Top 20 Feel-Good Sports Stories of 2018

3. Shaquem Griffin

Shaquem Griffin was born with a condition that left his hand undeveloped causing him severe pain. At four years old, his mother found him in the kitchen trying to cut off his finger with a butcher knife. The next day, Griffin’s parents scheduled to get his hand amputated, ending the pain that he was living with.

Griffin’s lack of a hand did not limit him in sports, as he constantly proved people wrong to become a great football player.

Griffin started off 2018 in a big way, as his UCF Knights football team took on Auburn in the Peach Bowl. Griffin led the Knights to 34-27 victory to complete their undefeated season and was named the game’s Defensive MVP.

Then after initially not being invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, Griffin ran a 4.38 40-yard dash, the fastest time for a linebacker since the NFL began tracking the statistic.

Griffin was then drafted by his twin brother’s team, the Seattle Seahawks, fulfilling his dream of playing in the NFL alongside his brother.