Tennessee State linebacker Christion Abercrombie is known for his smile and upbeat attitude, but his fans thought that they would never see those again after a horrific accident on the field threatened his life.

On September 29, 2018, Tennesse was playing their local rival, Vanderbilt. During the game, Abercrombie began to complain of a massive headache. Suddenly, he collapsed on the sidelines.

He was immediately rushed to Vanderbilt Medical where doctors determined that he had suffered several strokes and was suffering from a severe brain injury. Doctors were unsure he would make it through the night.

Back at the game, both teams were terrified when they heard the news. TSU and Vanderbilt huddled together at the 50-yard-line and prayed for Abercrombie.

He underwent emergency brain surgery, which left him in a coma for weeks. After a lot of monitoring and patience, doctors saw Abercrombie start to wake up.

“[All I can say is] thank God,” Christion told NewsChannel 5, “it’s been a long journey, but God has helped me get back where I was.”

Christion’s mom, told WSB-TV 2 “I prayed with expectancy because I knew God was going to bless us.”

Bless them God did. Months later, Abercrombie is alive and well.

“Believe in God because without him nothing is possible. He made everything happen for me,” Abercrombie said. “I thank God for that every day.”

Christion continues to do rehabilitation for his motor skills and speech. He still has a long way to go, but he tells us he plans to someday return to the football field. For now, he is focusing on completing his sports medicine degree at TSU.