Say it with me, Career Over. http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news/ap/20030104/ap-miami-mcgahee.html Miami star running tears knee ligaments By MARK LONG, AP Sports Writer January 4, 2003 PHOENIX (AP) -- Willis McGahee's professional career will have to wait. Miami's All-American running back tore three ligaments in his left knee against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and will have reconstructive surgery, assistant coach Don Soldinger said Saturday. The injury means McGahee, a sophomore who was expected to turn pro and was widely projected to be the first running back taken in April's NFL draft, will return to Miami and try to recover in time for next season. It won't be easy. He tore the anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his knee early in the fourth quarter Friday night, Soldinger said. McGahee will have surgery Sunday, but rehabilitation could sideline him for all or part of next season. Teammate Frank Gore tore two ligaments in his knee last March, began running five months later but still hasn't returned to full-contact practice. McGahee has nearly eight months before Miami's season opener at Louisiana Tech. ``He'll come back,'' Soldinger said. ``He's that type of guy, a competitor, a hard-worker. I've seen it over and over again. If he stays positive and works hard -- he's down in the dumps right now -- he'll come back. He has an unbelievable work ethic combined with tremendous talent. You can't go wrong that way.'' McGahee, a 6-foot-1, 224-pound Miami native, ran for a school-record 1,686 yards and 27 touchdowns this season and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, the Doak Walker Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year award. Not bad for a guy who played fullback in the 2002 Rose Bowl and began spring practice behind Gore on the depth chart. He worked out every day this summer, sometimes pulling trucks with a harness, and became one of the strongest players on the team. It could help him during rehab. McGahee injured his knee with 11:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, taking a screen pass from Ken Dorsey on third-and-10 from the Ohio State 35 and getting hit by Will Allen for a 2-yard loss. McGahee had to be helped from the field and was in severe pain for much of the night, coaches said. ``That's more tragic than losing the national title,'' offensive line coach Art Kehoe said. ``That kid is so tough and meant so much to our team. To be so close to the end of the game. He was really starting to crank when he got hurt. Those things happen. He's got to be devastated. You just imagine what's going through his head.'' McGahee carried eight times for 42 yards after halftime, including an impressive, 9-yard touchdown run that cut Ohio State's lead to 17-14 with about two minutes left in the third quarter, and finished with 20 carries for 67 yards. Jarrett Payton ran eight times for 17 yards off the bench, but Miami really missed McGahee with the game on the line. Trailing 31-24 in the second overtime, the Hurricanes had first-and-goal at the 2. Payton ran for a yard, Dorsey threw incomplete and fullback Quadtrine Hill ran for no gain -- prompting Miami to throw on fourth down. Dorsey got hit as he threw a fluttering pass that fell incomplete. ``I would have liked to have a healthy Willis McGahee on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1,'' Soldinger said. ``I'd give it to him. You'd think he'd make it.'' The worst injury since Theisman's.
That is BEYOND nasty. You have to feel for the guy. And the NFL loses someone on the road to being a great back.
Something (besides the horrible picture) makes me thing there's more damage there than just the ligaments. When I tore mine, the doctor told me that I should wait a week or two before the reconstruction to get the swelling down. If they are going to do the surgery tomorrow, something makes me think this is an emergency case that they need to go in so early (i.e Robert Edwards).
Ugh. I can't get that image out of my head now. Reminds me of that Raider's running back who never played again. Who was that guy? Hope McG is okay, but I wouldn't bank on him playing again.
Napoleon McCallum. www.usna.com/Whatsnew/2002/McCallum.htm I hope Willis plays and plays well at Miami next year.
That's what the majority of Miami fans at the place we were watching the game were saying last night as well.
yea, but he'll be back. If Robert Edwards can come back, so can McGahee although he won't dominate like he was going to but he can still have an effective career.
Here's the post I made last night: Not directed at anyone cause a lot of people were speculating career over last night, but without medical knowledge it's useless and as you can see offensive to Miami fans.
