Football Lineman has pinkie finger amputated to keep playing

Demonpenz · 10-14-2008, 05:06 PM

Trevor Wikre had a choice: Lose his pinkie finger or lose his football season.
"I said, 'Cut it off,' " Wikre says. He took no time to ponder. "I knew right away," he says. "It wasn't a hard choice."

Wikre, 21, is a guard for Mesa State College, a Division II school in Grand Junction, Colo. He had told teammates a couple of weeks earlier how much he loved them as brothers.

"I said, 'I'd take a bullet for you,' " he says. "Well, this was my chance to put words into action. This was my bullet."

The Mesa Mavericks will play their first game on national cable TV Thursday night (8 ET, CBS College Sports) vs. Western State (Colo.). Mesa is 5-2, 5-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

The trauma came Sept. 30 when Wikre's right little finger shattered at practice. He pulled off a glove, saw bone jutting out and asked trainers to tape it up. They declined and got him to the hospital, where doctors advised him that he needed season-ending surgery.

"I'm a senior," Wikre (pronounced WICK-er-EE) says. "If they put pins in there, my career was finished. I told them to just take it off. They said I was being dramatic. I said, yeah, well, losing my season is dramatic, too."

FIND MORE STORIES IN: ETrade Financial Corp. | Division II | Grand Junction | Trevor | CBS College Sports | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Doctors tried to dissuade him, he says, but they were at last persuaded to take the finger at the second knuckle, leaving a stump.

"Even with the operation I was going to have trouble with it later in life," he says. "I think that's why they let me" make the decision to amputate.

Wikre missed one game. He played last week with a rubber cast in a 26-3 win against Colorado State-Pueblo.

Did he find any difference in how he played? "Just one less finger to hold with," he says, laughing softly.

How about differences in life?

"I can't hit the P on the keyboard very well," he says. "I have to train my ring finger to get over there. It takes time."

Wikre got change at the grocery store the other day and felt the coins slipping through his fingers. The pinky is the plug that closes a clenched palm.

GAME ON!: Should Romo have busted pinkie cut off?

How about sipping from a wine glass with pinky finger demurely extended?

"That's not me," Wikre says. "I'm a beer guy. No fanciness here."

Wikre, 6-3, 280 pounds, is majoring in K-12 education and adaptive physical education. He wants to be a phys ed teacher for special needs children.

Traci Young, his fiancé, is a bank teller who graduated from Mesa last spring.

"I thought it was pretty crazy, but if you know Trevor you understand," she says. "Sometimes he'll stick it in my face as a joke and I'll squeal. It's gross to look at but, you know, I'm getting used to it."

Mesa coach Joe Ramunno lost his left pinky in a shop class accident in 1979, his senior year in high school.

"We're a matched set," Ramunno says of the bizarre coincidence. "I'm a good source for him on how it is to live with."

Unlike Wikre, Ramunno did not choose to have his pinky amputated. "The doctors made that decision for me," he says. And he would have advised Wikre to save his finger, but it was gone before the coach could give advice.

"He's pretty darn committed to this team," Ramunno says. "I know where his heart is at. He's a special young man."

An automatic bid to the Division II playoffs goes to the conference champ.

"We want to win the RMAC and make some noise in the playoffs," Wikre says.

The symbol for a team that finishes No. 1 is an index finger held high. "I don't need my pinky for that," Wikre says.

Share this story:

**Buehler445** · 10-14-2008, 05:07 PM

I saw this on Sports Center this morning. SIGN HIM CARL

'Hamas' Jenkins · 10-14-2008, 05:08 PM

His choice, I guess.

I personally think it's reeruned. Couldn't he have just fixed it and worn one of those huge club casts and went all Cowboy Bob Orton on D-Linemen?

**Iowanian** · 10-14-2008, 05:11 PM

My first college roomate played football for Mesa State. He was a fat putz.

This guy sounds much tougher than that sniveling fat lard.

**Rain Man** · 10-14-2008, 05:14 PM

I'm guessing he's not on the honor roll.

barry_smilez20 · 10-14-2008, 05:19 PM

idiot

Over-Head · 10-14-2008, 06:02 PM

And this years "Ronnie Lott" award goes to.......

stumppy · 10-14-2008, 06:06 PM

If he has any chance of making the draft I don't blame him. Take the fugger. Don't need it anyways.

triple · 10-14-2008, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

His choice, I guess.

I personally think it's reeruned. Couldn't he have just fixed it and worn one of those huge club casts and went all Cowboy Bob Orton on D-Linemen?

ah, i can hear the theme from bonanza now

ClevelandBronco · 10-14-2008, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry_smilez20

idiot

Hell yes, he's an idiot.

How does a guy this stupid get into college?

Oh, yeah. Presumably on a football scholarship.

**Skip Towne** · 10-14-2008, 06:28 PM

Now he can't do the "Hook 'em Horns" sign.

**DaFace** · 10-14-2008, 06:31 PM

**MahiMike** · 10-14-2008, 06:53 PM

Brilliant! Think Mel Kiper won't know who he is come draft day? That finger may be worth millions!

**Smed1065** · 10-14-2008, 06:57 PM

Take your shot when you get it.

ClevelandBronco · 10-14-2008, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smed1065

Take your shot when you get it.

In Div. II? At the expense of a finger?

10-14-2008, 05:06 PM
Demonpenz Woman should only make babies Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $-393864	Lineman has pinkie finger amputated to keep playing Trevor Wikre had a choice: Lose his pinkie finger or lose his football season. "I said, 'Cut it off,' " Wikre says. He took no time to ponder. "I knew right away," he says. "It wasn't a hard choice." Wikre, 21, is a guard for Mesa State College, a Division II school in Grand Junction, Colo. He had told teammates a couple of weeks earlier how much he loved them as brothers. "I said, 'I'd take a bullet for you,' " he says. "Well, this was my chance to put words into action. This was my bullet." The Mesa Mavericks will play their first game on national cable TV Thursday night (8 ET, CBS College Sports) vs. Western State (Colo.). Mesa is 5-2, 5-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The trauma came Sept. 30 when Wikre's right little finger shattered at practice. He pulled off a glove, saw bone jutting out and asked trainers to tape it up. They declined and got him to the hospital, where doctors advised him that he needed season-ending surgery. "I'm a senior," Wikre (pronounced WICK-er-EE) says. "If they put pins in there, my career was finished. I told them to just take it off. They said I was being dramatic. I said, yeah, well, losing my season is dramatic, too." FIND MORE STORIES IN: ETrade Financial Corp. \| Division II \| Grand Junction \| Trevor \| CBS College Sports \| Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Doctors tried to dissuade him, he says, but they were at last persuaded to take the finger at the second knuckle, leaving a stump. "Even with the operation I was going to have trouble with it later in life," he says. "I think that's why they let me" make the decision to amputate. Wikre missed one game. He played last week with a rubber cast in a 26-3 win against Colorado State-Pueblo. Did he find any difference in how he played? "Just one less finger to hold with," he says, laughing softly. How about differences in life? "I can't hit the P on the keyboard very well," he says. "I have to train my ring finger to get over there. It takes time." Wikre got change at the grocery store the other day and felt the coins slipping through his fingers. The pinky is the plug that closes a clenched palm. GAME ON!: Should Romo have busted pinkie cut off? How about sipping from a wine glass with pinky finger demurely extended? "That's not me," Wikre says. "I'm a beer guy. No fanciness here." Wikre, 6-3, 280 pounds, is majoring in K-12 education and adaptive physical education. He wants to be a phys ed teacher for special needs children. Traci Young, his fiancé, is a bank teller who graduated from Mesa last spring. "I thought it was pretty crazy, but if you know Trevor you understand," she says. "Sometimes he'll stick it in my face as a joke and I'll squeal. It's gross to look at but, you know, I'm getting used to it." Mesa coach Joe Ramunno lost his left pinky in a shop class accident in 1979, his senior year in high school. "We're a matched set," Ramunno says of the bizarre coincidence. "I'm a good source for him on how it is to live with." Unlike Wikre, Ramunno did not choose to have his pinky amputated. "The doctors made that decision for me," he says. And he would have advised Wikre to save his finger, but it was gone before the coach could give advice. "He's pretty darn committed to this team," Ramunno says. "I know where his heart is at. He's a special young man." An automatic bid to the Division II playoffs goes to the conference champ. "We want to win the RMAC and make some noise in the playoffs," Wikre says. The symbol for a team that finishes No. 1 is an index finger held high. "I don't need my pinky for that," Wikre says. Share this story:
Posts: 54,957

10-14-2008, 05:07 PM	#2
Buehler445 Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Scott City KS Casino cash: $-1585266	I saw this on Sports Center this morning. SIGN HIM CARL
Posts: 60,019

10-14-2008, 05:08 PM	#3
'Hamas' Jenkins Now you've pissed me off! Join Date: Jan 2006 Casino cash: $7139572	His choice, I guess. I personally think it's reeruned. Couldn't he have just fixed it and worn one of those huge club casts and went all Cowboy Bob Orton on D-Linemen? __________________ "When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.' When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty – to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.”--Abraham Lincoln
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10-14-2008, 05:11 PM	#4
Iowanian Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Utopia Casino cash: $1668454	My first college roomate played football for Mesa State. He was a fat putz. This guy sounds much tougher than that sniveling fat lard.
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10-14-2008, 05:14 PM	#5
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $-672449 VARSITY	I'm guessing he's not on the honor roll. __________________ Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history.
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10-14-2008, 05:19 PM	#6
barry_smilez20 lions=domination Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: san marcos,texas Casino cash: $10004900	idiot
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10-14-2008, 06:02 PM	#7
Over-Head Boom, Boom , Crash Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: In my shed Casino cash: $9995760	And this years "Ronnie Lott" award goes to....... __________________ ...Illegitimus non Carborundum est...
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10-14-2008, 06:06 PM	#8
stumppy New and Improved Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Springfield, Mo. Casino cash: $-2381410	If he has any chance of making the draft I don't blame him. Take the fugger. Don't need it anyways. __________________ “As a nation, we can endure damaging policies for a four-year term. But we cannot survive a president willing to terminate our Constitution”
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10-14-2008, 06:28 PM	#11
Skip Towne Supporter Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: T-Town Casino cash: $10004900	Now he can't do the "Hook 'em Horns" sign.
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10-14-2008, 06:31 PM	#12
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-1873101	Wow.
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10-14-2008, 06:53 PM	#13
MahiMike He's Mahomie! Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Jax, FL Casino cash: $10023443	Brilliant! Think Mel Kiper won't know who he is come draft day? That finger may be worth millions!
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10-14-2008, 06:57 PM	#14
Smed1065 Supporter Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Returning From Hell Casino cash: $4783673	Take your shot when you get it.
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