Curtis Williams Inspires Huskies From Sidelines

ByABC News
January 1, 2001, 9:56 PM

P A S A D E N A, Jan. 1 -- Washington coach Rick Neuheisel held theRose Bowl trophy toward the top of the stadium, tears forming inhis eyes as his voice choked with emotion.

“This was for you, C.W.,” Neuheisel shouted toward the pressbox Monday, minutes after No. 4 Washington beat No. 14 Purdue34-24.

Curtis Williams, paralyzed in a game two months ago, was cryingbefore the game as were several of his teammates when he visitedthem in the locker room before the Rose Bowl.

Some of the players kissed him on the head and some patted hisshoulder. Neuheisel and a few of the players whispered into hisear.

“I’m very happy to be here,” Williams said in a voice that was barely audible. “It was great to see everyone again. I’ve missed them.”

Then the Huskies, wearing Williams’ initials on their jerseys,went out and won.

Inspiration off the Field

“We had a dream to give our buddy a chance to get a Rose Bowlring and we achieved it,” Neuheisel said. “I promised him afterthe Stanford game that we’d try to get it done. It was an absolutethrill to have him here.”

Williams, a fifth-year senior from Fresno, sustained a severespinal cord injury Oct. 28 at Stanford in a helmet-to-helmet hit.He has had spinal-cord surgery and has no voluntary musclemovement.

After he arrived at the Rose Bowl on Monday, he asked to betaken to the Huskies’ dressing room, something that wasn’t on theschedule. He was fitted with his No. 25 game jersey and sat in awheelchair as his teammates came up to him one by one.

“I told him he didn’t have a thing to worry about,” linebackerDerrell Daniels said after the game. “I told him we were going togo out there and win it for him.”

Since Williams was injured, his teammates have worn his initialson their jerseys and he got to watch them Monday from the press boxlevel.

“We all knew we had to do one thing,” fullback Pat Conniffsaid. “We knew we had to play our guts out for the guy. The guy isbatting it every single day. The least we could do was go out andbattle it out for four hours.”