Don Grossnickle steps down as Gridiron Alliance chairman

It was Oct. 6, 1999, that Arlington Heights’ Deacon Don Grossnickle began his work reaching out to help paralyzed Rolling Meadows football player Rob Komosa and his family.

This work in the community led to him to advocate for and serve other Illinois paralyzed high school athletes. He chose Oct. 6, 2012, to announce the transfer of leadership to other members of the Gridiron board.

With the release of his book benefiting the Gridiron Alliance, “Unbreakable Resilience: Leap of Faith Stories to Live By,” Grossnickle announced that he would step down as founder and chairman of the Gridiron Alliance board of directors.

Gridiron Alliance is a nonprofit that provides mentoring and resources to student-athletes who suffered spinal cord injuries while playing high school sports. Grossnickle founded the charity in 1999.

As deacon at Our Lady of the Wayside Church, Grossnickle was asked to lead prayer for injured Rolling Meadows High School football player Rob Komosa, his teammates and family following the 17-year-old’s spinal cord injury during practice in 1999.

The experience led to Grossnickle’s work with other student-athletes who had suffered spinal cord injuries. Grossnickle would create Gridiron Alliance not only to mentor these former athletes, but to also raise awareness for improved catastrophic insurance coverage by Illinois high school districts.

The founder’s last official act as chairman took place Oct. 18, when he and several Gridiron Alliance board members appealed to Northwest Suburban High School District 214 board members to seek basic catastrophic insurance coverage, so that if a catastrophe occurs the student and family will not be forced to make the comeback journey in poverty.

“I’ve witnessed paralyzed high school players and families struggle with poverty of spirit and finance,” Grossnickle says, “and it’s that same spirit that continues to motivate me to seek change for the better.”

He’s proud of his work with Gridiron Alliance, which includes an active website, the creation of a formalized mentoring outreach program and the pursuit of corporate sponsors to grow a national network and community capable of serving catastrophically injured high school athletes.

He nominated current board members Kenneth Jennings and Steve Herbst to lead Gridiron Alliance upon his departure. The paralyzed former student-athletes, Grossnickle says, are in the best position to continue the charity’s programs and progressive initiatives.

Grossnickle will continue to serve on the Gridiron Alliance board. For information, contact Grossnickle directly at (630) 745-1254.

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