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PROVO - Each week a special individual is invited to the BYU practice facilities to be honored and to watch a BYU practice session. This week, Sam Harrison and his wife and son were invited to participate in the practice.
In February of 2008, Sam was injured in a snowboarding accident, breaking his neck and paralyzing him from the chest down. At the time, his son was only a month old.
"I remember a day in the hospital," Sam said. "I looked at my wife and just said, ‘It can't get worse than this; this is it.'"
Coach Bronco Mendenhall asked: "So what's it been like?" Sam said: "We've been through hell and gone through and seen the other side of it."
Sam revealed that his son was his biggest motivational factor helping him to work through his recovery.
"I had to have a reason to keep working," Sam said. "He was my reason."
The team invited Sam to sign the BYU flag that is flown before each game, asking him to hold to the same standards that the players do.
Coach Mendenhall asked Sam what his plans for the future were and Sam said: "I've got to raise my son to play some BYU football."
