Football Lineman has pinkie finger amputated to keep playing - Page 3

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.

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Sure-Oz · 10-14-2008, 10:27 PM

Favre is urging Romo to play with a splint

**DaneMcCloud** · 10-14-2008, 10:28 PM

The only HOF this guy from New Mexico will enter is the I'm a Dumb**** for Cutting of My Finger Hall of Fame.

jhawk12 · 10-14-2008, 10:32 PM

He's a badass, everybody on espn wants to make fun of somebody that made it further playing football than any of those douches

Maybe D II, but he advanced from high school football, remember the movie "For Love of the Game,"

Mecca · 10-14-2008, 10:34 PM

I think I'd keep my finger...

**DaneMcCloud** · 10-14-2008, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhawk12

He's a badass, everybody on espn wants to make fun of somebody that made it further playing football than any of those douches

Maybe D II, but he advanced from high school football, remember the movie "For Love of the Game,"

He's a dumb****. Plain and simple.

You DON'T cut your ****ing FINGER off to play a stupid football game.

I guess it's a good thing he didn't get hit in the balls.

Or maybe, it would have been.

**DaneMcCloud** · 10-14-2008, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

I think I'd keep my finger...

Well, OTOH, it'll be easier to fist his old lady

Otter · 10-15-2008, 12:53 AM

Unless that pinky injury was going to prevent him from being drafted in the NFL and signing a big contract the dude is reeruned.

10-15-2008, 01:01 AM

On one hand I share the guy's competitive spirit and love for the game. OTOH, losing your pinky for a few games nobody will remember in 2 years is pretty dumb.

But, if his finger was mangled and he was guaranteed problems anyway, maybe amputation was the right choice. He won't be hindered significantly unless he's a musician.

Jenson71 · 10-15-2008, 01:10 AM

fingers do not interfere with love of the most glorious contact sport in all history of mankind. This guy is Ray Nitschke tough. We should be doing nothing but celebrating the spirit and vigor of this man.

Ultra Peanut · 10-15-2008, 01:19 AM

Maybe he was just trying to freak out the opposing linemen. He can try to say a rabid coyote bit his pinkie off and he beat it to death with his bloody hand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

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

I think the fact that he's in DII actually made him even more likely to consider doing it. The less chance you have of continuing, the more likely you are to try to hang on to what you've got.

10-15-2008, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ultra Peanut

the more likely you are to try to hang on to what you've got.

Wait a minute. Checks username. Reads quote again.

I'm confused by all this irony.

MOhillbilly · 10-15-2008, 07:00 AM

o lineman that played with my uncle broke his leg in the 1st quarter. taped it up and played the rest of the game.

i played two games with a fractured thumb & staf infection. I shouldnt have practiced until i got the pins out cause i damn near lost my hand.

10-14-2008, 05:06 PM
Demonpenz Woman should only make babies Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $-423864	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, 10:28 PM	#32
DaneMcCloud Supporter Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Hollywood, CA Casino cash: $10053648	The only HOF this guy from New Mexico will enter is the I'm a Dumb for Cutting of My Finger Hall of Fame.
Posts: 88,960

10-14-2008, 10:32 PM	#33
jhawk12 Rookie Join Date: Oct 2008 Casino cash: $9994900	He's a badass, everybody on espn wants to make fun of somebody that made it further playing football than any of those douches Maybe D II, but he advanced from high school football, remember the movie "For Love of the Game,"
Posts: 1

10-14-2008, 10:34 PM	#34
Mecca Hockey Town Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Casino cash: $-742950	I think I'd keep my finger...
Posts: 115,382

10-15-2008, 01:01 AM	#38
Phobia Guest Casino cash: $	On one hand I share the guy's competitive spirit and love for the game. OTOH, losing your pinky for a few games nobody will remember in 2 years is pretty dumb. But, if his finger was mangled and he was guaranteed problems anyway, maybe amputation was the right choice. He won't be hindered significantly unless he's a musician.
Posts: n/a

10-15-2008, 01:10 AM	#39
Jenson71 fides quaerens intellectum Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: United States Casino cash: $8330900	fingers do not interfere with love of the most glorious contact sport in all history of mankind. This guy is Ray Nitschke tough. We should be doing nothing but celebrating the spirit and vigor of this man. Last edited by Jenson71; 10-15-2008 at 02:32 AM..
Posts: 15,986

10-15-2008, 07:00 AM	#42
MOhillbilly Mama Tried Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Missouri Casino cash: $9949903	o lineman that played with my uncle broke his leg in the 1st quarter. taped it up and played the rest of the game. i played two games with a fractured thumb & staf infection. I shouldnt have practiced until i got the pins out cause i damn near lost my hand. __________________ True Son of Liberty
Posts: 23,371