Ryan Clark’s Incredible Journey from Near-Death to Super Bowl Champion

The toll that playing in the NFL puts on your body is something that us normal people will probably never fully grasp. I mean, the sport takes a lot out of you physically and mentally. So, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark going from the brink of death in 2007 to winning Super Bowl XLIII just one year later, might be the comeback of the century. “There’s a picture of me laying in the confetti with my eyes closed,” he told us on In the Moment with David Greene. “It was the first time I had exhaled or relaxed in over a year.” 

What struck me the most about our interview with Clark was not his ability to overcome adversity on and off the field, but his attitude about it. In 2007, after the Steelers lost to the Broncos in Denver, Clark was rushed to the hospital in debilitating pain. He would later have his gallbladder and part of his spleen removed due to a medical condition caused by the sickle cell trait and the toll of playing at altitude. At the time, nobody was sure if he would ever play again. But just one year later, Clark hoisted the Lombardi Trophy alongside teammate and Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu. 

Even after all the grit and determination it took for Clark to get to this Super Bowl win, he didn’t have a sense of happiness after winning. “I could truly say to you, I do not remember a feeling of happiness ever that night,” he told us, “I don't remember a feeling of joy.”

Read the full article from Sarah McCrory here