Spirit of ‘Shalieve’
Plantation High standout and Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier stirs support as he battles spinal injury
The hit that stopped Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier in his tracks and clouded his future in uncertainty resonated from Pittsburgh to South Florida.
Aside from immediate family, no one has felt the impact of the serious spinal injury suffered earlier this month by the talented Pro Bowl player more than Steve Davis. The Plantation High coach is, well, as close to family as one can get.
Shazier was not only a prep standout for him with the Colonels, Davis recalls him as a ball boy when he coached Blanche Ely High to the Class 5A state championship in 2002. The little boy’s father, Vernon Shazier, was defensive coordinator for that team and one of Davis’ closest friends since they were high school teammates at Boyd Anderson.
So it has been heart-wrenching for Davis to see a young man and player who always moved with lightning quickness immobilized after spinal stabilization surgery.
“I’ve actually known Ryan since he was a toddler. So he’s not just like a former player to me, he’s almost like a second son to me also,” Davis said this week. “So it really kind of hit me hard. There were a couple of dark days that I had when it first happened.”
Shazier was injured in the opening minutes of a Dec. 4 game at Cincinnati while attempting to tackle Bengals receiver Josh Malone. The crown of his helmet drove into Malone’s hip area, and he remained on the ground clutching at his lower back.
He was transported to the University of
“To see the love that the city of Pittsburgh has for that kid, words can’t even describe it.” Steve Davis, Ryan Shazier’s coach at Plantation High