Ball State University Athletics
Ball State Sets Up Fund and Honoring Dante Love
September 26, 2008 | Football
Click Here to Link to the Dante Love Medical and Rehabilitation Site
The Ball State University athletics department has put together a variety of ways to honor Dante Love (#86), who suffered a cervical spine fracture and spinal cord injury at last Saturday's football game at Indiana.
"We want to honor Dante Love for all the hard work he put into the Ball State football program," Ball State head coach Brady Hoke says. "He remains an instrumental part of the team's growth, but more important, he is an outstanding person with a great work ethic. We are going to do some things to honor him at Saturday's game, and some things will honor him as the year continues. He is beginning the difficult process of rehabilitation and it will be a long road for Dante. He is a fighter, and we as a football program will do all we can to help him in any way we can."
Although the majority of Love's medical expenses are covered by Ball State and the NCAA, the athletics department, with the help of MutualBank, has set up the Dante Love Medical and Rehabilitation Fund. The fund is for those wishing to provide financial assistance to the Love family for expenses not covered by insurance and to assist the Love family with additional costs related to the injury, including items such as family travel, accommodations and incidental needs.
Anyone wishing to contribute may do it online through secured links at www.ballstatesports.com, www.bankwithmutual.com or at any MutualBank location. All funds in this account will go toward expenses incurred by the Love family, and any excess proceeds will be donated to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and spinal injury research. To assist with the fund, T.I.S. Bookstore will be selling Dante Love t-shirts at Saturday's game with all proceeds going toward the Dante Love Medical and Rehabilitation Fund.
"We are extremely pleased Dante Love's surgery went well and the prognosis for him is good," Ball State director of intercollegiate athletics Tom Collins says. "He suffered a very severe injury and we are thankful he is progressing positively. Everyone involved with the game management at Indiana, our own medical and athletic training staffs and all the employees at the Bloomington and Methodist Hospitals were outstanding. Ball State University thanks them for helping Dante with his injury. We are setting up this fund to help assist the family with any expenses which may not covered by their insurance or Ball State University, and hopefully to provide additional dollars for spinal injury research. It is important for people to understand all efforts associated with fund raising for Dante Love need to be approved in advance by Ball State athletics to avoid any rules violations and jeopardize the ability for the Love family to be assisted."
In addition, the following will take place Saturday to honor Dante Love:
? Dante Love stickers have been donated for the first 20,000 fans attending Saturday's game
? Dante Love signs will be placed inside Scheumann Stadium in honor of the senior.
? The football team has named Dante Love an honorary captain for the 2008 season.
? One player will be selected each game as a team captain in Dante Love's name.
? The football team will honor Dante Love in a special way for the remainder of the season,
which will begin at Saturday's contest.
"We truly appreciate all the thoughts and prayers for Dante and his family through this difficult time," Collins says. "We have received a tremendous amount of ideas on ways to support Dante and his family, and as a university these are some of the ways we think will be most beneficial to Dante and his family. Again, we must stress any efforts associated with fund raising for Dante Love must be approved in advance by Ball State University and the athletics department."
