The inspirational story of Purdue superfan Tyler Trent made national headlines in the fall of 2018 as his battle with cancer and unwavering support of Boilermakers football became a story that transcended sports.

Trent’s courage and perseverance while battling a terminal illness made him into a hero to those that knew his story. Despite Trent passing away on Jan. 1, 2019 due to complications of his rare bone cancer, Purdue is keeping his legacy alive by naming the student entrance at the school’s football stadium after him.

Fittingly, Sean English is now a part of that legacy too.

English is finishing up his first year at Purdue has become the first recipient of Tyler Trent Courage and Resilience Award, a memorial scholarship in Trent’s name funded through a combination of gifts. According to a release from Purdue, “the Tyler Trent Courage and Resilience Award is awarded to undergraduate students at Purdue’s West Lafayette campus who have encountered serious physical or similarly daunting adversity in their pursuit of higher education.”

English, a former University of Detroit Jesuit student and Northville native, lost a large portion of his right leg and severely injured his left as the result of an April 2, 2017 car accident. English was seeking to help individuals in a crash on I-94 in Detroit when another vehicle entered the scene and struck him while also fatally hitting Dr. Cynthia Ray, another good Samaritan at scene.

“I’m stunned and honored to receive an award that bears Tyler’s name,” English said in the release. “Without this support and that of Purdue University over the past year, I would never have been able to achieve my dream of attending college, let alone an institution such as Purdue.”

English was an accomplished cross country and track & field athlete before the accident and had dreams of running at the collegiate level for Purdue. Instead, English endured many months of grueling recovery and therapy just to be able to walk and run again. Exactly 13 months after his accident, English returned for his first and final race of his high school career with the aid of a prosthetic leg.

Sean was accepted into Purdue during his senior year, fulfilling a lifelong dream of attending the university he had been a fan of all his life. Sean’s father also attended Purdue as a member of the cross country and track and field teams.