A Falcon beats the odds

Bowling Green senior walk-on Zach Akenberger will play in his first game Saturday after a complete fracture of his right tibia and fibula a year ago. Enlarge

BOWLING GREEN -- For almost a year, Zach Akenberger has focused on one date: Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011.

Part of the motivation is obvious, since the senior and his teammates on the Bowling Green State University football team will face their archrival, the University of Toledo, at Doyt Perry Stadium that day.

Akenberger's motivation is more than just beating a rival: the Bowling Green High School product also wants to beat the odds.

Akenberger will be on kickoff and kickoff return coverage Saturday, an amazing feat when you consider that last year he suffered a complete fracture of his right tibia and fibula.

"A lot of [doctors] said my career was over, that I would be lucky to be able to run again," Akenberger said. "But I definitely wanted to make it back for this year's game. I've been waiting to get out there -- this is a dream come true."

Believe it or not, the fact that Akenberger can walk, run, and play football again may rank no better than the second-biggest comeback in his family: His grandmother, Peggy Akenberger, suffered a stroke this past winter.

"She was in a coma for a while," Zach Akenberger said. "The way she fought in rehab really motivated me. She's at home now, working to get walking again.

"Every time I went to the hospital [to see her], she would ask me, 'How's football going?' That really motivated me."

In January, Akenberger's football career wasn't going well: BG medical personnel advised him that his career was over. In February, he advised the medical staff that they were wrong.

"Right after I talked to the doctors, I thought about [quitting]," Akenberger admitted. "But if I had taken 'no' for an answer, I wouldn't have been here in the first place."

Akenberger didn't take no for an answer when he got no Division I scholarship offers after graduating in 2007 and walked on at BG. After redshirting his first season, he worked to earn a role on special teams, playing in nine games and making eight tackles. By last season, he also had earned a spot as a fullback on offense while continuing his fine work on special teams.

"If you look at Zach physically -- look at his size and how he runs -- there's no way he should ever get on the field for us," Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson said. "But I mean that as the ultimate compliment. On our kickoff team, he has the slowest 40 time; but when the ball is kicked off, he's the first man down there [on coverage].

"When you look at the recruiting rankings for Division I football, what those don't measure is the heart of the people in your program. He's Exhibit A on how desire and love of the game can elevate a player."

Akenberger's Cinderella story seemed destined to end unhappily ever after when an unfortunate hit in the Temple game last season left his leg shattered.

Three days after the injury, a metal rod was inserted in the leg, and a grueling rehab process started.

"It has been difficult [to watch games]," Akenberger admitted. "I wanted to get out there and hit somebody really badly.

"But I always stayed positive. I knew my chance to get out there would come."

That chance comes Saturday at noon, when the Falcons face their arch-rivals 364 days after he suffered the injury that was supposed to end his career.

"I've been waiting for this day for a whole year now," Akenberger said. "When I found out I would be on special teams Saturday, I was just so excited.

"I can't wait to get out there now. I was anxious [Tuesday] -- I could hardly get to sleep."

No matter how the story ends, Akenberger's comeback can serve as a lesson on the values of perseverance and hard work.

"When you talk about Zach and what he has done to come back, it's hard to not get emotional about it," Clawson said. "All of the things you talk to your football team about -- overcoming adversity, setting goals, and not being denied -- those are things that sometimes are just 'out there' and are not real.

"And when you have someone like Zach who represents all of those things, it's awesome for our program to have someone who loves football and loves Bowling Green so much."

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com or 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.