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hard work in and the time, look at him now. We played with him, were on that field with him, and he's one of 32 GMs now, just a great story." It is that. Grigson comes from humble beginnings. Raised by a single mom in Highland, Ind., he faced the adversity of not having a father after his dad died when Ryan was only 8. He was recruited, although not heavily, and became part of Fred Akers' final class in 1990, battling for a chance to play as a tight end in those early years. A coaching change, as Jim Colletto was hired as the new Purdue boss, brought doubt about whether he'd have a chance to become a starter. After he did earn a spot on the offensive line in 1992, it nearly come crashing down by injury. Early in the season, Grigson was the victim of a hit vs. Minnesota that left him — as he would learn later — with kidney failure and pancreatitis and, later, pneumonia. Although the injury resulted in a five-week stay in the hospital, the first two weeks in intensive care, he feels it helped shape his future. "I just knew from the get-go that I wasn't invincible," said Grigson, who received the Drew Brees Mental Toughness Award at a National Football Foundation dinner at Purdue in early June. "When you're 20 years old and you're 290 pounds and can bench press a lot of weight and squat a lot of weight, you've put in all the hours to become a starter at an early age, you don't feel like anything can happen to you. "So it kind of took that away from me and made me realize what was important. Yeah, it was serious. It was a life-threatening injury and they said if I wasn't 20 years old, I wouldn't be here. My youth really was what, they said, kept me alive because I was so young and in such good shape." Grigson took months to recover fully. He dropped out of school that semester, due to missing the month-plus in the hospital, and returned home. Those early rehab workouts included homework, so to speak, as he'd walk the neighborhood with his mom. Even that was a challenge. He'd do some aerobics, too. PLAYING ON SUNDAYS The following is a look at former Boilermakers on rosters this summer in the NFL. Dallas Cowboys #8 QB Kyle Orton #93 LB Anthony Spencer Denver Broncos #89 WR Greg Orton #95 LB Shaun Phillips New England Patriots #90 LB Niko Koutouvides #50 DE Rob Ninkovich New York Giants #2 WR Keith Carlos #8 QB Curtis Painter San Diego Chargers #61 C Nick Hardwick #36 CB Josh Johnson Seattle Seahawks #56 DE Cliff Avril #5 PK Carson Wiggs Tennessee Titans #66 OT Mike Otto #31 SS Bernard Pollard Arizona Cardinals #6 QB Caleb TerBush Carolina Panthers #68 DT Kawann Short Chicago Bears #86 TE Kyle Adams Green Bay Packers #96 DE/LB Mike Neal Indianapolis Colts #62 C Rick Schmeig Jacksonville Jaguars #77 RG Uche Nwaneri Miami Dolphins #81 TE Dustin Keller Minnesota Vikings #53 LB Stanford Keglar New Orleans Saints #9 QB Drew Brees New York Jets #38 DB Royce Adams Philadelphia Eagles #67 OL Dennis Kelly Tampa Bay Buccaneers #49 LB Joe Holland Washington Redskins #91 LB Ryan Kerrigan TWIN CITY DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com 650 Sagamore Parkway South Lafayette, IN 47905 See the 2013 Jeep Wrangler! 800-562-4581 twincitysuperstore.com Gold and Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 6 • 81