Spartans' Parry inspires others

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Sometimes the situation is beyond explanation, just like the itching sensation or shooting pain in the lower part of a right leg that is no longer there.

Neil Parry's right leg was amputated following an Oct. 14, 2000, game. Advertiser library photo

He never asked for the attention or to be the wind beneath somebody's wings, but he won't shy away from fate's obligation. He understands it is a big deal, an inspiration even, for an amputee to play college football. Still, Parry will sometimes wonder: "How the heck did this happen? Can this be real? I still think to this day, 'Man, did that really happen?' "

It was three years ago — Oct. 14, 2000, to be precise — when a teammate landed on his right knee, causing a compound fracture. He was rushed to Stanford Medical Center, but at some point — either on the field or in the hospital — the wound became grossly infected.

Later, as the infection spread, he was asked if he would approve a procedure to amputate 18 inches below his right knee. "At first I said, 'That's out the door, that's not going to happen,' " he recalled. "But the infection started taking over and it became more serious each day. It became, 'There's a chance you could die.' That pretty much helped me make up my mind."

In the weeks after the amputation, he recalled thinking: "Is this my life now? It was bizarre. Before every game, every football player is told, 'This could be your last game, you've got to give it all you've got.' They listen to it, but they're not taking it in. I was the same way. I thought, 'I'm not going to get hurt.' I was 20. That was the first time I ever got hurt. I never even sprained an ankle in a game. I guess my first one was a good one."

"For a while, it seemed like that was my life," he said. "I felt like that was all I did. Going into surgery every few weeks was a regular occurrence."

During his rehabilitation, he set short-term goals of walking, then walking up stairs, then playing golf, then playing pick-up basketball. "I started thinking, 'If I can run, why can't I play football?'"

Why not, said Spartan coach Fitz Hill, who allowed Parry to attend practices.

The initial problem was finding a proper prosthetic. After several experiments, one was found. Then Parry insisted that he earn a berth on the active roster.

"I didn't want to go in for one play or as a token gesture," he said. "I didn't want to take a spot away from somebody who — I don't know the word for it — somebody who could do better."

In the fourth game this season, Parry returned to the field, serving as a blocker on a kickoff return. "It was exciting," he said.

He said his return provided a boost for his family, for a 9-year-old boy in the Bay Area who wants to play football, for a girl in Wisconsin whose leg was amputated after a car accident, for a 16-year-old girl who has cancer in her foot.

"I don't think I'm doing anything special except showing everybody my character," he said of his return. "I'm just being me. That was the big reason I decided to come back. You're only allowed four years to play. I wanted to finish my football career. That's my goal, to finish what I started."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.