WOODBRIDGE – Since his devastating injury on the football field, Eric LeGrand has been an inspiration for others suffering from spinal cord injuries.
“Every 45 minutes someone gets hurt with a spinal cord injury and turns their lives upside down,” he said. “So if I can be that shining light, that hope in their life and help and show that things do get better, life does go on … that is what it is all about.”
On Aug. 3, the Eric LeGrand Inaugural Cornhole Tournament will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. outside of Dave and Busters at the Woodbridge Center Mall.
“This is something everyone can be a part of,” LeGrand said.
Mayor John E. McCormac and LeGrand promoted the event on July 24.
McCormac said he and LeGrand met several weeks ago and LeGrand told him about the idea he had for the cornhole tournament.
NJ Play Sports is partnering with Team LeGrand, Dave & Busters, Woodbridge Center Mall, Woodbridge Township and the Dana and Christopher Reeve Foundation to hold the tournament.
In 2010, LeGrand, a Colonia High School graduate and a defensive tackle for the Rutgers University football team, suffered a devastating injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down during a football game against Army at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford.
Today, he works with the Dana and Christopher Reeve Foundation, which is a charitable organization headquartered in Short Hills and dedicated to finding treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders.
“I feel like their torch was passed along to me,” LeGrand said. “My responsibility is to give [those dealing with paralysis] hope and belief one day they will not have to worry about not walking again.”
The cornhole tournament is single elimination and has three divisions – recreational, intermediate and competitive.
Players must be 18 years old or older to participate. Teams can be all male, all female, or co-ed and individual players are welcome. The cost is $30 per player, $60 per team.
Participants will play best of three games to 21 games. The competitive division winner will receive $250 plus a custom cornhole board, the intermediate division winner will win $150, and the recreational division winner will win a Woodbridge Center Mall prize pack.
LeGrand said the tournament day will also feature a DJ, food vendors and board games including chess and checkers.
The tournament will be held outside of Dave and Busters at the Woodbridge Center Mall, 274 Woodbridge Center Dr. To register or for more information visit njplaysports.com/ELCORNHOLE.