Darryl Stingley (1951-2007)
Long before the days of Super Bowl glory, when the Patriots were simply trying to survive, they had built a core of very talented young players for whom the sky was the limit. Among them was a kid from Chicago, a graceful pass catcher with speed to burn. On a certain night in California in 1978, during an utterly meaningless exhibition game, he reached high into the air to catch a pass and by the time he fell to the ground his body was irretrievably broken.

I choose not to remember Darryl as an unfortunate victim of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I’ll remember him as a dynamic athlete whose spirit remained beautiful and unbroken despite a horrible tragedy. People shook their heads in sadness over what was lost rather than taking inspiration from a courageous man who refused to quit.