Pierson-El Perseveres with New Perspective on Life

“De’Mornay is bummed about the injury, but he can come back next year and be the first college player to win both'The Jet' Award and the Rodgers-Dwight Award in the same season. He’s intelligent, tenacious and talented. Every time he steps on the field, you sense something big might happen.” Johnny Rodgers, 1971 Heisman Trophy Winner

“It’s been a tough year. De’Mornay galvanizes the team, even when he's injured. He’s like a little brother to me, and I want him to do well. It’s unfortunate that he got hurt. When we talk, I always remind De’Mornay that this injury is a minor setback before he makes a major comeback.” Ameer Abdullah, former teammate, current role model

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Last year, De'Mornay Pierson-El became the first freshman in Nebraska history to earn All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America. The Alexandria, Va., native/wide receiver/return specialist led the nation in punt returns with 589 yards. He also scored three touchdowns, including an electrifying 80-yard fourth-quarter TD that helped the Huskers record their biggest road comeback in school history – a 37-34 overtime triumph at Iowa.

Last week, before the Hawkeyes beat the Huskers, Pierson-El ditched his scooter, grabbed his crutches and joined his teammates to visit patients at Lincoln’s Bryan Hospital-East. The experience gave all of them “a different perspective on life,” he said. “The people we visited are fighting a different battle, and you realize how you can affect someone who’s in pain. When we went into their rooms, they would light up like a Christmas tree. It was really eye-opening for me.”

Reaching Out and Touching Others Warmed De'Mornay Pierson-El's Heart

It was enlightening because Pierson-El didn’t fully realize how he and his teammates can impact people’s lives. “That was a big thing for me last year and even bigger this year because I could relate to everyone we visited even more,” Pierson-El told me. “It really warmed my heart to reach out and talk to people who were spending their holidays in the hospital.”

During the preseason, a foot injury sidelined Pierson-El for more than six weeks before he fractured his leg to end his season in Nebraska’s loss at Purdue. That’s the double-barreled bad news. The good news is how Nebraska prepared Pierson-El for hardship. “When I got here, the first day I walked through these doors they (Nebraska administrators) told me to start planning for life after football,” Pierson-El said. “They challenged me to be ready in case football doesn’t work out. Coming in here and having the year I had as a freshman, you don’t think about injuries slowing you down. I was truly thinking about having the same kind of year or an even better year than I had last year. In my mind, the only thing that was going to stop me was me.”

De'Mornay Hugs a Hospital Patient to Uplift Her Spirit as Well as His Own

Losing a year of eligibility for parts of three games, plus a few plays in a couple other games, doesn’t begin to describe the anguish Pierson-El felt. “Tough isn’t a word that can describe how I felt,” he said. “You have things you love most and the thing that you hold closest and dearest to you. When they’re stripped from your heart, twice in the same year…”

Pierson-El paused to regain his composure. “The first time and then the second time,” he said, establishing the references causing identical pain. “Rehab is harder on me than anything. It’s the mental part. I’ve been through obstacles like this before, just not at this level. I’ve sat out of practices, I’ve missed games. I just didn’t think I’d miss more games in the same season.”

Communication is important to Pierson-El, and he wants set the record straight about his second injury. Yes, freshman Stanley Morgan Jr. ran past him after a touchdown. But no, Pierson-El’s second injury this season was not the result of celebration.

Pierson-El Researches His Rehabilitation, Concentrates on Improvement

“Everybody keeps saying, ‘Oh, you got hurt celebrating’ but I wasn’t doing that,” Pierson-El said. “Stanley had already passed me. I went to turn to go towards the sideline, and my balance, or something, was off. I took one wrong step and slid. My left leg hyperextended, causing a bunch of pain. I had my ACL repaired, MCL repaired, fibula repaired. I also ripped my hamstring.”

Pierson-El tries not to think about what went wrong. He researches about rehabilitation and concentrates on ways he can better himself. “I try not to mess up my diet,” he said, “because once I come back, I want to be fast and stay focused with school and everything else. I try, really try, not to think about what’s happened and ask why because I’ll just get frustrated.

“Nobody’s going to say what happened,” Pierson-El said. “It’s not like I can blame a team because of a hit or anything. It legitimately happened by myself. There’s a reason why it happened. I just have to come back harder, put my best foot forward, focus, bounce back and be the same person or better than I was to bring back to the team what I know I can bring back. That’s where my focus is…just bouncing back from this injury and then showing a lot of people that I’ll still be who I am no matter what.”

In Upsetting Michigan State, Pierson-El's Fellow Brothers Honored Him

His fellow wide receivers know how much Pierson-El wants to be back on the field. They look at him and see how upset he is on the sidelines. “That’s their motivation right there.” he said. “They tell me all the time, ‘I know DP can’t play. Let’s go out there for him.’ That’s what they said before the Michigan State game. That’s just who we are as a core. Those are my brothers. They know without me saying one thing how I feel because we’re just that close.”

When Pierson-El speaks up on something he feels strongly about, “it kind of gives them a little something extra because they know it means something to me and to them,” he said. “If they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do or if I know that they can do more, just one little boost can help them. That applies to anybody in that room because we know what each other can do. You might not be able to excel right then and there, but it does matter when one of your brothers says something to you. That’s all you need to know to get back up on your horse.”

Abdullah Serves Pierson-El as a 'Big Brother' and a Major Role Model

Mental focus and physical focus are paramount. So are understanding what’s at stake and playing up to potential in whatever bowl game the Huskers play. “When we come together as one, everything clicks and we just make plays,” Pierson-El said. “We can’t just point the finger. We have to jell together, be prepared to practice hard and be prepared to do things we’re supposed to do. There’s only so much that coaches can do.”

Pierson-El strongly believes that envisioning greatness helps enable greatness. When the Nebraska sophomore saw Abdullah’s picture go up on a Nebraska coaches’ wall early last week after his 104-yard kickoff return for the Detroit Lions, he took a photo and sent it to his mentor. “Your school is still representing you well,” Pierson-El told Abdullah (pictured above at last Saturday's Iowa game). “I respect Ameer’s grind and his hustle. What he puts forth helps him be what he is. He’s worked hard on and off the field. He’s relentless. I want to be relentless, too.”

De'Mornay Wears Four Bracelets to Elevate and Remember His Thoughts

Like Abdullah, Pierson-El is a self-motivator. He wears four bracelets on his wrists to elevate and remember his thoughts. One says “Prove Them All Wrong’. One says, 'Fight for Don Walker', a kid he met last year that was hit by a drunk driver and couldn’t walk or talk. “I met him in the hospital when he was slowly starting to walk,” Pierson-El said. “It was part of a Life Skills event."

Pierson-El had noticed a green bracelet and asked the kid if that was his favorite color. When he said yes, Pierson-El said green was his favorite color, too. "Right before I left the hospital," De'Mornay said, "he gave me this green bracelet, and I haven’t taken it off since.”

I notice an orange bracelet on Pierson-El’s wrist. “It’s for a kid from where I'm from,” he said. “He got hit by a car close to my rival in high school. His parents got in contact with Life Skills, so I got a chance to meet him, his mom, dad and his grandmother.”

One Bracelet Represents Letter N: Hard Work and Continuous Improvement

The bracelets remind Pierson-El (pictured above with former Husker Steve Warren at a letterwinners' ceremony) to stay on course and aspire to earn the best possible outcome. "Don came back from being hit by a car. He didn’t give up on himself, so why should I?" De'Mornay said. "Same thing with the orange bracelet. He didn’t give up. He came back.”

The Nebraska bracelet? “It reminds me that I came here for a reason and I’ll never forget that reason," he said. "The ‘N’ represents a lot of people and reflects the hard work required to become consistently better and better each and every day. That’s why all the people who came before me wore that letter N and why all the people that will come after me will continue to represent that N in the best way they can, just like I plan to do every year that I’m here.”

The clear bracelet features the ‘N’ pinpointing the center of Memorial Stadium on Tom Osborne Field, featuring the precise coordinates of its rightful place in the universe...40.8206 degrees north and 96.7056 degrees west. "It just reminds me that there’s no place like home and no place like Nebraska," Pierson-El said. "I keep all these things on my wrist because they're close to my heart. I use them as a symbol to push myself through a lot of things and prove people wrong. When I get down, I just look at that bracelet and see another spring and imagine another gear that I need to push to show those who doubt me. I'm going to keep fighting and continue to do what I do, so I can be better than I've ever been."

Send comments to ryork@huskers.com (Please include city, state

Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider

N-Sider Archives

Voices from Husker Nation

Great article on DP. He will be a successful person, regardless of football. Came back for the Iowa game…still have season tickets. Lani L Beach, MBA, ’71, Prescott, Arizona

Nice article about DP. I wish he could get a medical hardship year because of limited playing time before injuring his knee. Marv Clausen, Parker, Colorado

Absolutely wonderful article on De’Mornay. He sounds like he has his head on straight! Proud he’s a Husker! Jan Stevenson, Yankton, South Dakota

Great piece on a stellar young man. I got to interview him for the Jet Award and dropped it into Husker Corner blog, too. Thanks for your hard work. Kelli Anne Francis, Omaha, Nebraska

We're all looking forward to you getting back on the field. Dennis Homolka

Great kiddo! Super representative of what it means to be at Nebraska! God bless you always--Gods plan is not always our plan--hang in there! Marcia West

Awesome Husker both inside and out! Glad you are a part of Husker Nation, Pierson-El, and hope nothing but a speedy recovery and bright days ahead! Ryan Morrow

Nothing but respect for Piersen-El. We are truly lucky to have these young role models in our state. Amanda Fryzek

De'Mornay is an awesome guy. Met him during a field trip to Memorial Stadium with the kiddoes. I was so geeked to meet such an awesome Husker! Go Big Red and good luck on the road to recovery De'Mornay! Michael Devlin

Bless your heart, De'Mornay. You stay strong and heal so you can continue on your journey. We are rooting for you! Kimberly Hoban Devenny

I was looking to watch him run. Sure he was, too. Get well and see you run like the wind next year. Doug Schneider

Here's to your road to recovery De'Mornay! Keep a positive attitude and as always, Go Big Red Forever!!! Darla Green

What a great guy. His values reflect Husker nation. John Russnogle

Such a down to earth guy. I hope his recovery is quick and complete. Jean Iwalani Hurley-Gardner