Ryan Johanningmeier

[BlackNGold]

http://extras.denverpost.com/ryan-johanningmeier/index.html

Sad story about Ryan. We sometimes forget the sacrifices that some of these young men make to pursue their dreams.

Say a pray for him and others. Tennyson McCarty comes to mind also.

 

[Waldo]

I know what back pain can do to a man, even a really tough man.

You are in a bad spot when the choice is slow death by meds or constant 24 X 7 moaning and groaning with simple tasks you used to do become unpossible.

 

[cu3x]

He was a great Buff - very sad story.

I got a stenosis diagnosis 2 years ago and was scheduling surgery, when a 2nd surgeon got me to look at some alternatives. I couldn't stand for than 15 minutes. I am now 90% improved and function blessedly well. If anyone would like more info..... This seemed like a miracle to me

 

[MtnBuff]

Simple fact is that the human body wasn't designed to have one 300lb human run into another 300lb human over and over again without problems. Virtually all the guys I know who played in the trenches at the college level and pro level have back problems, many of them severe enough that they cannot do a lot of normal activities and that pain management is a part of their daily lives.

All in all while I would have loved to continue playing I'm glad that my knees got trashed early enough that that I quit before my back was ruined.

 

[b3buffs]

Very sad to hear. Also was not aware of the same thing happening with Tyler Sash, that guy was a stud at Iowa.

 

[J.R. Ewing]

That was a sad, hard read.

 

[Liver]

go easy, rj.

 

[Dark Bohner]

RIP Ryan.

 

[Deleted member 807]

Where ever Ryan is now, prayers that he's playing without pain.

 

[MtnBuff]

Nobody ever said life would be fair but some things just seem way less fair than others.

 

[DBT]

I've dealt with some pretty severe pain. However, only for short stretches. Or relatively short. Many of us probably have. I've had to take percocet for pain. I've had MRI's for back pain and nerve damage. Thank God, the back thing kind of healed itself. I can see how it would be easy to get addicted to pain killers. I can't imagine going through a life with that sort of pain. I also wonder about the CTE thing with him. I mean, I'm not sure if he was depressed or not. But that may, oh hell. I don't know. I just pray his family can find peace.

 

[MiamiBuffs]

That sucks.

One of my dads friends that plays handball played on Michigan States 1965 mNC team. He's had both hips replaced. Both knees. And extensive reconstruction on a shoulder.

My son is likely going to be too small to ever play football and he doesn't seem interested.

 

[Alfred91]

When my oldest son told me he'd rather play other sports than football, I didn't care.

If you would have told me that 20 years ago, I'd have said you were crazy.

All the power to the guys who are compelled to do it and the drive to compete at the highest levels, and many prayers for their safe deliverance, but all the same, I'd rather my kids do something else. The chances for injury are still there, but the odds of something like this are just much less.

 

[BuffLuke80]

I told my son it's totally up to him as long as his grades were up to par. As a kid, I was expected to play by not only my family but the town. I didn't want to do that to him. I said if you do choose to, you're all in and ill teach you everything I know. So far, he's really been about basketball and baseball. His choice.

 

[BuffLuke80]

I hate to hear about the news on Ryan, forgot to put that.

 

[BuffUp]

I really do not care if my boy plays, not only football, but any sport. I played all sports growing up and learned a lot that I still refer back to this day. I already raised a daughter that played volleyball and at a high level doing the whole club thing for 8+ years...learned even more from that. Not sure if it because of a girl dominated sport or what, but team sports are not what they were growing up. Just not worth all the drama, nepotism and dealing with coaches/parents ego's. If my son decides to play sports? I truly hope it is an individual sport like swimming, golf, tennis, etc... The team thing is overrated and hard for youngns to understand what the adults are teaching them.

 

[BlackNGold]

I really do not care if my boy plays, not only football, but any sport. I played all sports growing up and learned a lot that I still refer back to this day. I already raised a daughter that played volleyball and at a high level doing the whole club thing for 8+ years...learned even more from that. Not sure if it because of a girl dominated sport or what, but team sports are not what they were growing up. Just not worth all the drama, nepotism and dealing with coaches/parents ego's. If my son decides to play sports? I truly hope it is an individual sport like swimming, golf, tennis, etc... The team thing is overrated and hard for youngns to understand what the adults are teaching them.

This I really agree with. There are things learned being part of a team but too many sports are dominated by agendas that do more harm than good. Youth sports are an adult driven, hyper competitive race to the top in both academics and athletics that serves the needs of the adults, but rarely the kids. When I was a kid I learned to play most sports with my friends -sandlot baseball, pickup BB games at the youth center, flag football in a vacant lot. We did not have club teams or specialized coaching nor did it cost much to participate.

I look back now and sometimes wished I had spent more time with golf or tennis - activities I could use most of my life rather than team sports that really end early. I probably played my last BB pickup game in my early 30s and softball about the same time.

 

[BuffUp]

This I really agree with. There are things learned being part of a team but too many sports are dominated by agendas that do more harm than good. Youth sports are an adult driven, hyper competitive race to the top in both academics and athletics that serves the needs of the adults, but rarely the kids. When I was a kid I learned to play most sports with my friends -sandlot baseball, pickup BB games at the youth center, flag football in a vacant lot. We did not have club teams or specialized coaching nor did it cost much to participate.

I look back now and sometimes wished I had spent more time with golf or tennis - activities I could use most of my life rather than team sports that really end early. I probably played my last BB pickup game in my early 30s and softball about the same time.

Well said Sir BlckGld

 

[Alfred91]

I told my son it's totally up to him as long as his grades were up to par. As a kid, I was expected to play by not only my family but the town. I didn't want to do that to him. I said if you do choose to, you're all in and ill teach you everything I know. So far, he's really been about basketball and baseball. His choice.

Ditto. I enjoyed it, and I learned a lot (both positive and negative), but looking back, what a bunch of bull**** that was. You were either one of 'these kids' or 'those kids', depending on whether or not you were on the football team. If you didn't play football, you had better be really friggen good at something else.

 

[Alfred91]

I really do not care if my boy plays, not only football, but any sport. I played all sports growing up and learned a lot that I still refer back to this day. I already raised a daughter that played volleyball and at a high level doing the whole club thing for 8+ years...learned even more from that. Not sure if it because of a girl dominated sport or what, but team sports are not what they were growing up. Just not worth all the drama, nepotism and dealing with coaches/parents ego's. If my son decides to play sports? I truly hope it is an individual sport like swimming, golf, tennis, etc... The team thing is overrated and hard for youngns to understand what the adults are teaching them.

This I really agree with. There are things learned being part of a team but too many sports are dominated by agendas that do more harm than good. Youth sports are an adult driven, hyper competitive race to the top in both academics and athletics that serves the needs of the adults, but rarely the kids. When I was a kid I learned to play most sports with my friends -sandlot baseball, pickup BB games at the youth center, flag football in a vacant lot. We did not have club teams or specialized coaching nor did it cost much to participate.

Exactly - in both cases.

As for boys' sports today v. girls' sports today - it doesn't matter much, because it's 95% parents-driven, and the 5% is pretty much the kids expressing the bull**** that their parents have filled their heads with.

 

[BuffLuke80]

Ditto. I enjoyed it, and I learned a lot (both positive and negative), but looking back, what a bunch of bull**** that was. You were either one of 'these kids' or 'those kids', depending on whether or not you were on the football team. If you didn't play football, you had better be really friggen good at something else.

I hear ya man, I loved it and hated it at the same time. Loved my teammates and what we tried to get done together, probably about 30 of them I still talk to now. I hated the politics of it, Texas is just different than most places. Idk where u played. I just know by the time I was 15, 16, I felt much older. It stopped being fun and more of an obligation. The outside elements brought that on.

 

[Wyo Buff]

Simple fact is that the human body wasn't designed to have one 300lb human run into another 300lb human over and over again without problems. Virtually all the guys I know who played in the trenches at the college level and pro level have back problems, many of them severe enough that they cannot do a lot of normal activities and that pain management is a part of their daily lives.

All in all while I would have loved to continue playing I'm glad that my knees got trashed early enough that that I quit before my back was ruined.

I'm doing OK, MtnBuff. That said, I would agree with what you stated up there. I've had a few issues with my knees and back but nothing that didn't clear up with a little rest and getting in shape. My deal is I'm down to 240 and running about 20 miles a week while also lifting and mixing in some lower-impact cardio. I feel much better since my doctor prescribed a little extra T as well. Ryan was like a little brother to me when I was at CU and followed me in starting when I left. What a loss of a great, intelligent and gentle soul. The world's a little less for his early departure.

 

[MtnBuff]

I'm doing OK, MtnBuff. That said, I would agree with what you stated up there. I've had a few issues with my knees and back but nothing that didn't clear up with a little rest and getting in shape. My deal is I'm down to 240 and running about 20 miles a week while also lifting and mixing in some lower-impact cardio. I feel much better since my doctor prescribed a little extra T as well. Ryan was like a little brother to me when I was at CU and followed me in starting when I left. What a loss of a great, intelligent and gentle soul. The world's a little less for his early departure.

This should be the focus of this thread. I didn't know Ryan but I knew of him off the field and never heard a bad thing about him. He will be missed by more people than he would probably ever imagine.