HAMPTON, Va. – Vaughn Mansfield had big dreams – and still does.

 

A decorated college football player at Hampton University, Mansfield was one of 1,072 students who donned caps and gowns during the university's commencement exercises in May. Unlike he envisioned that day being, however, he sat among his peers in the graduating class in a wheelchair, the result of a life-threatening automobile accident two years earlier.

 

A native of Washington, D.C., Mansfield stepped upon the hallowed grounds of Hampton in 2005 with every intention of rocking the college football world and helping to continue the dynasty which had become known as Pirate football. He was a budding free safety who would go on to rank among the team's top defensive players in 2007, his senior season, certainly making a name for himself and within reach of his ultimate goal – making it to “the league.”

 

Mansfield's prowess on the field, and the accolades which came with it, made playing in the National Football League a reality. Getting drafted, however, was a remote possibility.

 

“I was friends with Lawrence Taylor,” said Mansfield. “He told me it would be hard for me to get drafted, but he said Bill Parcells would help me with a free agent contract.

 

In hopes of ultimately getting the chance to play in the NFL, Mansfield journeyed to Miami, Florida to begin his pre-draft workouts early in 2008. On a day in which the city received torrential rain storms, Mansfield left a friend's house, heading to another local residence when the car he was driving hit a pocket of water on the road and hydroplaned off the highway.

 

For the moment, Mansfield was shaken but not seriously hurt. He managed to walk away from his car, only to return to retrieve his cell phone.

 

“I went back to the car to make a call, but my phone was under the passenger's seat,” recalled Mansfield. “I leaned over to get it and another vehicle hit my car. I was in a coma for four-to-six weeks after that.”

 

The injuries Mansfield sustained were substantial. He had injuries to his left hip, there were scars on his face and the impact of the collision caused him to bite his tongue in half. Most severe, however, was a bruised spine and a traumatic injury to the brain.

 

Mansfield's injuries required immediate multiple surgeries on his back and brain. A monitor had to be placed in his head to monitor brain activity. When he awoke from the coma, he said he remembered the first hospital room he was in and he remembered seeing the other patient in the room.

 

“I was happy to see my mother,” Mansfield said. “I remember people asking me questions, but I couldn't really talk.”

 

The long road to recovery was a difficult one for Mansfield, both physically and emotionally.

 

“Some doctors told me that there were things I would never be able to do, but I'm doing a lot of those things now,” said Mansfield. “A man will tell you that you can't, but God is not a man.”

 

Mansfield, who started playing football at the mere age of eight, is at ease with the challenges that he has had to face. He said the biggest lesson of life that he has gotten from his ordeal is developing a never-say-die attitude.

 

“Don't ever give up,” Mansfield said. “I was committed to finishing school. There was no way that I was not going to finish.

 

“I value everything I learned from being a Hampton Pirate,” Mansfield added. “Hampton made a great impact on my life. It felt like a real family at Hampton. I met life friends there. I had gotten so close to my teammates and I was very privileged to have the coaches that I had. They still call to check on me now.”

 

Mansfield's parents, Valerie Neal and Aaron Mansfield, say their son's tough demeanor has been an inspiration to them.

 

“I'm very proud of Vaughn, I'm excited that he hasn't given up and I'm happy that he worked hard to make the trip to his graduation,” said Neal. “I've always told him to pray, to keep his hands in God's hands and to never give up.”

 

Vaughn's father, Aaron, expressed similar sentiments.

 

“It meant everything to see him graduate,” said Aaron Mansfield. “Our expectation was for him to be in the NFL. That was our plan, but it didn't turn out that way. The important thing is that he's not using any type of medications. He has never quit. I'm so proud of him.”

What does the future hold for Vaughn?

 

“I'm really not sure, but my best friend's godfather is an agent and he said I could possibly work with him,” said Mansfield. “There are a lot of different possibilities for me, but, right now, I'm just concentrating on getting my health together first.”