lamar lundy
This is a great story of strength and faith. Lamar Lundy's name won't be familiar to younger people, but anyone over the age of 45 will remember Lundy as one of the greatest athletes in Indiana sports history. His story, reprinted here, is pretty inspirational.
RICHMOND, Ind. -- To survive and thrive through 71 years, Lamar Lundy has dealt with his challenges one at a time.
One of a kind: A distinguished athlete, Richmond native Lamar Lundy was a member of the Los Angeles Rams' Fearsome Foursome defensive unit in the 1960s. He was also a star athlete at Richmond High School and Purdue, where he was the only player to be voted Most Valuable Player for football and basketball in his senior year.
Keep the focus on the most important one first.
Have faith in family, friends and God's will.
Never give up.
"I feel I can overcome whatever," he said Saturday from his bed at Oakridge Rehab & Specialty Care in Richmond.
Lundy is battling a variety of serious health problems, including prostate cancer and heart issues. It hurts his left knee just to sit up in bed.
He needs periodic blood transfusions to fight fatigue and build his strength.
His many friends are worried about him. But he's not. Lundy still jokes with nurses, treats everyone with kindness and thinks positive thoughts.
"This is not a strange place for me to be in," he said. "There are always challenges. You have to deal with them."
Lundy has done that every step of his remarkable life.
He rose from star athlete at Richmond High School to being a football pioneer at Purdue to becoming a leader of one of the most feared defenses in NFL history.
Since the 1960s, though, he has faced at least five life-changing and life-threatening illnesses. He has been flat on his back, facing death before.
"I don't worry about if I don't wake up in the morning," Lundy said "I believe God is with me all the time. I don't expect anything to happen that he doesn't want."
It is truly amazing, said former Los Angeles Rams teammate Merlin Olsen, "how well he's handled all the maladies. He's handled them all with tremendous amounts of courage and sense of humor."
Lundy's friends in Richmond are concerned this time about his health.
"It's hard to see a guy I played against so many times, so active, such a physical specimen, be like this," Paul Flatley said.
Flatley played flanker for the Minnesota Vikings when Lundy and Olsen made up half of the famed Fearsome Foursome for the Rams.
"I don't remember him playing a bad game," Flatley said. "Lamar Lundy is maybe the best athlete ever in collegiate and pro sports."
Lundy roots now for the Indianapolis Colts. He follows them via TV. The last time he ventured out was to attend a Purdue football game Sept. 16. He was honored that day for his feats 50 years ago.
Tom Milligan, his lawyer and lifelong friend, took Lundy to the game and pushed his wheelchair onto the field -- where Lundy received loud applause. Lundy was the first black athlete to receive a Boilermakers football scholarship.
"He was the Jackie Robinson of Purdue," Milligan said.
Lundy set a record at Purdue that likely will never be equaled: He was voted Most Valuable Player for football and basketball in his senior year.
Lundy also is one of only three men from Indiana who are enshrined in both the state football and basketball halls of fame.
"He was unbelievable, did things that no other players had ever done," said friend Chuck Wellings of Richmond.
Lundy played on undefeated Richmond football teams in 1951 and 1952 and also helped lead the Red Devils to the state final four in basketball in the 1952-53 season.
Most fans know of Lundy as a defensive end, but he started as a tight end with the Rams.
As a sophomore at Purdue, he caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Len Dawson that helped the Boilermakers to an upset win at Notre Dame.
The Rams moved Lundy to defense in his second season and he pioneered the Fearsome Foursome.
The players enjoyed a special chemistry on and off the field, Olsen and Lundy said.
In the NFL, teams were forced to double-team Lundy to hold off his fierce pass rushes.
But the 6-7, 250-pound defensive end fought through them anyway.
"Lamar was the most consistent of the Fearsome Foursome," Olsen said by phone from his home in Utah. "Lamar was our steady influence. You always knew he would be there."
Lundy's friends are dedicated to making his life as comfortable as possible. Many chipped in to get him a longer bed for his room. His feet hung over the end of a standard-size bed.
The first health problems to attack Lundy were Graves disease (of the thyroid) and diabetes while he played with the Rams.
Then came the neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis that nearly killed him soon after his NFL playing career ended in 1970.
He hasn't been able to focus his eyes or drive a car for decades, Milligan said.
More recently, Lundy developed heart problems that required the implantation of a pacemaker.
Lundy entered Oakridge in July. He had broken his left kneecap and damaged his ribs in a fall, Milligan said.
"He's never really regained his strength," Milligan said. "He's a pretty sick fellow right now."
Copyright 2006 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
RICHMOND, Ind. -- To survive and thrive through 71 years, Lamar Lundy has dealt with his challenges one at a time.
One of a kind: A distinguished athlete, Richmond native Lamar Lundy was a member of the Los Angeles Rams' Fearsome Foursome defensive unit in the 1960s. He was also a star athlete at Richmond High School and Purdue, where he was the only player to be voted Most Valuable Player for football and basketball in his senior year.
Keep the focus on the most important one first.
Have faith in family, friends and God's will.
Never give up.
"I feel I can overcome whatever," he said Saturday from his bed at Oakridge Rehab & Specialty Care in Richmond.
Lundy is battling a variety of serious health problems, including prostate cancer and heart issues. It hurts his left knee just to sit up in bed.
He needs periodic blood transfusions to fight fatigue and build his strength.
His many friends are worried about him. But he's not. Lundy still jokes with nurses, treats everyone with kindness and thinks positive thoughts.
"This is not a strange place for me to be in," he said. "There are always challenges. You have to deal with them."
Lundy has done that every step of his remarkable life.
He rose from star athlete at Richmond High School to being a football pioneer at Purdue to becoming a leader of one of the most feared defenses in NFL history.
Since the 1960s, though, he has faced at least five life-changing and life-threatening illnesses. He has been flat on his back, facing death before.
"I don't worry about if I don't wake up in the morning," Lundy said "I believe God is with me all the time. I don't expect anything to happen that he doesn't want."
It is truly amazing, said former Los Angeles Rams teammate Merlin Olsen, "how well he's handled all the maladies. He's handled them all with tremendous amounts of courage and sense of humor."
Lundy's friends in Richmond are concerned this time about his health.
"It's hard to see a guy I played against so many times, so active, such a physical specimen, be like this," Paul Flatley said.
Flatley played flanker for the Minnesota Vikings when Lundy and Olsen made up half of the famed Fearsome Foursome for the Rams.
"I don't remember him playing a bad game," Flatley said. "Lamar Lundy is maybe the best athlete ever in collegiate and pro sports."
Lundy roots now for the Indianapolis Colts. He follows them via TV. The last time he ventured out was to attend a Purdue football game Sept. 16. He was honored that day for his feats 50 years ago.
Tom Milligan, his lawyer and lifelong friend, took Lundy to the game and pushed his wheelchair onto the field -- where Lundy received loud applause. Lundy was the first black athlete to receive a Boilermakers football scholarship.
"He was the Jackie Robinson of Purdue," Milligan said.
Lundy set a record at Purdue that likely will never be equaled: He was voted Most Valuable Player for football and basketball in his senior year.
Lundy also is one of only three men from Indiana who are enshrined in both the state football and basketball halls of fame.
"He was unbelievable, did things that no other players had ever done," said friend Chuck Wellings of Richmond.
Lundy played on undefeated Richmond football teams in 1951 and 1952 and also helped lead the Red Devils to the state final four in basketball in the 1952-53 season.
Most fans know of Lundy as a defensive end, but he started as a tight end with the Rams.
As a sophomore at Purdue, he caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Len Dawson that helped the Boilermakers to an upset win at Notre Dame.
The Rams moved Lundy to defense in his second season and he pioneered the Fearsome Foursome.
The players enjoyed a special chemistry on and off the field, Olsen and Lundy said.
In the NFL, teams were forced to double-team Lundy to hold off his fierce pass rushes.
But the 6-7, 250-pound defensive end fought through them anyway.
"Lamar was the most consistent of the Fearsome Foursome," Olsen said by phone from his home in Utah. "Lamar was our steady influence. You always knew he would be there."
Lundy's friends are dedicated to making his life as comfortable as possible. Many chipped in to get him a longer bed for his room. His feet hung over the end of a standard-size bed.
The first health problems to attack Lundy were Graves disease (of the thyroid) and diabetes while he played with the Rams.
Then came the neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis that nearly killed him soon after his NFL playing career ended in 1970.
He hasn't been able to focus his eyes or drive a car for decades, Milligan said.
More recently, Lundy developed heart problems that required the implantation of a pacemaker.
Lundy entered Oakridge in July. He had broken his left kneecap and damaged his ribs in a fall, Milligan said.
"He's never really regained his strength," Milligan said. "He's a pretty sick fellow right now."
Copyright 2006 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
posted by hondo at 2:29 PM
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