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Before May 14, 2009, Mark Herzlich was a very normal college student. He was preparing for his senior season at Boston College. In 2008, as a junior, Herzlich was a first-team All-American linebacker and ACC Defensive Player of the Year. But on that day in May 2009, Herzlich was informed by his doctor that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer known as Ewing’s sarcoma.
Upon hearing the news, Mark had this to say,
Obviously, I was shocked. I had been extremely focused on preparing for my senior season at Boston College and for life beyond that. Now, I must channel all that energy into facing my toughest opponent yet, and that is exactly what I will do. . . . At this point, I do not know what this means for my football future, but I am determined to rid my body of this disease so that I can put that uniform back on. Thank you in advance for your prayers and concern. Together, we will fight this and win.
On October 3, 2009, while on the set of ESPN’s College Gameday, Herzlich publicly announced that his doctors were 99% sure that the cancer was gone. He sat out the remainder of the 2009 season, and retained his senior eligibility for 2010. When he returned to the field in the fall of 2010, Herzlich couldn’t quite maintain his All-American play from two years prior, but he felt he had done enough to get drafted into the NFL and make a name for himself in the pros. Sadly, Mark didn’t here his name called over the course of the seven-round NFL draft. As such, he then had to wait for the league’s lockout to be resolved before deciding where to take his career.
The day after the lockout ended, it was announced that Herzlich would sign with the New York Giants, in an attempt to make the team out of training camp as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Over the course of four preseason games with the Giants, Herzlich totaled six tackles, one sack, one pass defended, one interception, and one forced fumble. Over the course of four games in a backup role, that’s not too shabby. So much so that yesterday, when NFL teams had to cut down their rosters to the final 53 players, it was announced that Herzlich had made the Giants final roster.
It’s a feel good story for the ages, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a Mark Herzlich inspired movie in the near future. Hopefully Taylor Lautner is not involved.
Nick Holtzman
Ology.com
---
Great feel good story of a kid that would not let cancer get him down - wil..
Before May 14, 2009, Mark Herzlich was a very normal college student. He was preparing for his senior season at Boston College. In 2008, as a junior, Herzlich was a first-team All-American linebacker and ACC Defensive Player of the Year. But on that day in May 2009, Herzlich was informed by his doctor that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer known as Ewing’s sarcoma.
Upon hearing the news, Mark had this to say,
Obviously, I was shocked. I had been extremely focused on preparing for my senior season at Boston College and for life beyond that. Now, I must channel all that energy into facing my toughest opponent yet, and that is exactly what I will do. . . . At this point, I do not know what this means for my football future, but I am determined to rid my body of this disease so that I can put that uniform back on. Thank you in advance for your prayers and concern. Together, we will fight this and win.
On October 3, 2009, while on the set of ESPN’s College Gameday, Herzlich publicly announced that his doctors were 99% sure that the cancer was gone. He sat out the remainder of the 2009 season, and retained his senior eligibility for 2010. When he returned to the field in the fall of 2010, Herzlich couldn’t quite maintain his All-American play from two years prior, but he felt he had done enough to get drafted into the NFL and make a name for himself in the pros. Sadly, Mark didn’t here his name called over the course of the seven-round NFL draft. As such, he then had to wait for the league’s lockout to be resolved before deciding where to take his career.
The day after the lockout ended, it was announced that Herzlich would sign with the New York Giants, in an attempt to make the team out of training camp as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Over the course of four preseason games with the Giants, Herzlich totaled six tackles, one sack, one pass defended, one interception, and one forced fumble. Over the course of four games in a backup role, that’s not too shabby. So much so that yesterday, when NFL teams had to cut down their rosters to the final 53 players, it was announced that Herzlich had made the Giants final roster.
It’s a feel good story for the ages, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a Mark Herzlich inspired movie in the near future. Hopefully Taylor Lautner is not involved.
Nick Holtzman
Ology.com
---
Great feel good story of a kid that would not let cancer get him down - wil..
