An Inspirational Sports Story for the Ages
April 9, 2009 by admin
Filed under football, the latest
Carl Joseph was born without a left leg. Raised in poverty in a single mom household, he grew up in north Flordia on a tobacco farm, the fourth of 10 children. Faced with obstacles most of us can only imagine, Carl didn’t let himself be discouraged. Sports provided a platform for him to excel.
In high school, Carl played basketball, football and track — all done without the aid of his prosthesis. In basketball, he swatted opponents’ shots into the stands and could dunk at just 6’1″ tall. In football, as a captain and starter, he played nose tackle on defense and hopped to make tackles. In one game, he had 11 tackles. He even played college football at Bethune Cookman College. In track, he once high jumped 5’10″ high. Nicknamed “Sugarfoot,” Carl was also an honors student.
Carl traces his inspirational sports story roots back to his mother. He said, “My mama never felt sorry for me, and I never felt sorry for myself. Believe you can do it and Christ does the rest.” Recently, the Florida High School Athletic Association inducted Carl into the Hall of Fame. Carl’s statement included this line, “A one-legged athlete in the Hall of Fame gives hope to disabled people that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and never quit.”
Perhaps former NFL star Dan Dierdorf summarized Carl’s abilities the best when he called him, “the most amazing athlete I’ve ever seen.”
ENJOY THIS VIDEO (Includes footage of Carl playing nose tackle)
To read more on Carl, including what he’s doing now, check out www.greatsportstory.com
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Incredible!
AMAZING !!
Great Inspirational Story which I plan to share within the Squash Faternity especially for the benefit of my students in Delhi, Noida, Chennai, Allahabad and Kanpur.
Every story in sports has a lesson but such stories can not just inspire people but also get them to accept life in whatever form it unfolds for them.
Check this out on http://www.squash4iitkanpur.wordpress.com & http://www.sports4healthunlimited.wordpress.com soon
Attitude is everything. Thanks for reminding me.