[Excelsior]

This is one of the most inspirational stories I have ever seen, so I thought I'd share it with you guys, especially since not all of us follow American football closely.



In 2008, Mark Herzlich was easily one of the best linebackers in the nation, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a projected first-round NFL draft pick whenever he decided to leave. The guy was a tackling machine.



Then disaster-prior to the 2009 season, Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a very rare and very deadly bone cancer. This cost him his senior season, and many expected, in a best case scenario, that he would never to walk, much less play football again. Things looked pretty bad-though he looked like a surefire future millionaire NFL star a year before, now pro football was definitely out of the question.



But Herzlich wasn't done. Fast forward 6 months, and Herzlich is already talking about coming back for one more year in 2010. He's beating a deadly disease-people can't believe it. Pre-Season camp comes, and people are shocked to see that Herzlich has put his weight back on and showed up ready to play.





Dude comes back in 2010 and puts in an all-american type of year. It seemed like a miracle.

Now he can think of an NFL career again. However, bad news strikes here: he does not get selected in the NFL draft in 2011. Again, remember that before the cancer he had been a surefire first round pick. Now NFL teams didn't even think him worth ANY pick.



Herzlich still isn't done. He signs an undrafted free agent contract with the New York Giants. Against the odds (undrafted guys only occasionally make rosters as rookies-90% of them get cut), he somehow fights his way onto the team. During the season, he beats the odds again and gets significant playing time.





Now his team will be playing in the Super Bowl this weekend. Herzlich went from his death bed to Super Bowl linebacker in just a two year span. This was his tweet today:



Stories like this are great for putting our (relatively easy and mundane) lives in perspective. There's very little one can't overcome.

[Only One Man]

Damn I vaguely remember hearing about this. What a fucking badass. Imagine how weak he must have become and how much he had to put in to get his strength and size back to that of an elite athlete. This is why nobody has any excuse to be a fat tub of shit (unless they have a legit medical condition) and nobody should bitch and whine about their minor first-world problems.

[Hencredible Casanova]

Amazing.

[Luckystar]

Great story.

The art of the comeback. Story of my life.

[raliv]

Respected this guy for a long time. Very inspired by this guy and hope he walks away a champion this Sunday.

[canucktraveller]

Great story. It's amazing what the human body can do

(01-31-2012 01:05 AM)Only One Man Wrote:  

Damn I vaguely remember hearing about this. What a fucking badass. Imagine how weak he must have become and how much he had to put in to get his strength and size back to that of an elite athlete. This is why nobody has any excuse to be a fat tub of shit (unless they have a legit medical condition) and nobody should bitch and whine about their minor first-world problems.

I know two chicks with a legit thyroid disorder (the usual fat excuse) they are among the fittest people I know, I think the only people with an excuse are the mentally disabled.

[Timoteo]

Lance Armstrong's story rivals this. He had testicular cancer, which had also spread to his lungs, brain and abdomen I believe. When he was first diagnosed, he was coughing up blood and had a huge testicular tumor - he had to have immediate emergency surgery and chemo or he'd have died right there. The odds of survival were very low for him, but he made it back and won 7 straight Tour de France's. Even with the doping accusations, that's pretty amazing. Other than Herzlich and Armstrong, I can't think of another athlete that came back from a disease that came close to killing them to performing at all, let alone at a high level.

[Tuthmosis]

Great story, but this is probably the Greatest Athletic Comeback Story Ever:

[Luckystar]

(01-31-2012 05:59 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  

Great story, but this is probably the Greatest Athletic Comeback Story Ever:

Tuth, I'm a HUGE Lakers fan and that Lakers-Blazers Game 7 might very well be the greatest comeback...

BUT the most soul crushing loss I've ever seen was Game 4 of 2008 NBA Finals. Celtics came back from 24pts down and basically won the series. It was a nightmare second half. Simply soul crushing. You could make a case for the Celtics (I hate their guts).