•High school:Lee's Summit (Mo.)
•College: Oklahoma, bachelor's degree in communication, 2007
•His football career: Thunander was one of four true freshmen to see playing time in 1999.
Late that season he moved from linebacker to defensive end, where he was a key reserve on the 2000 national championship team.
An ear canal injury ended his career after that season.
•His autobiography: Thunander wrote "Silent Thunder,” a book about his life which is being released nationally today.
•Notable: Thunander is deaf. He communicates via sign language or by reading lips and speaking.
•Quotable: "A lot of people give up too easy because society says, ‘You're deaf. You can't do this. You can't do that.' People have always told me what I can't achieve, but I don't listen to them.”
By Jenni Carlson
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