Herzlich is honored as most courageous

Mark Herzlich, a linebacker at Boston College who returned to action this season after overcoming a rare form of bone cancer, was named the winner of the 2011 Most Courageous Athlete Award Monday night by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.

Herzlich, 23, of Wayne, was an all-state player at Conestoga High. He played all 13 games as a freshman at Boston College and started all 14 as a sophomore, when he finished second on the team in tackles.

As a junior, Herzlich led the Eagles in tackles and was named a third-team all-American by the Associated Press. He also was named defensive player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference and was a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.

The following spring, however, the 6-foot-4, 244-pound linebacker was bothered by persistent pain in his left leg during winter workouts and spring drills. An MRI exam in May 2009 revealed that he had Ewing's sarcoma, a rare bone cancer.

He kept up with his classes at BC during seven months of chemotherapy and radiation at Pennsylvania Hospital.

Herzlich underwent surgery to have a titanium rod inserted in his left leg to support the bone. Doctors doubted that his leg could withstand the physical pounding of football.

He did not take part in contact drills during spring workouts in 2010, then missed most of preseason practice with a stress fracture in his right foot.

Herzlich began the season slowly but worked his way back to full-time status, finishing third on the Eagles in tackles and picking off four passes.

He is training in Bradenton, Fla., preparing for the NFL Scouting Combine.