OLD-SCHOOL WHEELING

This article was published in The Phoenix on August 18, 2006..


“You Just Can’t Fall into the Norm of You Just Can’t Do This” Football season is here, and with it comes an inspiring story of overcoming a disability.

 Julian Peterson plays linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks. In fact, he just signed as a free agent this season, after spending 6 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2000, selected 16th overall. At 6’3 and 235 lbs. Julian has been pigeon-holed before in his football career, told he was too small to play defensive line, yet too big to play cornerback. He finally found his niche at linebacker, and has played so well - he even made the Pro Bowl. All of this from a guy who was called “too dumb” in school while growing up.

 Julian has a learning disability, once which has affected him from childhood. He couldn’t understand why he continued to do poorly in middle school, high school and even in junior college. He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t remember things like statistics and facts. His short-term memory was poor, and even though he studied hard, he couldn’t make the transition to exams and quizzes. In fact, his SAT score was so low, he was forced to attend a junior college. He did eventually earn an associate’s degree in business and entered Michigan State on a football scholarship. But his grades continued to be low. In fact, during his first semester at Michigan State, he failed all but one of his classes. His GPA was a dismal 0.7.

 Finally, he was diagnosed with a form of dyslexia, after going so many years of being called “too dumb.” Julian eventually learned to manage his disability, with help from counselors and professors at Michigan State. But even after he decided to leave school early to pursue his dream of playing professional football, his disability continued to haunt him. All rookies are required to take a quiz called the Wonderlich Test - a 50 question exam about things unrelated to football, supposedly to test a player’s mental abilities. Again, he scored low on the test, and many NFL scouts were wondering if he could handle the complexities of professional football.

 Julian proved them wrong. He wasn’t “too dumb’ after all. His ultimate goal is to return to Michigan State to earn the 20 remaining credits to graduate. “There are all sorts of people doing extraordinary things,” he states. “You just can’t fall into the norm of you can’t do this.”

 Another great example of doing the best you can with what you have is the story of Steve Sepack from Ohio. Steve was driving 70 mph on a motocross track 8 years ago when he collided head- on with another driver. The crash completely destroyed both bikes. Steve suffered a lacerated liver, bruised kidney, had his spleen removed, plus he lost use of one arm. The other driver died at the scene of the crash. Steve was placed in an induced coma for 14 days, because he also sustained life-threatening head injuries as well.

 When he awoke from the coma, he lost most of his memory, and had to relearn simple things again. Months of grueling rehabilitation followed Today Steve is a 33-year-old senior at Wright State University, pursuing a degree in engineering.

“I like to do things to help people, to make things easier for people,” he states. Steve is a soon-to-be patent holder for a device of his own creation: the one-handed wheelbarrow. Steve has learned to use his engineering skills to help others. His accident taught him empathy and compassion, and he has merged these feelings with his education. He hopes to earn a business degree at Ohio State University in the future. Another great lesson, not to give up, no matter what.