Out but not down

Athletes across the country spend time every day participating in the sports they love. For many, it's a lifelong adoration and they can see themselves staying in the game forever.

But in pursuit of their endeavors, athletes put themselves at risk for injuries, some of which could end their careers.

Senior Dimitri Facaros and recent graduate Erin Lawrenson know what it's like to play a sport for years only to have it ended by an injury.

Facaros, a walk-on fullback for the UB, played football since he was 9, came to Buffalo in the second year of his collegiate career, and now has to leave the game he loves. Facaros suffered brain damage from the nature of the sport and his small size as a football player.

"I'm a small enough guy as it is already so I'm always hitting with my head no matter what," said Facaros, a 5-foot-9-inch Oakmont, Penn. native. "I try not to but that's just what I did."

While he may be smaller than most players, his dedication far surpasses that of many.

"I just have a lot of heart for the game, a lot of passion," Facaros said. "So to hear that I can't play anymore, I didn't know how to handle it."

Facaros first noticed the symptoms of his injury during his second season at UB in 2004.

"I felt it was there for a while," Facaros said. "I got an MRI scan and everything and it looked okay so I kept playing. I started this summer camp well and just getting back into it, hitting, and the same feelings came back and just that much worse. That's when I pulled out of practice and went to see a neurologist."

The doctor strongly advised Facaros to stop playing football to avoid any serious brain damage.

"That was a hard day to handle," Facaros said. "He said, 'If you have other things in mind than football, what is it good for?' He said the brain looked fine, it looked well, but there are physiological signs that something is going on."

Facaros may not be able to put on the pads and helmet for game days but he still practices with the team and stands on the sideline during the game, providing emotional support and encouragement for the guys with whom has spent the past two years.

"I'm not going to look back and regret anything," Facaros said. "I'm not going to say 'Man, why did I do this?' I wanted to do it, I loved the game, and I still do. I want to play now. If I could, I would."

Facaros is far from the only UB athlete to suffer a career-ending injury.

Erin Lawrenson was recruited to play basketball for Buffalo and began her career in 2001. The 5-foot-10-inch guard from Elkland, Penn. made an impact on the court immediately, leading the team in 3-pointers and 3-point shooting percentage and holding the 14th spot in the Mid-American Conference for goals beyond the arc as a freshman.

During her sophomore year as a Bull, Lawrenson began battling ankle and foot injuries that would eventually end her career.

"It was late February when I was told to put basketball on hold because there may be something more significant there than we realized," Lawrenson said. "My left ankle was not healing on crutches, and we tried a walking cast for about 10 weeks and that didn't work either, and that was when surgery was discussed."

Trainers tried to assist Lawrenson in finding ways to keep her on the court but surgery was inevitable.

"While I was still trying to play basketball, before we realized the seriousness of the injury, Jim, our athletic trainer, was constantly trying to come up with different forms of support for the ankle, from different tape-jobs to ankle braces," Lawrenson said. "Then, during recovery from my first surgery, we tackled many different techniques of therapy. They were there even when they knew there was no hope left for me to play, just trying to help me get back to everyday living."

Just as Facaros is, Lawrenson found a way to stay involved with the game she loved and the team she had to leave behind.

"Watching my teammates play a game that I have loved since I could walk, and not being able to help was heartbreaking, and still is," Lawrenson said. "Basketball was never just a game to me. It was a passion. On top of that, we had two very tough seasons in a row, and I would have loved to step out there and drain a few three's just to stop the bleeding."

Lawrenson currently holds the three all-time career spots for 3-point goals (8th with 61), attempts (9th with 164), and percentage (5th with .372). Though her name is in the books, Lawrenson still wishes she had played harder.

"Buffalo never saw me play the way I know I am capable of playing, and I apologize for that," Lawrenson said. "If I had it all to do over again, I would have played uninhibited, gut instincts first, no fear, no regrets, the way I was always taught to play. With basketball, you have to play in the moment always, and I know that now more than ever."