•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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Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.