The Resume

(April 13, 1963-August 30, 2010)
Football and lacrosse player at Yale
Left leg amputated below the knee after being struck by a bus while riding his motorcycle (1985)
Became a competitor in marathons and triathlons
Became a quadriplegic after being hit by a van during the Orange County Ironman Triathlon (1993)
Became a motivational speaker
Won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2005 ESPYs

Why he might be annoying:

The day before the 1993 accident, he told his girlfriend, 'Something amazing is about to happen to me. I can feel it.'
On his webpage he pretentiously described himself as 'bringing awareness to your human potential.'
He makes you feel like even more of a slug than usual for sitting there surfing the web instead of getting outside and exercising.

Why he might not be annoying:

In Ironman triathlons he usually beat 80% of the two-legged competitors.
He was called the Babe Ruth of amputee athletes.
He said his first reaction on waking up from his 1993 accident and realizing he could not move his legs was thinking, 'Maybe I'll be able to wheelchair race. And I can go beat Jim Knaub [who held most of the wheelchair marathon records].'
He inspired the formation of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which by the time of his death had raised $28 million to support disabled athletes.
He maintained a remarkably upbeat attitude for someone who kept having crap thrown at him by fate.
He said, 'Is it fair what happened to me? No, of course not. So what?'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Amputees
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 31]
• ESPY's Arthur Ashe Award for Courage (Ranked: 2005)
• I am Confined to a Wheelchair
• I Am the Babe Ruth of My Sport
• I Attended Yale
• I Died in 2010 (Ranked: 47)
• I Ran a Marathon
• I Ran in the New York Marathon
• I was Involved in a Car Accident in 1985
• I was Involved in a Car Accident in 1993
• I was Involved in a Motorcycle Accident
• Look at Me, I'm Accepting My Award
• Look At Me, I'm With Oprah Winfrey
• Profiles 29751-30000 (Ranked: 29863)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 30.77% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 19 Votes: 47.37% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 18 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 129 Votes: 66.67% Annoying