Sept. 1, 2018, was the third-most difficult day of Debra McCormick’s life.
The first? When she found out she had melanoma in her early 30s. The second? When her son, Cam McCormick, tore his ACL his senior year of high school, sidelining him from playing any sport for the remainder of the school year.
The third fell on opening day for Oregon football against Bowling Green, when Cam broke his fibula less than one quarter into the game.
Debra entered “action mode” following Cam’s injury to aid her son in getting him back into what he loves most: playing football. Cam, now eight months removed from rehab, is back on a mission to earn what he relinquished, his starting tight end position.
“It was grueling,” Cam said. “I basically tried to walk off the field. I thought if I took a step my bone was going to come out of my leg.”
Debra’s vantage point was much different. She didn’t even see it happen.
Nestled right behind an entire wall of Oregon football players, Debra was prevented from seeing the gruesome injury. Then at the end of the first quarter, a text rang out from her phone from Matt Noyer, director of football operations, saying that her son was injured.
Without any idea of the severity of her son’s injury, Debra walked through the tunnel Cam had just run out of and on through the Marcus Mariota center to reach an X-ray room. As she arrived, her son exited the room with tears falling down his face.
“He was just sobbing because he had worked so hard to earn a starting spot,” Debra said. “I had to put on a happy face, as all moms do. We all do that for our boys.”
The next day, Debra, exhausted from a chaotic 24 hours, went downstairs at the hospital to grab a cup of coffee following Cam’s surgery. She returned, in amazement, to a room filled with Oregon players and coaches to see Cam post-surgery.
“It was incredible. I cried,” Debra said. “As a mom, that just makes you feel incredible to know that your boy is cared about.”
Then the rehab process began.
Debra, originally planning to stay two days, ended up staying by her son’s side for two weeks. Those days were spent sleeping on a recliner next to Cam’s bed and waiting on his every need during all hours of the day.
“She was what I needed,” Cam said. “If I was by myself, I wouldn’t know how I would be able to get around.”
The two weeks were only the beginning of an elongated eight-month rehab process, spending every practice strengthening his body and mind.
“I was out here doing every type of rehab thing you could probably think of,” Cam said.
His rehab time was spent doing drills, core work and lifting to strengthen his body. Now, he’s back. As of April 4, he dubbed himself “full-go,” following the conclusion of Oregon’s seventh spring game.
“He’s awesome,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “We know what a big part of the offense he is … Happy to have him back.”
Cam wants to be more than just back from injury. He wants to accomplish the mission that started eight months ago.
“I want to be that guy for the team now,” he said. “I’m on that mission to get back to the top.”