The University of Central Florida rugby team will hold its annual Todd Miller 7’s rugby tournament in support of a Knight who became paralyzed after a match that took place in his first semester with the team.
Miller would line up with his teammates for a scrum, where players from both sides fight for the ball, looking to take possession in an otherwise normal game for his first semester with the team in 1991.
Both lines soon collapsed and the weight of the players fell on Miller’s neck, causing a break.
The then 22-year-old immediately became paralyzed from the chest down with control of his shoulders, biceps, and one wrist remaining. Despite the injury, Miller holds no fault to the game and has made a living in the twenty-five years since.
The annual tournament is a state-qualifier and year-over-year has raised money for both Miller through the Todd Miller Foundation and 2Lives Foundation, started by the Sotloff family. Miller has become a household name for rugby players at UCF and at other universities – the 1991 UCF rugby coach, Kevin Lindsey, attends the tournament and speaks fondly to the bond the players have shared between each other and to teammates that played in other years.
In the 2015 Todd Miller 7’s tournament 30 teams came to Central Florida to participate, taking place at the same time when UCF sought its third-straight national title.
“It really shows the heart of the rugby player,” Miller said to the Orlando Sentinel.
The 25th annual Todd Miller 7’s tournament will be held at the National Training Center in Clermont, just west of Downtown Orlando on Saturday at 10 a.m. It is expected to the event’s biggest turnout yet.
