Prep Coach Paralyzed

Belleville West High School football coach Dick Hood was in intensive care after a freak collision with a player during a practice left him without feeling in his arms and legs.

Hood, 52, underwent back and neck surgery Thursday night at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo.

He had been conducting a drill with the Maroons’ defensive line when the accident occurred. Hood was bending over to place a cone on the ground when a receiver running pass routes in another drill collided with him pushing Hood’s head into the ground.