After 90 Surgeries, Teen ‘Drafted’ By Wolverines

For the University of Michigan Wolverines, tough isn’t just a matter of fighting hard to move the ball across the gridiron every Saturday. Sometimes, being tough means going soft.

On Tuesday, head football coach Jim Harbaugh added perhaps the toughest player in his history at U-M to the Wolverines’ roster — Larry Prout Jr., whose toughness has been defined through six times as many surgeries as he is years old.

Harbaugh officially “drafted” the 15-year-old from Howell and signed him on as an official member of Wolverine team.

Prout has shown the Wolverines a thing or two about what it means to be tough. He was born with spina bifida, a congenital defect of the spine in which part of the spinal cord and its membranes are exposed through a gap in the backbone.

He spent the first 18 months of his life at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at U-M and has been in and out of the hospital since for about 90 surgeries. He didn’t speak until he was 3 and didn’t walk until he was 9, and this is the first year he has taken a physical education class.

Standing before a pool of reporters Tuesday, Prout showed the world just how tough he is.

“When I was born, most of my major organs were on the outside of my body. I was not given much of a chance to survive birth, let alone live two weeks outside the womb. I’ve been cut, broken, and sewed back up many times,” he said. “Not all of the surgeries were a success, but this didn’t stop my family from bringing me back to the University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital. This didn’t stop my team from drawing up another play and to hopefully go on to win another day.”

His “draft” came after he formed a special bond with Wolverines John O’Korn and De’Veon Smith through a program called Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit committed to improving the lives of children like Prout who face life-limiting, chronic diseases.

One of the ways Team IMPACT empowers kids is by officially drafting them to collegiate athletic teams, Seth Rosenzweig, the organization’s executive director, said at the news conference.

Prout said he was humbled to have been drafted by the team and promised to “work hard to represent its history, integrity, and dedication to excellence.”

“I stand here before you today as just one of the stories that can be told regarding the patients at the great University’s Mott Children’s Hospital,” Prout said. "I also stand here as just one of the stories that could be told about many sick children and their families across the country. My heart goes out to all of the families of the children with chronic illness. ...

“As I am signing and committing to the University of Michigan football team today, I am thankful for this opportunity and will work hard to represent its history, integrity, and dedication to excellence. I also hope to bring awareness and to represent all the children fighting to stay healthy with their team of surgeons, nurses, and all the other medical staff. Thank you with all my heart for giving me this chance, Team IMPACT and the Wolverines. Go Blue!”

Harbaugh went a little soft.

“Our team just got bigger,” the Wolverines coach said, adding, “it’s an honor to share a sideline with Larry.”

“You know, we’re all going to be members of the health care system or clients of the health care system at some point in our lives. You wish most of those surgeries would be saved up for people that’re already done growing up. Larry’s faced over 90 surgeries. Probably set a record. State of Michigan record at least. Maybe a world record, maybe a national record.

“But he’s — we feel like we’re drawing the long straw on this one to have Larry be a part of our team, so to Larry, his whole family, welcome aboard, Go Blue, and keep up the great work. You’re an inspiration to all of us.”

Photo by Corey Seeman via Flickr / Commons