Steve Gleason given NCAA’s Inspiration Award

It was in 2011 that former Washington State Cougars linebacker and outfielder Steve Gleason was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that slowly robs its victims of the use of their muscles. It has confined him to a wheelchair and rendered him unable to talk without the assistance of a computer.

And all he’s done in the decade since is change countless lives through his activism in the ALS community.

For that, Gleason was awarded the NCAA’s Inspiration Award, given annually to coaches, administrators, or former players “who, when confronted with a life-altering situation used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome the event and…