"Night after night, Eric LeGrand would drift to sleep in the hospital room that had become his temporary home. But the glow emanating from Greg Schiano's laptop provided a reminder that he was never alone. If LeGrand awoke in the middle of the night, his coach at Rutgers — correction, his second father — would be there, breaking down film of the week's opponent, fighting off the urge to, you know, sleep.

Why do this for weeks on end? Schiano wasn't to blame for LeGrand's paralysis, sustained while making a routine tackle, nor that he needed a ventilator to breathe. Chance was the culprit. But Schiano always promised parents he would treat their boys like his own, and the man's word is his bond.

"Let me tell you," LeGrand said after a recent therapy session, "I'm so thankful for Coach Schiano.""