Academically Inclined After Several Injuries, Justin Strand Traded His Athletic Endeavors For A Career In Business

Justin Strand spent more time on the operating table than he did on the Stanford University football field.

The Coeur d’Alene native and Gonzaga Prep graduate sacrificed his body in the name of sports to pay for his college education.

“I have had six surgeries on my knee, one on my shoulder and one on my thumb, he said. “The injuries didn’t hurt as bad as the surgery. It seems it hurts worse after they fix it.”

His most serious injury occurred when he got his thumb caught in an opponent’s shoulder pads and it was almost ripped off.

“It was hanging almost back to my elbow,” he said, moving it back and forth. “That one really hurt.”

The final injury that started Strand’s second athletic career was against UCLA in 1994, his freshman year.

“My knee got rolled on, spun and jerked in a pile during a kickoff,” said Strand. “Basically the whole knee was shot. I redshirted my sophomore year and I tried to come back the following season. I lasted two practices before it swelled to the size of a watermelon and there was no way I could play anymore.”

Not being able to play football wasn’t a chief concern for Strand. Although he received a fullride scholarship to play, his intentions were more academic.

“I went to school to get an education in business,” he said. “I had no designs on playing in the NFL. If it had happened, so be it. But that is not what I went there for.”

Strand spent the winter in physical therapy, hoping to suit up again. In the meantime, his roommate, linebacker Toby Norwood, befriended Stanford track star David Popejoy, who went on to represent the United States in the 1996 Summer Olympics in the hammer throw.

Looking for something to do besides sit around and mope about his injury, Strand joined Popejoy and Norwood on the track, throwing the hammer. It sparked his athletic competitiveness and he joined the track team with the encouragement of then Stanford football coach Bill Walsh.

“Bill liked his football players participating in track,” said Strand. “It kept them in shape and helped them work on strength and speed in the off-season.”

The hammer is an eight-pound cannonball attached to a chain. It was used as a hunting tool in the days before gunpowder in Scotland. It’s a total strength event, which had some wondering how he could throw the hammer, but not play football.

“Throwing the hammer when done correctly puts no strain on the knee,” said Strand. “It’s mostly on the lower back. If you don’t do it right it can be extremely hard on your back.”

After a few weeks, Strand’s progression and determination put him at a national level.

“I was in track at Gonzaga Prep and it felt good to do something again,” said Strand. “We worked on it for a while and it seemed I had a knack for it, so I kept it up.”

In his freshman year, he qualified for the Pac-10 finals. He made the NCAA finals his sophomore year and was All-American his final two years.

He also traded in his helmet for a whistle and film projector. Since he was on a full ride in football, but couldn’t play, he could have taken the money and studied. It also would have meant he couldn’t compete in other sports. So he struck a deal with Walsh, to work as a coaches assistant.

For the next three years, Strand spread his time between classes, therapy, tossing the hammer and setting up the projector to study game films. He also became a serious contender in track.

In July 1998, his toss of 236 feet 3 inches at the USA Track and Field Championship qualified him for a tryout for the Olympic team in Atlanta. He took eighth and missed the team.

A bad toss the following year gave him experience at what happens when you throw the hammer incorrectly.

“I broke three vertebra in my lower back, he said. “Basically I threw my whole senior year with a broken back.

He discussed his options with Popejoy for future Olympic tryouts and both concluded it wasn’t worth it.

“I could have injured my back worse and spent the rest of my life with back problems,” said Strand. “My health was more important.”

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Masters in Sociology. He put the lock on his athletic career in exchange for a briefcase.

Strand now lives in Palo Alto and is a product development specialist with a financial software company, Factset Research Systems, which develops programs for businesses to help track stocks and other companies’ growth progress. He works 12 hours a day.

“It’s something I know I have to do now so I can retire when I am 40.”

He calls his office his second home, which is complete with a television so he can track stocks and former Cardinal players now making millions in the NFL.

“I get envious sometimes,” he said. “They are making tons doing something I loved doing. But I don’t wake up sore in the morning and when I am 40, I’ll still have my health.”