Nice To See You

The guy who walked in the door with football coach Bob Surace was ripped.

He wore a gray Princeton football t-shirt, and it was obvious that this guy was in great shape. He didn't have an ounce of fat on him; even his face looked chiseled.

Clearly, he'd spent a lot of time in the weightroom.

He had the look of a serious athlete as well. It's a look of invincibility, a look of the late teens and early 20s, a look TigerBlog knows when he sees it.

When the guy spoke, he was polite, calm, optimistic.

He talked about what he's been doing with his time, what challenges he's looking forward to taking on with all his effort.

His voice, like his body, conveyed strength and confidence. His answers were crisp and clean. He laughed easily.

He was completely at ease. On top of his world, it seemed.

It's hard to believe that it's only been a few months since he had a stroke.

Chuck Dibilio stopped by Jadwin Gym yesterday.

After talking to Dibilio for five minutes, TigerBlog can't believe he had a stroke, even more so than he can't believe the general thought that a 19-year-old who rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman last fall.

It's still a shocking thought, that it happened in the first place.

It's not like he had the amazing freshman year and then tore his ACL playing pickup basketball or something crushing, but understandable.

But a stroke?

For a 19-year-old elite athlete?

There's no way to process that.

Dibilio's future as a student looks pretty solid. As a football player?

Well, that's not as cut and dry.

The first necessity is to figure out what caused the stroke in the first place. Once that happens, then a determination can be made as to the future ability of the young man to resume his playing career.

Dibilio spoke as if all of that is just a matter of time, even though it's possible that he's just trying to be as optimistic as possible.

And who can blame him?

A few months ago, he was the cornerstone of Princeton's rebuilding efforts in the sport. He burst onto the scene last fall and gave Princeton fans someone they had to watch, someone who could make something happen any time he touched the ball.

Now?

He's still ripped. He's in great shape apparently, the result of being able to resume workouts in the weightroom.

It makes it all the more ridiculous to try to comprehend that the guy who ran up all those yards and records last fall and the one who was standing in TB's office yesterday is also the same guy who had a stroke this past winter.

At the very least, it was great to see him here, looking as good as he did.

Like every Princeton fan, TigerBlog wants to see him back on the field, repeating and eclipsing what he did last season.

Beyond that, though, they just to know that he'll be healthy and back in school and able to move on with his life.

Judging by five minutes yesterday, Step 1 seems to be out of the way.

Will there be a Step 2?