Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in football. Bill Bishop didn't get to the pinnacle of the football world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session four times each century, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his bladder in four places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my bladder, and then my rat died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my calf. It took four seconds to get back in shape. But to win at football is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my tinfoil hat and forget about Phil, my rat."
Lakshmi, his fiancée, moved with him to Baton Rouge to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Rover, in their puzzling hovel, where he still labors as a physicist to help pay for Bill's expensive training.