Delaney: Collings is what sports is all about

After three knee surgeries in five years, Isaac Collings couldn't quit.

The 23-year-old knew if he went back to the Syracuse University men's team this fall, he wouldn't be the player he was coming out of high school. But he wanted to know what he could do and he was willing to challenge himself to find out.

Collings didn't get as much playing time as he used to, and he only made one start, but his effort to get back on the field is what sports is all about. Collings tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee twice and the ACL in his right knee once while he was at SU.

A young man who made 40 starts when he was healthy, spent most of the 2008 season coming off of the bench and had two points on two assists. He was playing his best soccer at the end of the season and was a big part of the Orange's come-from-behind win over Louisville in their final match. Now, a professional career might be an option for a player who thought he might never play again.