Adam Taliaferro Adam Taliaferro ( b . January 1 , 1982 , in Moon Township , Pennsylvania ) , is a former American football player whose recovery from a paralyzing spinal cord injury sustained while playing cornerback for the Penn State Nittany Lions gained national media attention . Growing up in Voorhees Township , New Jersey , he was a standout running back and cornerback for the Eastern High School Vikings . In two years of varsity football at Eastern High School , he averaged 9 . 4 yards per carry , racking up 62 touchdown s , and seven interceptions . Taliaferro was also a four year varsity starter in basketball , and set his school ' s record in the high jump at 6 ' 6 " . Penn State career . In 2000 , Taliaferro joined the Penn State Nittany Lions football team as one of the top - rated freshmen of their 2000 recruiting class . Taliaferro earned playing time as a true freshman for Joe Paterno ' s Nittany Lions , despite Paterno ' s well - documented tendency to redshirt freshman players . On September 23 , 2000 , while playing in only the fifth game of his college career , Taliaferro sustained a career - ending spinal cord injury while tackling tailback Jerry Westbrooks during Penn State ' s game versus Ohio State . Taliaferro ' s helmet had hit Westbrooks ' knee during the tackle , bursting the fifth cervical vertebra in his neck and bruising his spinal cord . Unable to control his fall , the crown of his helmet hit the turf and his body rolled awkwardly over his neck . Taliaferro was paralyzed on the hit , which left him with no movement from the neck down . Recovery . Taliaferro had surgery at the Ohio State Medical Center to fuse his C - 5 vertebrate . After successful surgery , Taliaferro was airlifted back to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania to begin his recovery . Although surgery was successful , Taliaferro was only given a 3 % chance of ever walking again . He began his well - publicized rehab at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . After eight months of rehab , Taliaferro had learned to walk again . Return to Penn State . Taliaferro returned to Penn State less than a year after his injury . He led the Penn State Nittany Lions football team onto Beaver Stadium ' s field for the first game of the 2001 season against the Miami Hurricanes in front of a record crowd of 109 , 313 . Taliaferro skipped , then jogged onto the field in front of an emotional Penn State crowd . He remained part of the football team as a student - assistant coach under Joe Paterno . Taliaferro earned a Bachelor of Science in Labor and Industrial Relations from Penn State in 2005 . " Miracle in the Making " & The Adam Taliaferro Foundation . In 2001 , a book was written by Sam Carchidi and Scott Brown to chronicle Taliaferro ' s life and recovery , entitled " Miracle in the Making " . Taliaferro created his own foundation to help support others with spinal cord injuries . The foundation was created in 2001 , and continues to grow each year . The foundation has been said to raise over $ 80 , 000 per year for spinal cord injuries . In 2008 , he was named the recipient of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association " Humanitarian Award " . Personal . Taliaferro enrolled at Rutgers School of Law – Camden in Camden , New Jersey . He earned his J . D . in May 2008 and worked as a lawyer at Duane Morris in the firm ' s Cherry Hill office for five years . In September 2012 , he joined pharmaceutical company Bristol - Myers Squibb as a healthcare advocate , focusing on mental health , oncology , and HIV products . Taliaferro also runs his own foundation which helps student athletes with head or spinal injuries and is a motivational speaker , doing corporate appearances and speaking at schools . On November 8 , 2011 , he was elected to serve on the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders . A resident of Woolwich Township , he assumed office on January 6 , 2012 . In the spring of 2012 , he was elected to the Board of Trustees at his alma mater .