Chris Spielman: the week after Mike Utley suffered a paralyzing neck injury, the linebacker and his Lions teammates made an inspirational statement against the Vikings - The Game I'll Never Forget

--As told to Chuck O'Donnell

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AS A LINEBACKER, CHRIS SPIELMAN WAS as tough as they come. Off the field, he was the same way.

He had to be. When Spielman's wife, Stephanie, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30, he sat out the entire 1998 season to help her. He returned to football when she beat her cancer, but he had to quit for good after suffering a severe neck injury in a preseason game in 1999. Stephanie then had another bout with breast cancer before giving birth to the couple's third and fourth children.

Fending off hulking offensive linemen or tackling a hard-charging running back never was as difficult as what he has gone through with his wife. Or as important.

"I've dealt with some things the past four or five years that have gone beyond football, with my wife having breast cancer and beating it twice and having two children [born] post-breast cancer," says Spielman, who spent 11 seasons in the NFL. "Football is important to me, and I'm absolutely passionate about it, but it fails to compare to the way I feel about my faith and my family.

"When I walked away from football, I had no regrets. I had a press conference and said, `Thank you.' The only thing I took with me is that no one ever questioned my effort. `Thanks a lot, see ya.' And that was it."

Although everyone in his family is doing fine now, spending a lot of time with his loved ones remains his priority. That's why Spielman enjoys calling college football games for ESPN.

"I love college football." says the 37-year-old Spielman. "I haven't really pursued announcing in the pros. I have four kids, and college football allows me to leave on Thursday night and be home on Saturday night. That's why I like it." Spielman also has a daily daytime talk show on WBNS-AM in Columbus, Ohio.

Spielman grew up in Ohio, a post pattern away from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. As a boy, he would visit the Hall 10 or so times a year. Staring at the busts of Butkus, Nitschke, Huff, and Schmidt fueled his passion for the game. He went from Washington High in Massillon, Ohio, to Ohio State in 1984. At Ohio State, he became one of the greatest middle linebackers in college football history, setting numerous records and earning a bushel of awards.

After the Detroit Lions selected Spielman with the 29th pick overall in the 1988 draft, he became the heart of the team's defense for nearly a decade. He earned four trips to the Pro Bowl and led the Lions in tackles for seven consecutive seasons. Spielman went on to play two seasons with the Buffalo Bills and then hooked up with the Cleveland Browns with whom he suffered his career-ending injury.

"One of the best compliments I ever had was when, Bo Jackson said, `Man, that's the hardest any white boy ever hit me,'" says Spielman. "I got him when he wasn't looking--he didn't see me coming. My MO was that I didn't care if my teammates liked me or didn't like me. I wasn't out there to be anybody's friend. I was out to win and to show them that they could count on me.