Fifteen years ago, O.J Brigance came to Baltimore as a football player few had heard of. He bolstered the defense of the Baltimore Stallions, a CFL powerhouse for two seasons, from 1994 to 1995. The team made it to the championship game in it’s first year of existence, and then went on to with the Grey Cup in it’s second year. Brigance became a name that people throughout Baltimore recognized, as his strong passion and play as a linebacker for the CFL champs did not go unnoticed by football fans that had been deprived of a local team for over a decade. His high caliber of play in 1995 earned him All-Star honors, and while the Stallions moved on to Montreal, O.J.’s defensive reign hung true in the hearts and minds of Baltimore football fans.

Brigance’s play didn’t go unnoticed by the NFL either; The very next year, O.J. found himself in the NFL, playing for the Miami Dolphins. While his role consisted mainly of special teams opportunities, Brigance was able to maintain a constant stay in the NFL, and played four consecutive seasons with the Dolphins before generating interest from other teams. Part of the reason he was so well received in the Miami area also had to do with his involvement in the community. He had a hand in Habitat for Humanity and, while playing his last season for the Dolphins in 1999, the NFL recognized Brigance’s off the field work by giving him the Unsung Hero award, an honor they save for the athletes they feel show a motivation to make good on their ability to influence others outside of the league.

In 2000, Brigance found his way back to Baltimore, this time signing a contract with the Ravens. His

timing proved beneficial, and once again a Baltimore football squad provided O.J. with the chance to experience another championship run, this time allowing him to make an appearance in the Superbowl. It didn’t take long for his impact to be felt; O.J. made the very first tackle of the game, off the opening kickoff. Brigance showed his worth as a special teams player during his one season as a Raven, and his play warranted other opportunities around the league.

While Brigance only played for two more years, spending time with the St. Louis Rams and the New England Patriots, it wasn’t due to a voluntary want to quit the game he loved to be a part of. Near the end of his career, Brigance was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease wears down on the nervous system, causing a person to become weak to the point where walking becomes too difficult to attempt and speech is almost impossible . It is inevitably fatal, and unfortunately, there is no way to cure it.

With most people, any diagnosis of this disease would be devastating. There would be nothing more heart-breaking then to be told that your career is over, your life has become severely limited, and there is nothing anybody can do to help. Brigance’s life had skyrocketed as he made a name as well as a paycheck playing the game he loved more than anything else. For that to come crashing down as quickly as the words left the doctor’s mouth must have been one of the most horrible experiences that anybody could imagine.

But O.J. proved that he was not just anybody. During his entire career, he had to work extra hard to achieve goals, create opportunities, and become an asset for any football team to give him a chance. He was undrafted out of college, and started his work in the CFL, eventually gaining recognition as an outstanding special teams player and an even better human being. There was no way he was ready to give that life up so easily.

While he had earned awards throughout his career for his work in the community, Brigance continued his involvement in the NFL off of the field by becoming the Ravens’ Director of Player Development. His motivational speeches and positive attitude towards life and the game of football have inspired players throughout the NFL. Here, current Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo talks with Brigance about his situation.

In April of 2008, ESPN ran a story on Brigance’s struggle with ALS and his continued inspirational push to make people aware of Lou Gehrig’s disease, as well as his amazing contributions to the community of Baltimore and the NFL, even as his physical condition decreases. Personally, it was an eye-opening story, one that shows a man that has been so strong on the field, and continues that drive even after most people would have folded. I’ve posted a link to it at the bottom of this page, and I encourage everybody to watch it. Even in the short period of time  between the two videos, you can see the toll the disease has taken on Brigance’s ability to do everyday activities such as speak and walk.

The reason why this story seems appropriate now is because the Ravens have recently announced the retirement of the number 57, O.J.’s former number. While Bart Scott most recently wore the number, he has since moved on to the Jets, and the number has been made unavailable for anybody else. Just a few weeks after a small (unrelated) controversy appeared over rookies wearing the jersey numbers of certain former players, it all seems minor compared to the small effort the Ravens’ organization is making by honoring the number of a player that has been so important to the team and the city of Baltimore. Brigance has been diagnosed with a terrible disease, and his struggle must be tougher than anything he ever faced on the gridiron, but his push to continue with the things he loves the most are what it really means to go above and beyond the call of duty as a professional athlete, but more importantly, as a human being that cares so much about others.