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Wednesday, October 25
Spartans still struggle to deal with Perry's injury

By Stephen Tsai
Special to ESPN.com

It was quiet enough to hear a tear drop.

In the morgue that was the visitors' football locker room Saturday night, San Jose State linebacker Josh Parry, choking back emotion, told his teammates that his younger brother, special teams leader Neil Parry, would undergo surgery to amputate his foot and ankle on his right leg.

"There was dead silence," San Jose State coach Dave Baldwin said. "It was a very eerie feeling for our football team, because Josh is definitely our leader, and they felt the pain and the sorrow at that time, especially from him."

Defensive tackle Brian Yeager, who is Neil Parry's best friend, said, "It's very sad. It brought tears to my eyes."

	“	I've never seen (Neil) cry or look negative on the situation. The only things I've heard him ask for are more Dr. Pepper and Gatorade. ”
		— Spartans' coach Dave Baldwin

Neil Parry, 20, a sophomore, suffered a compound fracture in an Oct. 14 game against Texas-El Paso. The wound became severely infected, finally necessitating the amputation Monday morning, said Dr. Martin Trieb, the Spartans' team doctor.

Trieb said further amputation will not be needed, and Parry's life is no longer in jeopardy. But Trieb said Parry will need several more surgeries.

"Our thoughts, our prayers, our love are with Neil and his family," Baldwin said. "It is an incredible family."

The news spread quickly across the Western Athletic Conference, with opposing coaches and players offering their sympathies and grief.

"Obviously, I feel bad for him and his family," said Hawaii coach June Jones, whose team plays host to San Jose State Saturday at Aloha Stadium.

Texas-El Paso coach Gary Nord, who sent a gift basket to Parry, said, "It really touches your heart. It's devastating to be part of something when someone gets hurt. With a bunch of prayers and support that he has, he'll make it."

Parry was injured on a freak play. A UTEP player ran into a Spartan, who fell onto the back of Parry's right leg. Parry suffered a broken fibula and tibia. A major artery and nerve on the bottom of his right foot were severely damaged. The compound fracture also tore open his skin.

That Saturday night, Parry underwent surgery in which a rod was inserted to stabilize his leg.

By Monday afternoon, extensive swelling formed, and another operation was performed. But last Wednesday, an infection again caused the injured area to swell and Parry developed a high fever. He was transferred to Stanford Medical Center, where he was admitted to the critical-care unit.

Trieb said puss had formed, and bacteria, possibly originating from the playing field, had killed tissue. Four operations were performed to clean the infected area, but Trieb said so much tissue and muscle were destroyed that amputation was the only remedy to stop the spread.

Trieb said surgeons waited until the fever had subsided and the infection was centralized before performing the surgery.

Trieb said below-the-knee amputations still allow a patient to lead an active life. Although Parry will never play college football again, Trieb said, he can participate in such activities as skiing and hiking.

Baldwin said he kept the players updated on Parry's condition, but did not tell them about the possibility of amputation. He allowed Josh Parry to make that disclosure.

Baldwin said Neil Parry had emerged as the leader of the special teams, as well as the scout team known as the "Dirty Dozen."

"He's extremely well liked," Baldwin said. "He's very, very popular among this football team. There was not a negative word said about Neil Parry. He got along with every group on the football team."

Baldwin said the Spartans will continue to wear a decal of Parry's No. 32 on their helmets. The coaches will wear that number on their shirts and hats.

Baldwin said he did not know if Josh Parry would make the trip to Hawaii.

But he said Neil Parry has remained optimistic. "I've never seen him cry or look negative on the situation," Baldwin said. "The only things I've heard him ask for are more Dr. Pepper and Gatorade."

Around the WAC

Fresno State
The Bulldogs have won 12 home games in a row, the third-longest streak in the nation behind Florida State (33) and Oregon (19). Under fourth-year coach Pat Hill, they are 16-3 in Bulldog Stadium. ... Wide receiver Rodney Wright has missed the last two games with a calf strain but might be back this week against Tulsa. "It's day to day," Hill said. "We have to have guys practice before they can play. We sure hope he's back. He's a very good player."

Hawaii
The injury list keeps growing. James Fenderson, who started at running back because of injuries to Avion Weaver and Afatia Thompson, suffered bruised ribs against Rice and his availability is in question for this week's game against San Jose State. Right guard Vincent Manuwai has a badly pulled right hamstring. Three of the top four defensive tackles are injured, and middle linebacker Rinda Brooks, who is fourth in the WAC in tackles, has been limited because of knee and hamstring injuries. As a result, UH is playing five true freshman -- two starters among them, including quarterback Timmy Chang -- and 10 players who entered the program as walk-ons. The depth problems were accentuated during the reign of former coach Fred vonAppen. Of the 75 players vonAppen signed from 1996-1998, only 19 remain in the program. ... So far, UH has traveled 22,000 miles for three road games, all to Texas.

Nevada
The Wolf Pack continues to struggle in its first year in the WAC. Nevada has lost four in a row, and returned four punts for three yards this season. Nevada also is the most penalized team, committing 69 for 581 yards. Against San Jose State, the Wolf Pack missed a field goal early and, after driving inside the 10 in the second quarter, came away empty when a field-goal attempt was blocked. ... On the bright side, quarterback David Neill leads the WAC in total offense with 240 yards per game. He has accounted for 76 percent of the Wolf Pack's offense this season.

Rice
One of the country's longest rivalries will come to an end after Rice and Texas Christian play on Saturday. Both were members of the defunct Southwest Conference and both joined the WAC in 1996. But TCU is leaving the WAC in July, and Rice is not included on future schedules. ... The Owls, finally back at full health at quarterback, have rushed for more than 300 yards in three of their four WAC games this year. They also lead the WAC in turnover margin (plus 1.14 per game), thanks to five interceptions against Hawaii last Saturday. Dan Dawson, who plays the combination linebacker-safety position of "Bandit," had three interceptions in that game. Dawson was a quarterback in high school. "He seems to be in the right place at the right time," Rice coach Ken Hatfield said.

San Jose State
At 5-3, the Spartans already have equaled their highest victory total since 1992. Three of the victories have been on the road. The last time the Spartans won four road games in a season also was in 1992. Because one of the victories was against Division I-AA Southern Utah, the Spartans will need to win two more game to meet the NCAA bowl requirements of six Division I-A victories and a winning regular-season record. They are playing 12 regular-season games this year. ... Deonce Whitaker leads the country with an average of 8.3 yards per carry, but he has been the Spartans' second-best running back in recent weeks. Jarmar Julien rushed for 110 yards and a school-record four touchdowns against Nevada. Whitaker gained 167 yards in that game.

SMU
The Mustangs used the bye to recuperate from the previous week's trip to Hawaii and to recover from several injuries. Quarterback David Page, who suffered an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder against Hawaii is healthy and will start this week. SMU coach Mike Cavan also is pleased with the improved kicking game. The Mustangs missed eight of 14 field-goal attempts in their first six games, but Jacob Crowley connected on three tries against Hawaii. "We have to make sure we don't have breakdowns," Cavan said. "It doesn't take but a blocked kick here and there to make the special teams look awful again."

TCU
When it rains, it pours. First, a heavy downpour in Tulsa "limited" Heisman Trophy candidate LaDainian Tomlinson to 119 yards on 27 carries. Then TCU, despite a 6-0 record and 11-game winning streak, placed 13th in the first Bowl Championship Series rankings. TCU needs to finish in the top 12 to be considered for a BCS berth; a top-six finish assures the Horned Frogs of a berth. Of the BCS rankings, TCU coach Dennis Franchione said, "I haven't given it a great deal of thought." But after the amount of money the school invested in promoting the football program and Tomlinson, the poor showing is disappointing. Tomlinson is averaging 182.2 rushing yards per game.

UTEP
For the first time in school history, the Miners have a 5-0 WAC record. They also have secured their fourth winning season since 1970. And the Miners received votes in both national polls for the first time in 12 years. ... UTEP has had home crowds of at least 50,000 twice this season. It is averaging 42,068 fans in the Sun Bowl and, with one home game remaining, should set the school record for average home attendance. ... Senior Brian Natkin ranks first nationally among tight ends in receptions (47) and yards (585).

Tulsa
Since meeting UTEP in a battle between unbeaten WAC teams, the Hurricane has lost three in a row. Last Saturday, the Hurricane had difficulty stopping Texas Christian in a game played in heavy rain. Still, Tulsa coach Keith Burns said, "It was raining on both sidelines," and "we played with the same ball they did." ... Tulsa's struggles have coincided with the ankle injury that kept wideout Corey Brown from playing in the last three games. Without Brown, defenses have been double-teaming wideout Donald Shoals, who still leads the WAC in receiving yards (104.3 per game).

Stephen Tsai covers the WAC for the Honolulu Advertiser.

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