After just five months out, he returned swiftly to help Barcelona lift the La Liga title and also travelled to Germany with Spain that summer. Always seemed like a decent kid and a good ball player. He wouldnt just go through a lift. Injury date: Week 14, 2013. With that in mind, we present the All-ACL team for defensive players and specialists below. He noticed that defensive backs often played off of him, because his only real weapon was his speed. He tore the ACL, MCL and PCL in his left leg in his final college game and could not play during the 2003 NFL season -- his rookie year. STACK has the volleyball drills and workouts you need to take your game to the next level. Not only that, but he's in the "over-30" crowd, which goes to show that you don't have to be a kid to recover from the injury, even in the world of pro sports. While most do return, future performance is still hazy. PFF rates him the best guard in the NFL this season. He ended up playing two more seasons, making the Pro Bowl in his first year back. The story didn't quite end there though. Proper nutrition provides athletes with the energy, nutrients and hydration they need to progress in their training and perform optimally. The impact caused Brady's leg to bend awkwardly, resulting in an ACL tear. Key before/after facts: After returning from the injury, Yanda made himself into a three-time All-Pro (2011-13). He was No. The former Penn State superstar played on his seven-year, $19.2 million Bengals deal through the 1999 season. This particular knee injury almost always lowers the player's athletic potential. While Lux is not yet at the level of those players, he was still a breakout candidate this season. Return date: Week 1, 2011. In December 2005, an ACL injury left him needing surgery and facing being left out of the Spain squad for the Germany World Cup the following year. My mindset was that the rehab would replace my football season. Shearer bounced back in style though, scoring 31 goals in 40 games the following season and winning the Football Writers Player of the Year award. Upon his return to Monaco, he led them to Ligue 1 glory in 2016/17 with 21 goals in 29 appearances, and he continued to score plenty of goals before signing for Galatasaray in 2019. [A lot of athletes] want to get back to who they were, but who you were suffered a non-contact ACL injury. Blessed with incredible speed and quickness, Walcott has been slowed throughout his career by a spate of minor and major injuries. But after an ACL injury, she thought her hopes of becoming a college athlete were over. Photo Credits: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images,Corey Perrine/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images,Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images,Andy Lyons/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images,Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images Sport/Getty Images, Copyright 2023 STACK Powered by Stack Sports. 1 overall to the Colts in 1967, the future "Police Academy"-franchise mainstay was one of the league's top defenders. Even the best professional athletes are only as strong as their weakest link. He had scored 32 goals to help Juventus win the Serie A title and reach the final of the Champions League the previous season. Injury date: Week 7, 2013 Return date: Week 1, 2014. In May 2017, the German suffered a partial cruciate ligament tear in his right knee and didnt play again until 2018. Take your game to the next level with softball drills and workouts at STACK.com. Zlatan's quick recovery from what may have been a career-ending injury in years past is remarkable, but it's actually not uncommon in this day and age. Maybe if this injury had occurred in the present day, Gazza would've been able to bounce back more effectively. Always free! After checking out the baseball workouts on STACK.com, browse through the articles and videos below for drills, advice, and motivation from some of the nations top coaches, college baseball programs, and elite athletes. 7 in 2011. Patrolling the back with strength and determination, Zouma was quickly settling into his role as a future stalwart of the Chelsea back line, despite the team's all-around atrocious play. It doesnt happen often, but these players are living proof that a torn ACL doesnt mean you cant come back better than ever. But for such an important structure, the ACL isnt much. His absence was felt the following season, as Arsenal relinquished the league title to Manchester United. The salsa-dancing Giants slot receiver broke out with a monster 2011 season (1,536 yards, nine TDs) and helped Big Blue to its fourth Super Bowl title; he earned a five-year, $43M extension in 2013. Towards the end of the game, Keane tried to trip his opponent, but his studs caught in the turf and he ended up tearing his cruciate ligament. Once youve built up your conditioning, check out some of our advanced volleyball drills and mental techniques. He has two sacks in those games. Knowing these stats, it will be interesting to observe Adam Eatons return to the Nationals next year. Key before/after facts: The Patriots were so sold on Easley that they made him a first-round draft pick despite the ongoing ACL recovery. He's averaging slightly fewer yards after the catch (5.64, compared to 5.90), but is averaging more yards after contact (3.19) than he was prior (2.40). But during the Broncos 2014 AFC Divisional Playoff game against the San Diego Chargers, his rise was abruptly cut short by a torn ACL. However, Rivers knew he had suffered a torn ACL and meniscus going into the 2007 AFC championship game and played through it. Totti played his entire career for Roma, and his incredible tenure earned him recognition as one of the greatest Captains to play the game. He led the NFL in scrimmage yards in 1981, managing a staggering 81 catches out of the backfield. He has covered sports for nearly 10 years. Oddly, those who had surgery for a lead leg injury had a 6% increase in batting average in the season after the injury. UT has had some awful injury luck this year. Smith rehabbed to play four more seasons, though the 6-foot-7 standout was not the same after the injury. He finished his career as a Saints backup from 2003-04. 9. Tearing an ACL can feel like a football players worst nightmare. However, complications from the surgery led to a two-season hiatus due to avascular necrosis -- a circulatory condition that affected blood flow to Hearst's ankle. However, some hope could be offered to the Dutchman . Hed just wrapped up a 2012 campaign in which he snagged 69 receptions for 857 yards and 7 touchdowns. But, citing burnout concerns after rehabbing another troublesome malady a year later, Luck retired at age 29. The tiny band of connective tissue in the center of the knee has been the downfall of many a top athlete, but not all ACL injuries are created equal. During his maiden season with Blackburn Rovers, in 1992, he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. But he returned as a wideout in 1962 and played three more seasons, making the 1963 Pro Bowl and helping the Giants to two NFL title games. Ibrahimovic posted several videos showing his recovery progress. Whether you want to become a stronger skater, develop your stick-handling skills, buy better gear or eat healthier, youll find everything you need at STACK.com. I tore the reconstructed ACL in the same knee 10 years later. Of the players that returned, return occurred at an average of 12.2 months after surgery. ACL Tear Football Player. Here are 25 key examples of players who battled back from career-defining injuries to continue playing. In recent years, sports medicine has made tremendous strides in the success rates of knee reconstruction. Navigation: ACL stories; ACL story - Alexandria Parisian; . Injury date: Week 7, 2012. While a left knee injury in 1970 doomed Sayers, he soon become the youngest Pro Football Hall of Famer. In football, where careers rarely go beyond a few years, this goes double. He returned to the Pro Bowl and piloted the Chiefs to two comeback playoff wins in his two seasons in Missouri. Analysis and opinion from our chief football writer. 15% of the male and 21% of the female ACL injuries occurred in teams with a coach change during the season. You have to be ready to be mad, and bored, and sick of doing the same thing every day. Samuel operates a clinic inside the La Jolla Sports Club in La Jolla, California, where hes helped hundreds of high-level athletes (such as Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer) come back strong after ACL injuries. Drafted for the Vietnam War late in his 1968 rookie season, the Steelers running back suffered life-threatening injuries to both legs. According to Samuel, Rosss decision not to rush back was wise. The 1998 first-round pick rushed for 1,115 yards and scored 12 TDs as a rookie, helping the Patriot to their final playoff berth of the Drew Bledsoe era. But behind that relatively optimistic stat, the news isnt good for those players on the margins. At STACK, youll not only get football-specific conditioning workouts, youll also find strength and power workouts from pros. The former Penn State superstar played on his seven-year, $19.2 million Bengals deal through the 1999 season. dude busts his arse day in and day out. Learn best practices from athletes who have achieved success and the experts who have helped them. I feel faster, Maclin told Philly.com prior to the 2014 season. The young Englishman was forced to miss the 2014 World Cup in Brazil due to torn ligaments to his ACL. Playing time, games played and player efficiency ratings are also significantly decreased after the injury. Honorable mention: NaVorro Bowman, 49ers; Chad Greenway, Vikings. Honorable mention: Frank Gore, 49ers; Adrian Peterson, Vikings. QPR fan, so I've grown used to disappointment and started overpaying for things past their prime. Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008. He's a great example of a player who returned with a flourish. Boxing, the Royals and Pandora stations featuring female rock protagonists are some of his go-tos. He wasnt the same box-to-box enforcer after the injury, but his performance against Juventus in the Champions League semi-final in 1999 showed he was still capable of producing world class performances. ven the best professional athletes are only as strong as their weakest link. Even . That title belongs to 29-year-old North Texas quarterback Austin Aune. This included suffering a broken forearm in the Panthers' NFC title game win over the Cardinals. After missing the 2019 season, the 36-year-old passer is Washington's backup -- to the surprise of just about everyone. A particularly crushing example of a one-hit wonder, Edwards is most remembered for a knee injury in a beach flag football game. Key before/after facts: Charles' yards per carry dropped from 6.1 before the injury to 5.2. (USATSI) A day after Stephen Tulloch injured his knee mid-sack celebration, Lions coach . Key before/after facts: Atkins has managed one sack in 10 games since returning this season, a sack rate of 0.15 per game. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest updates on SEC Football and Recruiting. Check out more workouts and drills in our soccer training video gallery. So far this offseason -- from Jacksonville Jaguars first-round . The 16th-year veteran tore the ACL in his right knee in three straight seasons -- 2009-11 -- and played just nine games in that span. 48 in 2012 but No. Instead, he flourished in a deeper role. This stabilizes the knee while moving. Let. Maximize your performance with workouts, drills and advice from coaches and athletes from some of the top college wrestling programs in the nation in our wrestling training video library. You hate to see you men put so much work in and have it end like that. It took until the following campaign for Keane to return and it was quite a return too - Manchester United won a famous treble that year. It's a brutal blow for a Dodgers team that was counting on the former top . Despite the importance of the internal factors in recovery from ACL injuries attributes like strength, coordination, mobility and muscle function outside influences frequently play a significant role. But neck pain recurred early in his comeback, prompting a retirement. However, the combative midfielder returned to win several trophies with the Red Devils, including the treble in 1998/99. But a torn ACL isnt the end of the worldin fact, a number of players have been able to come back and have career-best seasons immediately following their ACL reconstruction. Honorable mention: Tank Carradine, 49ers; Henry Melton, Cowboys. The 5-foot-9 point guard fell and immediately grabbed his left . Zlatan Ibrahimovic Zlatan Ibrahimovic's first season at Man United came to an early end when he tore his ACL in a Europa League fixture against Anderlecht. Honorable mention: Heath Miller, Steelers. Many NFL stars have recovered from torn ACLs to play as well or better than before the injury. And boy, is he returning in style. You dont want to get back to who you were, you want to get back to who you werent, Samuel said. Key before/after facts: Thomas didn't miss a game after suffering the injury, maintaining his status as an elite NFL prospect. NFL draft questions for teams in the top 10: Will the Colts trade up? Luck played through shoulder pain during the 2016 season, and January labrum surgery not producing a desired result began an 18-plus-month recovery process. Return date: Week 1, 2006 (college). 1 overall pick who often lands on "biggest draft busts" lists managed to play until 2004. Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik delivered a frightening but legal hit on Gifford during a 1960 game, and the result was ugly even for the day: Gifford unconscious, stretchered off the field, out of football for the 1961 season. There were no surgical options such as the one David Fleming detailed in this week's ESPN.com Hot Read. Here's the story of her journey from ACL injury to a full ACL recovery. But out of 100 athletes . I know if I have a patient for the next 6 to 9 months, Im gonna be able to rebuild an absolute machine, Samuel said. On his fourth team at age 28, Bridgewater bounced back to score a three-year, $63 million deal. Carter suffered a torn left ACL on his third preseason carry and was never the same. Maclin went on to have a spectacular 2014, recording new career highs in receptions (85) and receiving yards (1,318). For those athletes, after surgery and six to 12 months of rehab, the million-dollar question is: will I ever be the same again?