Former Rutgers Football player and one of the voices for the football team on the radio, Eric LeGrand, has earned another one of the highest honors the university can give, as he was inducted into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni during its ceremony on Thursday, April 26th.
LeGrand has meant so much to the university community. In 2010, he was paralyzed after an intense collision on kickoff return during a game that was held at MetLife Stadium. Despite his playing career being over,
LeGrand was determined not to let the injury affect the other goals he had in life. He was able to graduate from Rutgers in 2014 by completing his bachelor’s degree despite undergoing intense rehab throughout.
After his graduation, LeGrand went on to dip his hand in many things, becoming a motivational speaker, opening up LeGrand’s Coffee House, starting his Whiskey company, and establishing team LeGrand, a partnership program with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to fund spinal cord injury initiatives, all while being a major voice for Rutgers football on the radio.
“That’s the legacy I was to leave back, someone who was dealt a bad card but didn’t let that define him. I want to just tell people to believe in themselves and work hard. Adversity’s going to strike at any given moment in your life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t overcome it,” said LeGrand in a statement to MSN.
LeGrand has already earned many honors from the athletic department, such as having his jersey number retired and being inducted into the Rutgers Football Hall of Fame in 2020. He had also earned the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at ESPN’s ESPY Awards
He was nominated for induction by his former head coach and current Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano.
