Nick McTague's Knee Injury

by Nick McTague
(Cabot,Arkansas)

The thing about this injury is how it took place. My Sophomore year, about 5 minutes from it actually happening, my friend said " Nick if we don't get hurt we can play college ball anywhere we want." irony is a killer. The coach is chewing us out in practice, telling us we are not hustling enough. So i wanted to bust my a** the next play, playing middle linebacker i ran sideways to meet the toss. Somehow the fullback hit our cornerback in the back sending him flying forward, right into the side of my fully extended left leg. Lets just say my leg got folded like a lawn chair, sideways. I didnt know the severity of my injury, so i got up to walk it off. Then the pain kicked in, felt like a blow torch was inside my knee and i fell back down. My quads and calf started to spaz out, i wanted to cry and kill someone at the same time. I got helped to my feet and said i was OK, while walking off the practice grass field i manage to step in a little pot hole and my whole knee gave way inwards and thats' when i knew it was bad.
Long story short, got a MRI and managed to tear the ACL completely, grade 3 tear on the MCL( which is probably what hurt so dang bad), Meniscus torn, and PCL had been stretched. Every dream i had in football at that moment got left in that doctor's office. So i watched my team and my friends i had played with since i was 11years old from the sidelines for the first time in my life. It angered me, and made me so mad that everything had been taken in a matter of a second. So i had to come back stronger, faster, and harder.
Injury happened 10/10/06 i was coming back 5/1/07 for spring football fully recovered. Surgery was a great time, rehab was amazing. Worked my tail off more than any other time in my life. First clocked forty, 4.69 5 months off surgery. My senior year went on to play in the Arkansas High school Football All-Star game. Do not let any person tell you something can not be done, just prove them wrong.