To An Athlete Dying Young: The Tragic Anniversary of Reggie Lewis' Death

“The time you won your town the race, we chaired you through the market-place; Man and boy stood cheering by, and home we brought you shoulder-high.”Today marks the anniversary of one of the saddest days in my life, and that is the passing of Reggie Lewis. To place Reggie’s death as simply one tragedy in a large list of unfortunate events to happen to the Boston Celtics does do not justice to man that we loved.Reggie was one of the few sports athletes who never saw himself as one. Perhaps it was his humble upbringings in Baltimore or was his rookie year when he found himself buried on the bench.But the truth is that Reggie was a uniquely special human being. He was a man capable of lighting up a room with his smile. And in his 27 short years on this planet, he touched the lives of many and never forgot a soul.“To-day, the road all runners come, shoulder-high we bring you home, and set you at your threshold down, townsman of a stiller town.”Years before ...