A belated happy birthday
If you've followed the Ravens over the last couple years, you probably know about O.J. Brigance's courageous fight against ALS (more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease).
Brigance, a former member of both the Ravens and the Baltimore Stallions, is now the Ravens' director of player development. He helps players with every aspect of their careers, from urging rookies to gain degrees to assisting them in planning for their days after football.
But he's also so much more.
Brigance has become a source of inspiration for head coach John Harbaugh's teams over the last two seasons, and he's been with them nearly every step of the way, even as his condition has worsened.
Yesterday was Brigance's 40th birthday, and his foundation, The Brigance Brigade, held a fundraising event last night called "Two Rings For O.J.". The title of the event stems from the fact that Brigance is the only player to have won a Super Bowl ring and a Grey Cup ring in the same city. All the money raised at the event benefited the charity, and I hear it was a fantastic night.
I posted this video last year after I saw the report on ESPN's Outside the Lines, but it's worth re-posting. If you're not familiar with O.J.'s story, or even if you are, it's a great piece and shows how Brigance has been able to impact so many people within the Ravens organization even as his health has deteriorated.
Here's wishing a happy birthday to O.J. Brigance, who despite his condition is one of the toughest, strongest men the Ravens have in their corner.
If you wish to find out more about Brigance's charity or make a donation, please go to http://www.brigancebrigade.org/
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Categories (click for archive)Dan Kolko | Ravens News |
My favorite OJ ever!
Did you see the Pats released Burgess? Any chance he'll make his way back?
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JZ,
Maybe at some point down the road, but not right now. The Ravens released Burgess because they wanted more depth at tight end, and so they signed Tony Curtis to fill that need. It's a possibility later on in the season if Burgess is still available and the coaches feel they need to improve special teams.
-Dan