April 3, 2008
On June 14, 2003, Evan Barnes' dream of playing collegiate soccer almost ended. The then-incoming Naval Academy freshman collided with a concrete pylon going 70 miles per hour in his car. The details of what followed are prefaced by Barnes with a "supposedly," as he remembers nothing immediately after the crash.
It took emergency responders 20 minutes to cut him out of the car using the jaws of life, and then he was taken by helicopter to the Ohio State Medical Center. His arm was broken, his hip was injured and his future as a cadet -- and as a goalkeeper -- was put on hold.
"The worst part was I found out I wasn't going to be able to go to Navy that year," Barnes, now a senior, recalled. "I felt like I had no real options and I was just kind of trying to get a grasp on the whole situation."
Barnes' injuries made him unable to meet the Navy's physical requirements, however; he was determined to fulfill his goal of attending the Naval Academy. With the help of the Naval Academy Alumni Foundation, Barnes enrolled at Ohio State, signing a commitment to attend Navy the following year.
To read the rest of Maria Burns Ortiz's article from ESPN.com click here
