http://genuinelysarcastic.blogspot.com/2010/01/do-you-think-this-will-be-in-free-press.htmlBy springtime, Brock started standing with the help of braces. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez introduced him to the team during a practice. The Wolverines were kneeling with their helmets as Rodriguez told Brock's story. At the end of it, they rose to their feet and gave him an ovation.
Rodriguez was just two weeks into his new job when he got the call about the Mealers. He hadn't met Elliott or the 100 or so others on Michigan's roster. But he called Mealer to tell him that no matter what happened, even if he couldn't play, he'd always have a scholarship at Michigan.
The family -- Ohio State die-hards before Elliott committed to Michigan -- immediately fell in love with Rodriguez. For Brock, it wasn't hard to do. A few months after the wreck, the coach visited him in the hospital during the Super Bowl. They promised to someday run out of the tunnel into the Big House together.
"Having him around the team, to me, is some pretty neat motivation for all our guys," Rodriguez says. "I'm inspired every time I see him. When you see him so positive, you think, 'Geez, why should I ever feel sorry for myself?'
