Ex-Cougar guard Utley will be profiled on OLN

Former Washington State University and Detroit Lions football star Mike Utley will be profiled on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) series “Fearless” on Wednesday between 6 and 7 p.m.

The future was bright for Utley, an offensive guard selected to six All-America teams following his senior year at WSU in 1988 and a third-round draft pick of the Lions.

But in his third season in the NFL, on the afternoon of Nov. 17, 1991, Utley injured the sixth and seventh vertebrae on a play in the fourth quarter against the Rams and was paralyzed.

Instead of the end of his story, it was the beginning.

Utley, who gave the crowd a “thumbs-up” signal as he was carried off the field, continues to work hard in rehabilitation in an effort to realize his goal of one day walking off Ford Field on his own. He has some feeling in his legs and is able to stand on his own for a few moments at a time. He continues to try new things, including skydiving, scuba diving and snow skiing.

Additionally, he has established the Mike Utley Foundation that assists and gives hope to others with disabilities.

Fishing

David Slater, 12, of Spokane Valley, won the 11-14 age division of the Washington Junior Bassmasters State Championship last weekend at Potholes Reservoir. He caught two bass totaling 2.3 pounds to win the title and a trip to compete in the Junior Bassmasters World Championship scheduled for February in Alabama.