Full story at Scout.com by Adam Jardy
There were plenty of worthy candidates to be the last player recognized on senior day, but this year's choice was a no-brainer. Former walk-on Tyson Gentry has been inspiring his teammates during his tenure at Ohio State, and senior day gave the Buckeye faithful a chance to show Gentry their appreciation.
As 105,564 fans rose to their collective feet at Ohio Stadium, one young man remained seated.
Nov. 22 was senior day for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the team’s seniors were being recognized for their contributions to the program. Each senior, from the unheralded walk-ons to the captains, was announced to the crowd and received applause as he headed to the Tunnel of Pride to meet first with head coach Jim Tressel and then with his family members.
But after eventual Thorpe Award winner Malcolm Jenkins and three-time AP All-American James Laurinaitis ran across the field, the final member of the team’s senior class was introduced.
And as Tyson Gentry wheeled his way from the south end zone toward the tunnel, the former walk-on who suffered a freak injury during the spring of 2006 and is still fighting to regain the ability to walk was treated to a standing ovation from the OSU faithful.
The reception brought a slight tear to the fifth-year senior’s eye.
“I could definitely feel the emotion, but once they announced my name and I was going toward the Tunnel of Pride it was definitely a little emotional to think of all the previous players and everything,” Gentry told BuckeyeSports.com. “It was just a very emotional day overall.”
Gentry’s senior day experience actually began some time before the team’s annual date with arch-rival Michigan. When the day’s activities were being planned several weeks prior, the Buckeye coaching staff had a tough choice on its hands.
Gentry fell awkwardly after being hit by a teammate during spring practice in 2006. He was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a broken C-4 vertebra and needed two surgeries – one from the front and one from the back – to fuse his C-3 and C-5 vertebrae together and insert titanium plates for stability.
He was discharged in late July and has since been on the road to recovery. A source of inspiration to his teammates, Gentry attends all team functions and is treated as a full member of the team.
“He’s always in the weight room working out, he’s always in the locker room driving around and in practice he’s out there rolling around,” OSU senior defensive tackle Nader Abdallah said. “I joke around with him all the time, telling him to go out there and make a play. It’s just stuff like that that really keeps me going.”
The entire senior day experience made Gentry grateful for all the support he has received during his five years as a Buckeye. At the team’s annual banquet, he brought home the Bo Rein Most Inspirational Player Award.
“I’m definitely very thankful for people’s thoughts and prayers,” he said. “It really means a lot. The amount of respect and everything else that people has given me has been very meaningful to me. It’s nice that people care so much.”
Gentry’s therapy is progressing, but there remains no prognosis for when – or if – he will ever walk again. Although many were hoping for a miracle to occur and for Gentry to rise out of his wheelchair and walk across the turf at Ohio Stadium on senior day, the man himself was not disappointed in the final outcome.
“I don’t really focus on that,” he said. “Granted, that’s what I’m pretty much going to therapy for, to get out of the chair one day, but at the same time I’m not focusing on that. Just because it’s not there doesn’t mean that I’m always thinking about it.”
With an attitude like that, Gentry has already succeeded in Tressel’s eyes.
“I know his future will be filled with making a difference in people’s lives,” Tressel said. “He has handled his tough situation with great strength, and I have already seen his ability to share that strength with others. He is an exceptional person.”
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