Iowa received an emotional boost from a former player prior to Saturday night’s game against Pitt.
Former Hawkeyes safety Brett Greenwood, with the help of former Iowa linebacker Pat Angerer and strength coach Chris Doyle, led the team out on the field before participating in the game’s coin toss as an honorary Iowa captain.
Greenwood also shook hands with the Pitt captains prior to the coin toss.
Greenwood, a starter from 2008-10, suffered a heart arrhythmia and went into cardiac arrest while working out in Sept. 2011. The lack of oxygen led to an anoxic brain injury and Greenwood was put into a medically induced coma for 27 days.
As you can see, Greenwood is now able to walk with assistance, but still struggles with short-term memory loss according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
Greenwood began his Iowa career as a walk-on, but quickly earned a scholarship as he moved up the depth chart and into the starting lineup. He was a two-time second team All-Big Ten selection and was a team captain as a senior. He also led the Big Ten with five interceptions as a senior.
With Greenwood’s return as the backdrop, the Hawkeyes knocked off Pitt 27-24 on a last-second 57-yard field goal by Marshall Koehn.
Iowa is now 3-0.
For more Iowa news, visit HawkeyeReport.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!