Ponder coach receives heartwarming welcome home after freak track meet accident

From a medically induced coma to a heartwarming welcome home, a freak accident at a spring track meet is teaching Ponder coach Blake Crutsinger a little something about miracles.

"I mean, with the brain injury, you just never know," said Leslie, his wife. "He's done everything so much faster than anybody thought he would, and continues to do that and to prove people wrong."

Two months ago, at a regional track meet in Tyler, Coach Crutsinger was hit in the head with a shot put. But his wife, Leslie, refused to believe that it was as bad as the doctors warned. She's recalling the difficult days that followed.

"And they called me about 6:30 and said, 'The swelling's not going down, and we're going to have to do the craniectomy,'" Leslie said. "So they removed part of his skull for that. It was terrifying. That was a long, hard day – a really long, hard day. But he did good."

The Crutsingers knew it would be a long road to recovery. But they also knew they'd get there… one hug, one prayer at a time. And they tell me they could feel those prayers coming from all over.

"Faith," said an emphatic Ginger Dieter, nothing he coached her son, and he's just a "good guy." So her prayers were among those keeping the family supported.

Leslie, his wife, kept everyone updated on his progress through social media posts. And when she learned that Blake was coming home instead of entering an extended-stay inpatient rehab facility, the community moved quickly.

"When we turned the corner and saw everybody in our yard and on the street, we both got emotional," Leslie said. "I knew it was going to happen, but until you see it… he got very emotional, and I told him, 'Just be ready for what's coming.'"

While Bill Withers' Lean on Me blasted on a nearby car radio, student athletes and cheerleaders, fellow coaches, and family friends linked arms and sang along.

Coach Crutsinger still has lots of outpatient rehab ahead. The brain injury means he is re‑learning the connections that support his verbal skills. For now, his wife of more than 20 years does most of the talking, as he nods in agreement.

Still, when asked about the family's message to the community, well… there are some moments that need no words. His eyes pooled with tears, and one rolled down his cheek as he hurriedly wiped it away.

"We just want to say thank you," Leslie said. "The outpouring from people we don't know, the people that have reached out on Facebook, social media, the prayers, the churches – everybody that has come together and prayed for him. I firmly believe that's why he is the way he is right now."