Football Lineman has pinkie finger amputated to keep playing - Page 2

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:

ClevelandBronco · 10-14-2008, 07:01 PM

I guess it's a story you get to tell your grandkids.

**DeezNutz** · 10-14-2008, 07:07 PM

No shocker for his old lady.

**QuikSsurfer** · 10-14-2008, 07:10 PM

ClevelandBronco · 10-14-2008, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuikSsurfer

We're number two!

We're number two!

Oh, damn that hurt!

We're number one!

We're number one!

kstater · 10-14-2008, 07:17 PM

Well if you think about it, the pinkie finger has to be pretty low on the list of parts that you wouldn't chop off.

**Smed1065** · 10-14-2008, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

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

Looks good on a resume.

Davechief · 10-14-2008, 07:24 PM

Draft him! He'll fit right in since our current GM still has a job after having a lobotomy.

Hydrae · 10-14-2008, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

Wikre, 6-3, 280 pounds, is majoring in K-12 education and adaptive physical education.

He is going to be very good at the adaptive side of things.

beavis · 10-14-2008, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumppy

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

As I read this, I was eating a bowl of popcorn, and realized I was using my pinky finger to hold it up from the bottom.

The most undervalued finger by far.

**Iowanian** · 10-14-2008, 08:37 PM

If Tony Romo REALLY cared about Dallas......

**Lzen** · 10-14-2008, 09:03 PM

Now that is a real man. Holy shit!

LiL stumppy · 10-14-2008, 09:33 PM

Not many guys like that left in the football world.

**Nzoner** · 10-14-2008, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Over-Head

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

My first thought as well,I'll never forget Lott retelling that story on a program called Hardcore Football.

**DaneMcCloud** · 10-14-2008, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiL stumppy

Not many guys like that left in the football world.

You mean dumb****s?

Ah, they're everywhere.

**Nzoner** · 10-14-2008, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

You mean dumb****s?

Ah, they're everywhere.

Dude c'mon Ronnie Lott was not a dumb**** he was respected by many of his peers

10-14-2008, 05:06 PM
Demonpenz Woman should only make babies Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $-433864	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: 54,959

10-14-2008, 07:01 PM	#16
ClevelandBronco I'm with the banned. Join Date: Sep 2006 Casino cash: $5658955	I guess it's a story you get to tell your grandkids. __________________ "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth ..." – Pope Saint John Paul II
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10-14-2008, 07:10 PM	#18
QuikSsurfer Got swag? Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Madison, MS Casino cash: $10008287	__________________
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10-14-2008, 07:17 PM	#20
kstater Custom User Title Join Date: Jan 2007 Casino cash: $-1693437	Well if you think about it, the pinkie finger has to be pretty low on the list of parts that you wouldn't chop off. __________________
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10-14-2008, 07:24 PM	#22
Davechief Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: West Liberty, IA Casino cash: $9884905	Draft him! He'll fit right in since our current GM still has a job after having a lobotomy.
Posts: 238

10-14-2008, 08:37 PM	#25
Iowanian Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Utopia Casino cash: $1648454	If Tony Romo REALLY cared about Dallas......
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10-14-2008, 09:03 PM	#26
Lzen Banded Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Oz Casino cash: $-719308	Now that is a real man. Holy shit! __________________ Conversation would be vastly improved by the constant use of four simple words: I do not know.
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10-14-2008, 09:33 PM	#27
LiL stumppy 62-21 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: St. Louis, MO Casino cash: $9913684	Not many guys like that left in the football world. __________________ I'm just cakn partna
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