two weeks later, he was transferred to
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation is a division of the Select Medical Corporation that provides physical medicine and rehabilitation programs and services. There are currently three inpatient rehabilitation facilities located throughout New Je ...
, one of the US's leaders in spinal cord rehabilitation.
LeGrand was put on a respirator right away to help him breathe, and doctors informed his mother that he would more than likely need the aid of the machine to continue breathing for the rest of his life. Doctors also informed Karen LeGrand that her son had a suspected 0–5% chance of walking for the rest of his life. The next day when LeGrand woke up, he managed to mouth the words "I'll be back" to his mother.
Recovery
LeGrand wanted to breathe at his own pace, and asked doctors to take him off of his ventilator on Thanksgiving of 2010. He stated; "it's not even whether you keep breathing, it's whether you keep breathing how you want to breathe."
A month later LeGrand had lasted an hour and a half off of his ventilator. LeGrand proceeded to practice breathing without the use of medical equipment, and was independently breathing by January 2011. Coach Greg Schiano would visit LeGrand frequently, and is said to have truly embraced the entire family as his own, and would repeatedly relieve Eric's mother from taking care of him without hesitation.
On January 6, Rutgers announced that LeGrand had regained movement in his shoulders and sensation throughout his body.
On October 29, LeGrand returned with his teammates, for a Rutgers home game against West Virginia during a snow storm. His return to High Point Solutions Stadium was said to be the most indelible moment of the year and was the awarded ''Sports Illustrated'' Fans Choice Best Moment of 2011.
By Summer 2011, LeGrand took his story more public by posting pictures of himself on his Twitter account, in July, standing straight up, with the help of a specialized metal frame, and announcing that he was slowly regaining movement and sensation in his arms. Overnight, LeGrand gained 12,000 new followers.
In 2012, thinking his story was fairly well-known, LeGrand jokingly sent a Tweet to
Lolo Jones, challenging her to a race. All she knew of him was that he was a former football player and responded that, as a track star, she would win convincingly. When she was made aware of her unintended insult, she issued an apology for her response which was accepted by LeGrand. On May 14, 2014, she and LeGrand participated in a race called the Wings For Life World Run, held around the world, with proceeds going towards funding dedicated to spinal cord injury research.
A fund named "bELieve" has been set up by the Rutgers Scarlet Knight family with proceeds going to LeGrand and his family. The "bELieve" foundation has raised proceeds through selling sporting apparel stitched with LeGrand's name and number (52) as well as hosting numerous sporting events in his honor.
Professional career
![Eric LeGrand](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Eric_LeGrand.jpg)
LeGrand resumed his studies via
Skype
Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...
for the Spring 2011 semester and made multiple appearances at spring football practices. At the Scarlet-White spring game, he expressed his aspiration to become a sports broadcaster, and he has continued to become an inspirational speaker nationwide.
The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
symbolically signed LeGrand on May 2, 2012. The Buccaneers were coached by
Greg Schiano
Gregory Edward Schiano (born June 1, 1966) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Rutgers University, a position he held from 2001 to 2011 and resumed before the 2020 season. Schiano served as the head coach for the Tampa ...
, who was the Rutgers head coach during LeGrand's playing career. Schiano agreed to become the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 26, 2012. LeGrand officially announced his retirement from football on July 26, 2012, to free up a roster spot for the team.
As of the beginning of the 2012 NFL season, the rules regarding kickoffs have changed, and from now on kickoffs will take place from the 35-yard line, instead of the 30-yard line, in hopes of reducing the number of injuries. LeGrand believes that the rule should return to its previous incarnation, and argues that many football players can make a career out of playing on special teams, and that the new system deprives teams and players of some of the thrill and excitement of the game.
Subway added LeGrand to their roster of star athlete promoters. LeGrand appeared alongside
Justin Tuck
Justin Lee Tuck (born March 29, 1983) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at Notre Dame, and was drafted by the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft, ...
of the
New York Giants in commercials throughout the 2012 season. LeGrand joined a team of Subway-sponsored athletes including Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps and Apolo Anton Ohno. Tom Pace of Subway's marketing office stated that; "We believe his inspirational story resonates with our fans. All of our athletes who know Eric are already rooting for him. Like us, they love his character, determination and positive outlook."
From 2016 to 2017, LeGrand hosted his own six episode mini web series, ''Mission Possible with Eric LeGrand'', which was produced by the Mission Possible Group.
Peter Berg
Peter Berg (born March 11, 1964) is an American director, producer, writer, and actor. His directorial film works include the black comedy ''Very Bad Things'' (1998), the action comedy ''The Rundown'' (2003), the sports drama '' Friday Night Lig ...
,
Doug Ellin
Douglas Reed Ellin (born April 6, 1968) is an American podcaster, screenwriter and film and TV director, known best for creating the HBO television series ''Entourage''. Ellin also served as executive producer, director, head writer and supp ...
, and Teri Weinberg were executive producers on the series, which launched digitally on
FoxSports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...
. The series features stories of six individuals living in the face of adversity. The episodes include appearances by:
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
,
Bill Belichick
William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...
,
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees i ...
,
Sean Payton,
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...
,
Justin Thomas
Justin Louis Thomas (born April 29, 1993) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and is former World Number One. In 2017, Thomas experienced a breakout year, winning five PGA Tour events and the FedEx Cup championship. ...
,
Michael Strahan
Michael T. Strahan ( ; born November 21, 1971) is an American television personality, journalist, and former professional football player. He played his entire 15-year professional career as a defensive end for the New York Giants of the Nation ...
,
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielder ...
, and
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...
. LeGrand made appearances promoting the series on ''
Good Morning America'', ''
Fox NFL Sunday
''Fox NFL Sunday'' is an American sports television program broadcast on the Fox television network. The show debuted on September 4, 1994, and serves as the pre-game show for the network's National Football League (NFL) game telecasts under t ...
'', ''First Things First'', ''The Seth Davis Show'', ''
CBS This Morning
''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987, to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012, to September 6, 2021. The program was aired from Monday through Saturday. ...
'', and ''
Good Morning Football
''Good Morning Football'' is a live NFL morning television program on NFL Network. The program premiered on Monday, August 1, 2016. It airs from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET.
The program is hosted by Kyle Brandt, Jamie Erdahl, Jason McCourty and Pe ...
''.
In 2020, Eric started building a coffee shop in his hometown called LeGrand Coffee House. The business opened in 2022.
Awards and honors
In June 2012, LeGrand was presented the Unsung Hero Award by the
New Jersey Hall of Fame.
He was presented the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 20th annual
ESPYs on July 11, 2012.
During his speech, he announced that he would someday walk again.
In August 2012, LeGrand was named the most influential person in New Jersey sports by the ''
Star Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...
''.
The Eric LeGrand Patriot Saint Foundation is dedicated to helping those with spinal cord injuries. Nike presented their Eric LeGrand Foundation game jersey for Tampa Bay fans who want to show their support and spirit for LeGrand on his long road to recovery. All of the proceeds of LeGrand's number 52 jerseys, which are on sale in the team shop, go to this foundation. His jersey will remain on sale regardless of LeGrand's team status; for now, LeGrand's role is to provide inspiration for his teammates and others.
The Rutgers Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the establishment of the Eric LeGrand Believe Fund to support him and his family. The Believe Fund's goal is to raise money to support the paralyzed player as he undergoes medical treatment for the injury he had against Army. The money will be used as the LeGrand family sees fit.
On July 30, 2013, it was announced that Rutgers would retire the No. 52 jersey worn by LeGrand. The ceremony occurred on September 14, 2013, at halftime of the Rutgers-Eastern Michigan game. It was the first number to be retired by Rutgers in the 144-year history of their program. It has been stated by Rutgers and LeGrand that when he is able to walk onto the field again, they will unretire the #52 and put it back into rotation for a worthy player.
On May 18, 2014, LeGrand received a degree in labor relations from Rutgers and was asked to speak to his fellow graduates at Rutgers' spring commencement exercises.
On October 16, 2016 (the sixth anniversary of his spinal cord injury),
Avenel, NJ's former Fifth District Park was rededicated in LeGrand's honor as "Eric LeGrand 'Believe' Park". The park is slated to be fully redesigned and updated with handicap-accessible playground equipment.
On March 13, 2017,
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
and media company
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
announced that LeGrand would receive the Warrior Award at the
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously i ...
ceremony on March 31, 2017. Since its introduction in 2015, the Warrior Award is given to "an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of
Ultimate Warrior".
Books
In both ''The Victorious Story of Eric LeGrand (Young Readers' Edition)'' and ''Believe: My Faith and the Tackle That Changed My Life'', he tells the story of how he is rebuilding his life, continuing his education, and pursuing a career in sports broadcasting. The book was published by
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...
in September 2012.
Family
LeGrand's mother is Karen LeGrand. He has a sister named Nicole LeGrand Harrigan, and his grandmother is Betty LeGrand.
See also
*
2010 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
The 2010 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Scarlet Knights were led by head coach Greg Schiano in his 10th season. They played their home games at Ru ...
*
Adam Taliaferro
Adam J. Taliaferro (born January 1, 1982) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 3rd district from 2015 to 2022. He is a former American football player whose recovery from a paralyzing spinal cord inj ...
*
Kevin Everett
*
Devon Walker
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:LeGrand, Eric
1990 births
Living people
Colonia High School alumni
People from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
Players of American football from New Jersey
Sportspeople from Middlesex County, New Jersey
American football defensive tackles
People with tetraplegia
Rutgers Scarlet Knights football announcers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights football players
WWE Warrior Award recipients