per this week's issue of ESPN The Magazine...

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The warmest, fuzziest, soft-as-cashmere story in college football this season will take place in the semi-obscurity of the WAC, on a team that won only three games a year ago, and, if all goes well, at a modest 30,456-seat stadium that hasn't had a sellout since 1990.

If you haven't heard of San Jose State's Neil Parry, you will. We wrote about him in last season's preview column, and we'll keep writing about him because he's 177 pounds of inspiration and makes Notre Dame's Rudy look like a slacker. His story drew a visit from Hall of Famer-in waiting Jerry Rice and a promise of sorts from former president Bill Clinton.

While playing on special teams during an October 2000 home game against UTEP, Parry suffered a compound fracture of his right leg. So severe was the injury that doctors later had to amputate just below the knee. Twenty surgeries and a few prosthetic legs later (he got his latest one Aug. 13), Parry could make his long-awaited return to the field Sept. 28 at Spartan Stadium ... on special teams ... against UTEP. Weird symmetry.

If it happens -- it's Parry's call on the comeback timetable -- then someone is going to have to find a seat for Clinton, who was told by Parry months and months ago to keep his calendar flexible in the fall. If Clinton's schedule is open, the ex-POTUS has said he'll try to be there for the big moment. Parry only gets four comp tickets -- and those will go to his mom, dad, brother and sister -- so Clinton might want to contact the Spartan ticket office.

Meanwhile, San Jose State officials might want to consider a BYOC Night promotion (Bring Your Own Chamois). You'll need one to wipe away the tears.



San Jose State's Neil Parry, stretching with his prosthetic leg, is the comeback of any year.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

Its great to hear about someone who accepted what was dealt him and made the best of it. Well done.