Newsobserver.com: Wolfpack Start New Chapter

Wolfpack players start nonprofit chapter

BY J.P. GIGLIO - Staff Writer/ printed by the newsobserver.com

 

Wayne Crawford graduated from N.C. State in May and could have coasted through his final college football season.

The Wolfpack's backup center wanted to do more, though, not less. So Crawford, along with quarterback Mike Glennon and receiver T.J. Graham, started a chapter of Uplifting Athletes, a nonprofit agency that works with college football players to raise money to fight rare diseases.

"I'm not good at being lazy," said Crawford, who earned his degree in business administration.

Click here to find out more!

N.C. State's is one of nine chapters nationally, and three in the ACC, for Uplifting Athletes, which was started at Penn State eight years ago. Two years ago, Wolfpack players donated more than $7,500 to the Boston College chapter to help former Eagles linebacker Mark Herzlich in his fight against Ewing's Sarcoma.

Inspired by Wolfpack offensive coordinator Dana Bible and his fight with leukemia, Crawford and the N.C. State players decided to start their own chapter.

Bible was diagnosed with leukemia in November 2009 and missed two games that season before returning for spring practice on a limited basis in 2010.

"We felt helpless," Crawford said. "This became an avenue for us to do something."

Bible, 57, said the disease has been in remission for 13 months. He returned to a full-time schedule in the fall of 2010 and has been getting stronger but is still not back to where he was before the original diagnosis.

"I'm working really hard to get my strength back, which is a real challenge," said Bible, who's in his fifth season as an N.C. State assistant. "I'm much stronger, but I'm not me from two years ago yet. I feel really fortunate every day, and I'm just trying to make the most of it."

Bible said he's honored the players have decided to raise money for leukemia research.

"It's just really special that theywould think enough of my situation that they would do that," Bible said.

Glennon, who also graduated in the spring, said the decision to start the Uplifting Athletes chapter was easy, despite the extra responsibilities.

"We can all learn something from [coach Bible's] story," Glennon said.

Bible's perseverance through chemotherapy and gradual progress back to practice and the sidelines was an inspiration.

"Coach was a strong figure, even when he was going through every thing," Crawford said. "Not a lot of people did what he did and beat it."

The chapter, a recognized N.C. State student organization with a charter, is in the process of organizing events, such as a powerlifting competition called "Lift for Life" and a video-game challenge. They also hope to put together a golf tournament.

During the 2009 season, the players used their per diem (meal money given for each game of the season, about $15 each) to pool together about $2,000 to donate to Herzlich's cause.

This first year of the organization, Crawford said their goal is to raise at least $5,000.

jp.giglio@newsobserver.com or 919-829-8938