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A car accident took his leg but smile remains for Eastmoor's Isaiah Pead

scott springer, cincinnati enquirer
·4 min read
During his senior year at Eastmoor, Isaiah Pead rushed for 2,204 yards with an average of 11.5 yards per carry, and he scored 39 touchdowns.
During his senior year at Eastmoor, Isaiah Pead rushed for 2,204 yards with an average of 11.5 yards per carry, and he scored 39 touchdowns.

This November, it will have been seven years since Isaiah Pead nearly left this world and his week-old son without a father.

Now 33, the Eastmoor grad walks with a prosthetic left leg after a car accident that required amputation of the limb. He lost one of his natural gifts early that morning but has learned to enjoy the present and make the most of the hand he was dealt.

Not many impeded Pead at Eastmoor

At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Pead was a running back with video-game lateral quickness mixed with the speed of a gazelle. He rushed for well over 4,000 yards at Eastmoor, breaking the records of Ohio State two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin.

In his senior year, he led the Warriors to a 9-1 record, ran for 2,204 yards with an average of 11.5 yards per carry, and he scored 39 touchdowns.

He was a star in track as well, winning a state championship in the 400 as a junior before taking the title in the 100 the next season.

As a running back for the Cincinnati Bearcats, Isaiah Pead ran for nearly 3,300 yards and finished his career as the Liberty Bowl MVP.
As a running back for the Cincinnati Bearcats, Isaiah Pead ran for nearly 3,300 yards and finished his career as the Liberty Bowl MVP.

At the University of Cincinnati, Pead ran for nearly 3,300 yards and finished his career as the Liberty Bowl MVP. During that 31-24 win over Vanderbilt, he rushed for 149 yards and the eventual winning score prompting his father in the stands to yell a slogan from a notable T-shirt at the time: "You got Pead On!"

It helped catch the eye of the then-St. Louis Rams, who made Pead a second-round pick in 2012.

An NFL career cut short

Pead would follow his tenure with the Rams (2012-2015) with stints playing for the Steelers and Dolphins. He was scheduled for a tryout with the Chiefs in 2016, but that never happened because around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 12 of that year, Pead's Cadillac CTS crashed through a guardrail on I-670 in Columbus. The car went airborne and landed 95 feet from the road, according to reports.

As a running back for the Cincinnati Bearcats, Isaiah Pead ran for nearly 3,300 yards and finished his career as the Liberty Bowl MVP.
As a running back for the Cincinnati Bearcats, Isaiah Pead ran for nearly 3,300 yards and finished his career as the Liberty Bowl MVP.

Former Bearcat and Olentangy Liberty defensive back Wesley Richardson was also in the vehicle. Richardson wore a seat belt, but Pead did not. As a result, Pead was thrown from the vehicle, later awakening in the hospital to his mother telling him he had lost his leg.

That ended Pead's football career, but not his mission to serve and achieve. Pead now walks on a man-made leg but enters every room with a smile.

A triumphant return among friends and fans

Last Thursday the University of Cincinnati brought a caravan to Columbus. A giant Bearcat bus with a Big 12 logo was proudly parked in front of the BrewDog Tap Room in Canal Winchester.

Athletic director John Cunningham was accompanied by several UC coaches including new football coach Scott Satterfield, men's basketball coach Wes Miller and women's hoops head Katrina Merriweather. And there, of course, was Pead, who appeared as happy as a kid at a surprise birthday party.

He posed for photos with fans and thanked all who spent time with him.

"It's good to interact with the fans, to introduce the new image of Cincinnati being in a new conference," Pead said. "It's almost like a big family reunion. I'm excited for the guys, the school and the fans. I'm excited for the stage. Since I've been a part of the Cincinnati family we get better and better and push the envelope to grow more."

Isaiah Pead was a a Cincinnati Bearcat running back from 2008-2011 and in the NFL from 2012-2016 until losing part of his left leg in an auto accident. Pead attended UC's Big 12 rally in Columbus May 18.
Isaiah Pead was a a Cincinnati Bearcat running back from 2008-2011 and in the NFL from 2012-2016 until losing part of his left leg in an auto accident. Pead attended UC's Big 12 rally in Columbus May 18.

He is very thankful. The son he held the night of his crash, Isaiah Pead II (aka "Deuce"), is now 6 years old and already running circles around defenders on the pee-wee circuit. He also has a 2-year-old daughter.

A Warrior's new battle

"I feel happy, I feel whole, I feel blessed," Pead said. "I'm thankful to have experienced the things I've experienced in my life."

As he wrote in a piece for The Player's Tribune in 2018, Pead believes God has new plans for him. Part of that plan includes the daughter who was not yet born when he penned the article. Part of it is coaching his son and a nephew who hope to find the end zone as frequently as he did.

But, he's not yet done competing.

Pead has made a run at the Paralympics and currently plays wheelchair basketball and volleyball with a lower net. He still hits the weight room enough to fill out a T-shirt in an impressive manner.

"The doctor told me there shouldn't be anything I can't do," Pead said. "Until then, I'm going to try to do everything!"

Less than a year after the car accident that claimed his left leg, former Cincinnati Bearcats running back Isaiah Pead encourages the team's student section before a game against Austin Peay.
Less than a year after the car accident that claimed his left leg, former Cincinnati Bearcats running back Isaiah Pead encourages the team's student section before a game against Austin Peay.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Eastmoor grad Isaiah Pead welcomes UC Bearcats during Columbus visit