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Thursday, March 28, 2024

When he came to Gainesville to play for the UF baseball team, Brandon McArthur did not plan to stay for six years.

After a random act of violence severely injured him in his first year, the now 24-year-old had to take a different approach to his life that not only led to his becoming a leader on the field but to his emergence as a contributor to the community.

McArthur said he doesn't remember anything from the night he was attacked and has to rely on the accounts of those who were with him.

On the night of Oct. 30, 2003, he was punched in the head and knocked unconscious near the intersection of West University Avenue and Northwest 17th Street.

The impact of his head hitting the ground caused brain swelling and bleeding in his skull, leaving him in a coma.

"They weren't sure whether he was going to live, let alone play," said John Hines, sports information director for the UF baseball team.

Brandon's sister, Amy McArthur, 27, said she was shocked when she heard the news.

"Seeing him laying in the hospital bed was just unreal," she said.

The injury changed his perspective on life, and McArthur said he established a close relationship with God.

"Once my injury came, that humbled me, and made me realize that life can be taken away from you at any point in time," he said. "I've cherished so many things so much better now, that I think it has definitely made me a better person to live day by day."

After his recovery, McArthur began volunteering in the Gainesville community by speaking at Fellowship of Christian Athletes meetings, joining the Student-Athlete Committee and the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.

He also started volunteering at Shands Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, where he spent two weeks as a patient.

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The ICU visits are emotionally intense, as he visits with families and patients in similar positions to his own experience.

"I don't ever remember seeing myself in that state… but when I see people… who can't interact with you, I was in a coma for a week…that really gets to me, because I can't imagine my family like that, trying to interact with me and not being able to speak to me or have me speak back to them," he said.

McArthur once visited with the family of a baseball player who had suffered severe injuries in an auto accident and was a patient at Shands.

"I met with his family the entire time that he was in the hospital, just tried to give them inspiration, give them hope that their son can make it through just like I did," he said.

Now that he has seen what a patient's family goes through, McArthur said he helps them stay positive.

"Any time I get the opportunity to go in there and see people or families that are in shambles, I try to lift their spirits up and let them believe that their siblings or their sons or daughters can overcome it," he said.

He said his family, in particular his mother Valerie and his sister Amy, is proud of his volunteering.

"It really helps people who are going through similar situations to see him and how he's overcome all his obstacles," Amy said. "I'm very proud of what he's doing with his life."

The most rewarding part of his volunteering is the knowledge that he has helped a patient or family on the road to recovery.

"If I can just get one person, just get in one person's head and get them to buy into the correct way to go about their stay and believe that they can overcome any obstacle in their lives, if I can just touch that one person I think that I've succeeded that day," McArthur said.

He tries to help his younger baseball teammates become active in community service, despite not having the same experiences he does.

"I want them to know that they can do it just like I can do it in their own way because they face [their own] obstacles," he said.

McArthur continued to battle injuries after missing the 2004 season. He missed the entire 2007 season due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and played part of the 2008 season with a torn ACL.

He still hopes to play professionally, but McArthur realizes his injuries and age might prevent that.

"Brandon is a realist," Hines said. "When your body takes that much punishment…sooner or later, it might not keep coming back."

Coaching or law enforcement are possibilities he's exploring, the criminology major said.

Hines said he can see McArthur having a career in coaching.

"Baseball is in his blood," he said.

If McArthur cannot play professional baseball, Hines is confident that he will succeed in whatever he does.

"If Brandon never steps on the baseball field again, he has more than enough going for him to make a life for himself," he said.

McArthur was named a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award, an award given to the senior athlete in each college sport demonstrating a commitment to his or her school and achievements in the fields of "Character, Classroom, Community and Competition."

The winner will be announced at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., on June 19.

With UF hosting an NCAA Super Regional this weekend, McArthur will play his final Gators home game.

McArthur's sister plans to come to Gainesville to watch him play in his final home series and is excited that he may have a chance to go back to Omaha.

McArthur is hopeful that the Gators can defeat Southern Miss and advance to the College World Series.

"These six years have kind of flown by," he said. "I'm hoping and praying that we can go out this weekend and get the chance to go back to Omaha, because that's what I wanted to come back here for."

McArthur and pitcher Stephen Locke are the only players on the roster with College World Series experience.

McArthur sees a College World Series trip as a way to give back to the fans.

"These fans have supported me throughout my six years, and I just wanted to show them that I really thank them for everything they've done for me."

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