Columbus Givens update/story
Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 12:22 pmI've talked to a lot of players as the season approaches, and a lot of them are more excited about Columbus Givens than anyone else on the team.
Givens was diagnosed in the spring with bacterial meningitis. He lost weight and strength, eventually dropping out of school because he didn't have the energy to walk to class. He said he went home for a while, but returned to Dallas. He enrolled in summer school to make sure he retained eligibility. The meningitis also caused an infection in his ankle, and he had surgery to get the ankle cleared out.
Givens moved in with Justin Willis. Those two, plus Emmanuel Sanders, have spent hours watching game film (and, of course, playing video games) and throwing a lot. Givens said that after seeing his weight drop to just 155 pounds when he was sick, he now is back up to nearly 170 pounds. He said his strength is getting better, and his stamina is improving every day. Sanders and Willis both insist that Givens is even faster now than he was before getting sick.
Givens' rehab was different than the routine most players go through when coming back from a "regular" football-related injury. He had to regain the ability to walk. He had to get to the point where he could walk distances without wearing out. Even light running was exhausting. During the spring, he came to watch some of the Mustangs' spring workouts, and had to sit down and rest after just standing and watching for a while.
He said he's more appreciative of being at SMU, and of playing football, than he was before he got sick. Not only did he lose weight, Givens said the doctors told him the disease was life-threatening. He's glad to be alive.
Givens did not sit out his true freshman season as a redshirt, and said he has no desire to use that year off now to gain strength; he also said the coaches haven't pushed the redshirt idea on him. He agrees with Willis and Sanders, that he's faster than ever before, and said his strength is improving all the time. He seems to be running well in practice, and has gone up and fought DBs for some high passes, winning some of the battles.
Getting his strength back clearly is going to be an ongoing process, but it looks like he definitely is on the right track.
Givens was diagnosed in the spring with bacterial meningitis. He lost weight and strength, eventually dropping out of school because he didn't have the energy to walk to class. He said he went home for a while, but returned to Dallas. He enrolled in summer school to make sure he retained eligibility. The meningitis also caused an infection in his ankle, and he had surgery to get the ankle cleared out.
Givens moved in with Justin Willis. Those two, plus Emmanuel Sanders, have spent hours watching game film (and, of course, playing video games) and throwing a lot. Givens said that after seeing his weight drop to just 155 pounds when he was sick, he now is back up to nearly 170 pounds. He said his strength is getting better, and his stamina is improving every day. Sanders and Willis both insist that Givens is even faster now than he was before getting sick.
Givens' rehab was different than the routine most players go through when coming back from a "regular" football-related injury. He had to regain the ability to walk. He had to get to the point where he could walk distances without wearing out. Even light running was exhausting. During the spring, he came to watch some of the Mustangs' spring workouts, and had to sit down and rest after just standing and watching for a while.
He said he's more appreciative of being at SMU, and of playing football, than he was before he got sick. Not only did he lose weight, Givens said the doctors told him the disease was life-threatening. He's glad to be alive.
Givens did not sit out his true freshman season as a redshirt, and said he has no desire to use that year off now to gain strength; he also said the coaches haven't pushed the redshirt idea on him. He agrees with Willis and Sanders, that he's faster than ever before, and said his strength is improving all the time. He seems to be running well in practice, and has gone up and fought DBs for some high passes, winning some of the battles.
Getting his strength back clearly is going to be an ongoing process, but it looks like he definitely is on the right track.