Finishing what he started

Outwardly, everything has changed since he broke his neck in his first Harvard football game in 2017. But Ben Abercrombie says he’s not all that different on the inside.

He still loves football. He still considers himself determined and hard-working — a point with which those around him emphatically agree. He still plans to go into personal finance when he graduates from Harvard College this spring, a career that, if all goes well, will have him guiding professional athletes’ personal wealth, blending his interests in economics and sports.

He admits, though, that it’s hard having to ask for help all the time.

“That’s one thing. I used to try to do everything myself,” Abercrombie said. “I like to think I haven’t changed too much, but it does open your eyes not to take things for granted, to be thankful for what you have, for your family, and for the grace that people show you.”

That grace helped Abercrombie navigate a tough eight years. That determination got him back to Harvard after two years of rehabilitation, of learning how to live paralyzed below the neck, and how to get around in a wheelchair and guide a laptop computer with his eyes. That hard work has him graduating with a degree in economics after years of coursework that competed with his new reality, where even getting out of bed takes longer. And all of that has made him an inspiration to those around him, even those whose role once was to inspire him.

“As a coach, part of my job is to motivate, but every time I would see Ben after his accident — with very few exceptions — he was in such high spirits, laughing, talking football, that he motivated me,” said former Crimson football coach Tim Murphy, who recruited Abercrombie to Harvard and was standing just feet away from the seemingly routine tackle that changed Abercrombie’s life. “He makes my day. They are a remarkable family on many levels.”

Even before the injury, Abercrombie was a standout, said Murphy, who retired as the Ivy League’s winningest coach in 2024. Abercrombie was recruited from Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham in football-mad Alabama, to play safety for Harvard. He was the only freshman defensive player to suit up with the team in fall 2017 for the season opener at the University of Rhode Island. And, when a starter injured a hamstring during the opening kickoff, Abercrombie got the nod, covering the deep right side of the field.

Just before halftime, Abercrombie recognized the receiver’s route and broke toward him as the ball was thrown. Murphy, standing nearby, saw the tackle and later said Abercrombie used good technique. Still, Murphy knew something was amiss by the way Abercrombie fell to the turf.

The impact damaged two vertebrae in Abercrombie’s neck along with the nerve to the diaphragm, which controls breathing. Abercrombie was conscious long enough to realize something was wrong before passing out.

“I didn’t go home with the team, I jumped in the car with my wife, Martha, and we drove directly to the hospital,” Murphy said. “We were there for the next seven or eight hours, until about midnight. I had the opportunity to squeeze Ben’s hand just before he went into surgery. I had the opportunity to see him as he came out of surgery. I remember it like it was yesterday.”

Weeks in Providence Hospital were followed by months at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which specializes in brain and spinal-cord injury. There, he and his parents, Sherri and Marty Abercrombie, came to grips with how much had changed.

They returned home to Hoover in January — right before the 2018 college football title game, Abercrombie recalled. Over the next 18 months, he and his parents relearned how to live, creating new daily routines and working with the state Department of Rehabilitation Services so Abercrombie could learn to control a computer with his eyes. Sherri Abercrombie, a registered nurse, left her job to become her son’s full-time caregiver. Marty Abercrombie, a restaurant owner and manager, retired and sold the business.

In 2019, Abercrombie enrolled in a summer school course through the Harvard Extension School. That fall, he returned to campus, settling into a modified suite in Winthrop House with his parents, who have been at his side since. They’ve helped with daily activities, gotten Abercrombie to and from class, and worked closely with health aides who’ve assisted with care.

“They’ve done a very nice job helping us do what we need to do,” Sherri Abercrombie said. “I’m glad he was able to come up here and is able to finish, though I do miss the weather at home, except in the summer.”

Abercrombie said he’s has been struck by the generosity of the Harvard community. The University supported his desire to return to campus, resume his studies, and graduate. El Jefe’s Taqueria in Harvard Square has held annual fundraisers, donating the proceeds to a fund created by the Harvard Varsity Club to defray the costs of his care. Former Crimson teammates also hold an annual bowling fundraiser for the fund.

Abercrombie said classes have been challenging, but he has become more adept at completing coursework. He continued to take summer classes and, a couple of years ago, was able to increase his workload from two classes per semester to three. He has kept in touch with friends and teammates via social media and has also stayed in touch with Crimson football coaches. He stops by their offices to talk football weekly while visiting the athletic complex for physical therapy. The Abercrombie family and Murphy, who retired in 2024, became close, regularly celebrating Thanksgiving at Murphy’s home on Cape Cod.

“It’s been an extraordinarily challenging path that he has undertaken since that injury and it’s taken him a long time to get his degree, but at no time was there any indication from his mom or dad or Ben that they were not going to complete their Harvard experience,” Murphy said. “I’m really excited to see him graduate in Harvard Yard. I will be there with him and his family and we’re going to have a great day.”

“As a coach, part of my job is to motivate, but every time I would see Ben after his accident — with very few exceptions — he was in such high spirits, laughing, talking football, that he motivated me.”

Tim Murphy

Abercrombie keeps an eye on advances in medical science in hopes that he’ll one day be able to breathe and move on his own. His physical therapy utilizes cutting-edge equipment such as a Locomat, a robot-assisted device that supports him and helps him move, and electric stimulation to move his arms and legs, maintaining flexibility and preventing atrophy. Using the Locomat, he’s able to walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes during his weekly two-hour session.

Progress has been slow, but Abercrombie can move his fingers slightly and feel pressure on his skin. When he sits in one position too long, his body feels uncomfortable. He recognizes the improvements are small, but they give him something to build upon. He also uses electric stimulation in an effort to build up breathing muscles in anticipation of achieving a key goal: getting off the ventilator.

Abercrombie isn’t quite sure what to expect on Commencement Day but he enjoys history, so he’s looking forward to taking part in Harvard’s centuries-old traditions. He admits that after so many years as a student he’s ready to move onto the next phase of life. This summer, he will work on passing state licensing tests and in September, plans to start work at a Birmingham-area personal finance firm.

“I’ve been in school for a decade, so I’m excited to finally be done. It’s surreal that it’s coming to a close,” Abercrombie said. “It’s been a long road for sure.”