A Pregame Visit Inspires the Huskies
For many Washington players, their most emotional Rose Bowl moment happened before they set foot on the field.
That was when their paralyzed teammate, Curtis Williams, met with them in the locker room. The 22-year-old senior safety had suffered a severe spinal-cord injury Oct. 28 while making a tackle in a game at Stanford and since has been paralyzed from the neck down.
As Williams sat in a wheelchair, some players came over and kissed him on the forehead. Others kissed his cheek. Several cried.
“That was the most beautiful face I’d seen all year,” Husky tailback Braxton Cleman said. “He inspired us.”
“You might say it was pretty emotional to see him there with his teammates,” said David Williams, who accompanied his brother to the game along with a respiratory therapist, an emergency nurse and three paramedics. “But I think it lifts his spirits to know he can get out of the hospital and continue his life.”
It was only the second time since suffering the injury that Williams has ventured from Valley Medical Center in San Jose, and the first time without his doctors. He was flown from San Jose to Burbank and taken to the stadium by ambulance, then watched the game, as honorary captain, from the press box.
“It was pretty easy; I slept most of the way,” Williams said in a media release provided by Washington’s sports information staff. Doctors have advised against any exposure to the media for Williams.
Immediately after the game, Williams was to be flown back to San Jose, where he will continue his rehabilitation in hopes of returning home to Fresno in February.
Williams’ ability to talk is improving, his brother said, although he needs help breathing and is unable to make any significant movements below the neck except twitching his chest muscles. Listed at 5 feet 10 and 200 pounds in the Husky media guide, Williams has reportedly lost 40 pounds since the injury.
“There’s really not a whole lot of rehab as far as getting him back to strength or anything,” his brother said. “It’s basically getting him to deal with society with the limitations he has.”
The seventh of eight children, Williams was a standout running back at Fresno’s Bullard High before moving to defensive back for the Huskies. He was the team’s third-leading tackler with 69 last season and was No. 3 again when he was injured. He was regarded as one of the team’s hardest hitters, although his fateful collision against Stanford--a tackle of running back Kerry Carter--appeared unremarkable.
Washington coaches have made a habit of visiting Williams at the hospital every week. A handful of players have made the trip too, and Athletic Director Barbara Hedges stopped by to see him last week.
Husky players finished the season wearing a small emblem bearing Williams’ initials on the upper left side of their jerseys. A Seattle radio station distributed 25,000 stickers with Williams’ No. 25.
After the Huskies’ 34-24 victory, a tight group of players at midfield was jumping up and down, chanting, “C Dub,” in honor of Williams.
David Williams said his brother has felt the support and love.
“There are good days and bad days,” David Williams said. “Some days he’s real emotional. Other days he’s just kind of the same kid. It’s been real tough on him, it has. But he’s come to a point where he’s basically coming to peace with things. But he’s still got a long road.”
