More details on comeback of former BYU O-lineman Ben Archibald

Stories like the one on Ben Archibald that ran in the Deseret News on Saturday are profiles that I like to do because it highlights the difficult gauntlet many athletes go through to simply play the game.

I’ve learned over the years that often times when you interview an athlete for a story, you’ll get enough to get the job done, but it pays dividends to make an extra phone call to those who know the player. In this case with Archibald, I should have made a call to his mother, Joell in Gearheart, Ore., who has had a front row seat on his life. I think it would have paid off.

Since we published Archibald’s story in my column, I received an email from his mother thanking us for the recognition given him as the Canadian Football League’s best offensive lineman for 2010.

If you didn’t read the column, it centered on his comeback after a devastating broken leg in one of the first days of practice in the Gary Crowton era at BYU.

From his mother’s email, here are some more details of what went on in Ben’s life during the years since his injury:

“When Ben’s injury happened, his wife called me at work and told me. I am an RN and my husband is a pharmacist; both of us knew instantly of the consequences of a compound fracture and the potential medical complications for Ben’s future. Your article was right….I pictured the possibility for infection and an amputation of his leg. I left work immediately and drove straight to the airport to fly to Utah. I arrived just after Ben got out of surgery. It was hard to see the grieving of his coaches and team-mates; I gained an additional measure of understanding of what kind of son we had raised by the respect he was afforded at the time of his injury.

“Fortunately, Ben was blessed with a post-operative recovery that was beyond our expectations. It wasn’t easy for him to watch his teammates on the field during his senior season. It was very hard to be with he and his wife during the weekend of the NFL draft waiting for the phone to ring. Prior to his injury he had been told that he should expect to go in the late first or early second round of the draft. The weekend ended with no calls.

“Since that time, Ben has always been the proverbial “low man on the totem pole”. He was a cheap find for both the 49ers and the Saints and the business of the NFL became painfully obvious, despite Ben’s best efforts. Although he had great success as the starting R Tackle for the season he played in NFL Europe with the Amsterdam Admirals (Amsterdam won the championship that year), received continual positive feedback during his time with the Saints from his position coaches and compared favorably with drafted OL, he never really was able to crack a secure spot on a roster in the NFL. Cheap players are the first to go….when teams pay an expensive signing bonus and a big contract price to a player, they are not likely to throw that money away.

“The timing of the Saints cutting Ben seemed to be the worst thing….Jodi was pregnant with the triplets and they abruptly lost their medical insurance. They had just purchased a house and now had no job. Then the NFL informed Ben that because of the time he had vested in the league, their medical insurance would continue for 5 additional years. The triplets were born in Seattle, 9 weeks early with the smallest one weighing 2 lb 4 oz. We call them our million dollar miracles! And Ben was able to be there for their birth and those critical months at the beginning of their life….more blessings than we could have ever hoped for.

“Through all of this Ben continued to work out and do all he could to be prepared for the next opportunity. He did not respond with bitterness; he is still great friends with some of his team-mates in New Orleans. Ben’s wife Jodi has been a stalwart supporter and demonstrated courage and strength at every turn in their life together. She has never lost faith in him and has remained devoted to whatever action was necessary for him to be successful, whether is was time apart, long hours in the gym away from home, or driving hundreds of miles with 3 little girls to and from their homes in Canada and Washington state.

“He and his wife continued to find the positive things and blessings in their situation and have been a great example to all of us.

“As parents, we have had the chance to be at most of Ben’s BYU games, watch him play in Europe, watch him play (both in person and on TV) in the NFL, and now watch him play in Canada. We were able to be in Montreal 2 years ago when the Calgary Stampeders won the Grey Cup and be in the locker room with Jodi, Ben and the team to celebrate. We attended 5 of his games this season. These have been incredible proud moments in our lives. But the kind of man, husband, and parent Ben strives to be is what we are most proud of. His O-Line Coach in Calgary likes to tell us “You have a great football player for a son….but even better, you have a great man for a son.”

“The CFL Lineman of the Year Award feels, in small part, that Ben has received some of the recognition he has long deserved for his football endeavors. We appreciate you sharing that with readers. We have passed the link on to our extended family (almost all of which live in Utah).

“Ben and Jodi’s triplets are beautiful little 3 year old girls with such strong personalities. When we were last in Calgary, they came and climbed in bed with my husband and I early in the morning. As we were talking about the fun things we had planned for the day, little Kylee gave me the biggest hug and then said, “Gamma, this is my LUCKY DAY!” Your article captured this chapter in Ben’s life and reminds us of the blessing it is for him to be excelling at something he loves to do. It is a “LUCKY DAY” for all of us. Thank you.”

Joell and Lynn Archibald,
Gearhart, OR