Athlete Trades Broken Bones For Broken Records
Leach Not Sure He'd Walk Again After Crash
POSTED: 6:04 pm EST November 12,
2008
UPDATED: 6:53 pm EST November 12,
2008
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FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- From broken bones to broken records, a Framingham State College football player is setting new records on the field following a horrific motorcycle crash two-years ago nearly left him unable to walk.
Athlete Trades Broken Bones For Broken Records>NewsCenter 5's Jim Boyd reported that you might think he's just another third-year student on campus at Framingham State. But David Leach is a record-setting football running back with a miraculous story."I was thinking hopefully I could walk again. They told me I'd walk again with a limp the rest of my life," Leach said.Two years ago, Leach was in a serious crash. His motorcycle collided with an SUV. One of his legs was broken, so was his sternum, a lung was punctured and a shoulder separated."I was stuck in bed. I couldn't get out of bed on my own. People had to help me I was being wheel chaired around going to the mall," Leach said.Leach said he didn't know what to expect. Once he began his rehab, he just took things one step at a time."The physical therapist said, 'Maybe you'll be able to run.' I started running, and then I started lifting. I really wanted to get back into football again, so I pushed the envelope as far as I could go," Leach said.Not only did he push the envelope, with determination, he moved a mountain. This year with a metal rod in his leg and three screws in his hip and leg bone, he was back playing football."What impresses me the most about David is he doesn't take anything for granted anymore, which is something I feel a lot of kids do," teammate James McCarthy said. "Every game he's out there giving it his all, because you know it could be his last game."Leach ran for more than 1,000 yards this season -- something no other Framingham State player has ever done in the history of the school's football program.
Athlete Trades Broken Bones For Broken Records>NewsCenter 5's Jim Boyd reported that you might think he's just another third-year student on campus at Framingham State. But David Leach is a record-setting football running back with a miraculous story."I was thinking hopefully I could walk again. They told me I'd walk again with a limp the rest of my life," Leach said.Two years ago, Leach was in a serious crash. His motorcycle collided with an SUV. One of his legs was broken, so was his sternum, a lung was punctured and a shoulder separated."I was stuck in bed. I couldn't get out of bed on my own. People had to help me I was being wheel chaired around going to the mall," Leach said.Leach said he didn't know what to expect. Once he began his rehab, he just took things one step at a time."The physical therapist said, 'Maybe you'll be able to run.' I started running, and then I started lifting. I really wanted to get back into football again, so I pushed the envelope as far as I could go," Leach said.Not only did he push the envelope, with determination, he moved a mountain. This year with a metal rod in his leg and three screws in his hip and leg bone, he was back playing football."What impresses me the most about David is he doesn't take anything for granted anymore, which is something I feel a lot of kids do," teammate James McCarthy said. "Every game he's out there giving it his all, because you know it could be his last game."Leach ran for more than 1,000 yards this season -- something no other Framingham State player has ever done in the history of the school's football program. Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
