Watch tonight at 10 p.m. on HBO as Bryant Gumbel pays tribute to Marc Buoniconti, president of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, on the Emmy-winning show Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel in a new segment called "A Remarkable Journey."
On Oct. 26, 1985, Citadel linebacker Marc Buoniconti stopped East Tennessee's Herman Jacobs short of a first down on a crucial third-and-one play. The collision left Buoniconti, son of former Miami Dolphins great Nick Buoniconti, paralyzed from the neck down.
The incident also left Jacobs, at the time an NFL prospect, consumed by remorse and unable to return to football with the same passion. His life was in a downward spiral until he reunited with an unlikely friend.
Though he has spent the last 25 years in a wheelchair, Buoniconti has brought a "never give up" attitude to his role as president of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the world's most comprehensive spinal cord research facility at the Miller School.
In the Real Sports/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Mary Carillo profiles both men 25 years after their life-changing collision, and shows how their friendship has endured tragedy.
