Eric LeGrand has inspired friends, family, teammates and strangers he's never met. After being paralyzed during a Rutgers football game last October, he vowed to walk again and has captured the nation's attention.

Now, LeGrand will appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the first Rutgers athlete to ever do so. LeGrand won a readers' choice fan vote for the best moment of 2011 -- when he returned to lead Rutgers onto the field against West Virginia.

Star-Ledger columnist Steve Politi tells a story of LeGrand from that day about how he withstood brutally cold weather and snow to make it back onto the field.

NJ.com users have been inspired by LeGrand for the past year.

From vancewilson:

From ndiaye:

Respond to these in the comments section of Politi's column.

From sweetfan:

From chaz87:

Post your thoughts on LeGrand in the comments section of the Star-Ledger story.