By Jack Day

Two men who were opponents for a brief moment in their lives could have never imagined that 30 years later they would be best friends. Especially after one of them wound up paralyzed after their first meeting.

During a college football game between The Citadel and East Tennessee State in October of 1985, Bulldog linebacker Marc Buoniconti went head first into running back Herman Jacobs of the Buccaneers. It resulted in a tackle, as well as a broken spine for Buoniconti.

While Buoniconti began the road to recovery and a life in a wheelchair, Jacobs was suffering his own personal hell as he was utterly devastated by what happened. The two never made contact until 2007 when Buoniconti reached out to Jacobs and asked him to come stay with him for a while.

Watch the video to see how the two men are now the best of friends and have figuratively and literally picked each other up since forming their bond.

What did you think about the way these two men became friends? It’s a tragedy, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Please share this story with your friends and family and tell us your comments!