CBS News
The simple act of holding a football is no longer possible for the man who's the heart and soul of the Baltimore Ravens. What he CAN do is inspire and motivate his team by his very presence and example. Here's Rita Braver:
He is the man with the smile that won't quit . . . surrounded by family and friends as he celebrates his 44th birthday.
But O.J. Brigance has lived a life of stark contrasts. This former pro football player who sports a sparkling Super Bowl ring is now paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.
"I learned a life lesson through football early on," he told Braver. "I learned that quitting is never an option."
Stricken with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a disease that progressively attacks the nervous system, Brigance must take every breath through a ventilator, communicate every thought through a computer-generated voice.
He described the system: "It tracks the movement of my pupils and allows me to type with my eyes, like others type with their fingers."
Born and raised in Houston, Brigance played football for Rice University, then the Canadian Football League, and finally in 1996, number 57 made it to the NFL.
He played first for the Miami Dolphins, then joined the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. They went on to win their first-ever Super Bowl that year.
Brigance made the first tackle of the game. "I remember seeing the thousands of flashbulbs sparkling in the night. It was my dream come to reality," he said. "
Still, the team didn't re-sign him after that big win.
He played a few more years for other teams, but -- plagued by a longtime back problem -- decided to retire in 2003.
That's when the Ravens called him back -- this time to be a counselor to players, and a spokesman for the team.
His wife Chanda was by his side through it all. Married for 20 years, they still joke about their first meeting; she thought he was poorly dressed, and kept ignoring him.
"Why did you keep going after her when she didn't seem interested?" Braver asked.
"Didn't need to be dressed because I had the goods!" he laughed.
Their life seemed golden until, while playing racquetball over the course of a few weeks in 2007, Brigance began to notice increasing weakness in his right arm when swinging the racquet.
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