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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Two-time Superbowl winner Ray Crockett wheels around Dallas for FX series 30 Days

By Mike Orren

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DALLAS — Last night the missus and I were watching 30 Days, the FX show produced by Supersize Me's Morgan Spurlock, and were surprised to learn that this week's subject/victim, Ray Crockett lives in Dallas (well, Southlake) and was taking on the role of a paraplegic for a month.

Here's the show's summary:

Ray played football for Baylor University from 1984-88 before his NFL draft in 1989. He won two Super Bowl rings in 1998 and 1999 as a starting member of the Denver Broncos. During his fourteen years in the NFL, he also played for the Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs. Today, Ray and his wife April have three children, a 20-year old daughter named Joi and two sons, 13-year-old Ray Junior and seven year old Darryl. Ray now works as a real estate developer and coaches his older son Ray Junior.

In 1991, Ray was on the field with the Detroit Lions when his teammate and friend, Mike Utley, was involved in a play that left him paralyzed from the chest down - an event that has not dissipated from Ray's memory. In fact, it is this incident that made Ray want to participate in 30 Days.

For 30 Days, Ray will live in a wheelchair and will rely on his mental discipline to keep his legs immobile. His home and his car will be retrofitted to accommodate his needs. Coaching duties for his son's football team will continue and Ray will join the Texas Stampede, the wheelchair rugby team featuring players made famous in the documentary film Murderball. He will attend a weekly support group for paraplegics at the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation and meet with a physical therapist to monitor any potential side effects.

Throughout his 30 Days experience, Ray will be under the medical supervision of Dr. Robert Bruce in order to track any muscle loss, blood clots, pressure sores or other side effects that could occur while he is wheelchair-bound.

Ray and his family were really game and took the whole thing very seriously. He befriended Shannon Davis, a quadriplegic woman who had been in a car accident and a young man who was paralyzed on a rope swing and now counsels newly-paralyzed patients. Everybody came off really well, including the staff at Baylor Medical Center.

It's a thought provoking must-watch, as well as a game of "spot the local landmark" (Snuffers, Baylor, various Austin clubs, Southlake schools, etc.).

Looks like Ray has some more reality TV planned in the near future.

The show re-airs several times this weekend.

30 Days: Wheelchair

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Comments

James Scott

James Scott Verified

Yes, that was a pretty good show - although, I wish they had more than one Dallas skyline cut-scene, as there is so much more of downtown to see than the one building they kept showing.

The show next week should be good - a hunter living with a vegan animal-rights activist family.

1 year ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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