Open eyes filled the stands of the stadium, fans cringed at the sight, yet nobody knew as Smith was being wheeled off the field that day,  he was soon to face one of the worst injuries ever in football.

When Smith injured his leg, fans and spectators immediately knew it was bad, but never expected his leg would be in as horrible condition as the x-rays and scans later showed. Smith’s leg was twisted, broken in many places, and later became infected. After multiple surgeries to reconstruct his leg, Smith still remained in such a serious condition, and doctors warned him he may have to have his leg amputated.

In an 60 minutes interview, Smith opens up about his fears and overwhelming thoughts after doctors gave him this frightening news, “Just wondering, like, I mean, would I ever be able to go on walks with my wife? Would I ever be able to play with my kids? Crazy reality. So yeah really thankful to be here.” Smith states.

Alex Smith stayed strong through hours of long and grueling treatment, and kept pushing forward, despite knowing in the back of his mind that he may not be able to keep his leg. He went on to push through recovery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and later stated the experience allowed him to better appreciate and honor members of the military.

When speaking with NBC news, the washington football player expresses the strength receiving treatment at Walter Reed gave him, and reflects on the impact it played on his overall recovery, “It was amazing and humbling to get to go down there and certainly I benefited so much from their knowledge and expertise in the field and probably wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the center down there” Smith said.

Instead of focusing on the fears and struggles that came with his injury, Smith instead took the time to count his blessings, thank others and focus on carrying on so he could oneday play again, even though that goal appeared miles away.

As a former member of the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Andy Reid had gotten to know the QB very well over the years. Reid celebrates Smith’s recovery and shows great appreciation for the type of person Smith is,  “There’s nobody better than Alex Smith, man. I had the chance to coach him so I kinda knew the man behind all that. If I had to predict how he’d attack an injury, that would be how he would do it. That’s his core right there.”  Reid states.

After being traded to go play at Washington, the player didn’t leave without helping Patrick Maholmes get situated and ready to play as the new QB, “ He taught me a ton of just the process and how to blueprint your week and how to game plan. And then, how to read coverages by the little things. Maybe how the defensive line lines up and I think it helped me out a lot in the early part of my career, even still to this day of being able to get those invaluable lessons from him.” The Chiefs Quarterback later expresses.

While the story of Alex Smith is far from over, the remarkable recovery from an injury many doubted he would come back from will always stand as a memorable part of sports history, and will continue to reflect and bring out the qualities of a successful,determined and strong athlete. It is not just the comeback that makes Smith such a memorable player, but how he came back, what he did, and what he is determined to do.