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Rutgers to retire Eric LeGrand's number in September

Rutgers will retire the number of former football player, Eric LeGrand, who suffered a spinal cord injury in 2010 that paralyzed him from the neck down. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Rutgers will retire the number of its former football player, Eric LeGrand, who suffered a spinal cord injury in 2010 that paralyzed him from the neck down. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Rutgers announced Tuesday that it will retire the number of former football player Eric LeGrand in a ceremony during a regular season game in September.

LeGrand suffered a devastating spinal cord injury while making a tackle on a kickoff return in a game against Army in October 2010. He became paralyzed from the neck down but says he has regained some sensation and plans to walk again one day. The move to retire LeGrand's No. 52 marks the first time in the 144-year history of Rutgers' football program that a number will be retired.

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Jason Baum, the school's senior associate athletic director of communications for the athletics program tweeted the news, saying the ceremony will be held Sept. 14 during halftime of the Scarlets Knights' home game against Eastern Michigan. The 22-year-old LeGrand tweeted on Tuesday that he is honored. In May 2012, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him to a contract as a symbolic gesture.

https://twitter.com/EricLeGrand52/status/362235199729303553

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