SPORTS When Sports is Life or Death

By Steve Lawrence

It is amazing how the Damar Hamlin saga has exploded into far more than a sports story. For some, the focus is the brotherhood that exists among sports teams – indeed, across the entire fraternity of football players. Others see the power of prayer as the central theme. Others point to the fact that donations to Hamlin's charity have blown up, and embrace that tragedy can bring out the best in us.

I am very happy for Damar, but his near-death experience brings back such sad memories from 2004, when Cornell lacrosse player George Boiardi, - like Hamlin - took a blow to the chest, andunlike Damar - died on the field.

My friend Mike Kelly, who does volunteer work with veterans and has gained much insight in doing so, pointed out that “Many of those players probably have military-grade PTSD.” He is right about that, and that makes me even more grateful that Damar survived. It also brings to mind a poignant quote I once heard: from the legendary Vince Lombardi: “People say football is a contact sport. No… dancing is a contact sport. Football is a collision sport.”

I have very clear memories about the death of George Boiardi. I did not know George, I was not at the game, but some good friends were there, and some of them were the guys on the field working diligently to restore his heart beat. While on some level they had to know they were not at fault, and that they were doing all the right things within seconds after George went down, the experience still haunted them, and in some ways, still does.

It was brought to my attention that our community experienced another such loss more than a half-century ago, thanks to an email from Art Brooks, who informed us that “In 1968, Ithaca had a somewhat similar situation to what happened to Buffalo's Damar Hamlin on Monday night. Brian Truhn, a running back, took a hit, was on a bench and then taken to the hospital and died.” Even after 55 years, the imagery still haunts Brooks, as he wrote, “I was on the sideline and still can see him sprawled out, on his back on a rickety green bench.”

Truhn, who was a 21 year-old senior playing in his first season, was born in Sidney, NY, and he was, according to the archives of the Oneonta Star, “...a graduate of Unatego High School, student at Ithaca College and formerly noted area High School athlete who was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.” It is a great honor to his legacy that a scholarship in his memory carries on good works today. According to the Ithaca College website, “The Brian Truhn '69 Scholarship is awarded to a student in the Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, Health Promotion and Physical Education, Sport Management and Media, or Recreation and Leisure Studies who plans to pursue a career in coaching. Rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors may apply.” More info can be found at www.ithaca.edu

The Mario St. George Foundation also seeks to keep a young athlete's legacy alive, as the organization's mission statement says, “The seeds of the Boiardi Foundation were planted shortly after George's tragic death. His peers were inspired by the child literacy work George had done in the Ithaca, NY, community, and his pursuit of a position with Teach For America South Dakota was emblematic of his commitment to helping others. In April of 2005 his peers launched a fundraiser on behalf of the Ithaca Family Reading Partnership, and a second event benefiting Teach for America was held in January of 2006. The Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation was formally established in 2007 to unify and expand upon those efforts, and to honor George's legacy by pursuing our mission of "Providing Opportunities for Future Leaders." That link is www.boiardifoundation.org.