If courage is grace under fire, Marc Buoniconti ranks among the bravest men you’ll ever know. Since 1985 he has been unable to move a muscle below his neck due to a spinal cord injury. Yet, each day he moves people; moves them to understand the tragedy of paralyzing SCI — and to join him in finding its cure. The son of legendary All-Pro and Hall of Famer linebacker and former Miami Dolphins Nick Buoniconti serves as President for both, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, The Miami Project’s fundraising arm.
Former Citadel football player Marc Buoniconti with his Dad Nick Buoniconti (left).
Born September 29, 1966, in Boston, Massachusetts, Marc moved to Miami with his family when the Boston Patriots traded Nick to the Miami Dolphins in 1969. Two Super Bowl victories and increasing fame never stopped Marc’s parents, Nick and Terry Buoniconti, from providing their kids with an All-American family life. The athletic Marc excelled in sports, but football remained his first love. His prowess merited a full scholarship to The Citadel, South Carolina’s premiere military institution.
The 220-lb., 19-year-old sophomore earned a starting position on the football team. Marc was doing what he loved best when tragedy struck. On October 26, 1985, in a play against East Tennessee State, Marc Buoniconti sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI). In that second, he joined millions worldwide who know the devastation of SCI. Life changed dramatically for Marc, his family, and for a fledgling neuroscience research effort at the University of Miami that the world would soon know as The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
Marc had suffered a dislocation of the C-3, 4 vertebrae, and a severe spinal cord injury that would leave him paralyzed from the shoulders down. He faced a long, agonizing recovery, with no hope of walking again. Medical wisdom taught that damage to the spinal cord was irreversible and irreparable. For Marc, “rehabilitation” meant learning to breathe without a ventilator, and mastering the breath-controlled wheelchair that would provide his only mobility.
Marc began the painful journey to a new life under the care of neurosurgeon Dr. Barth A. Green, who along with the Buoniconti’s, co-founded The Miami Project to answer the dire need for research into the mysteries of spinal cord injury. As Marc struggled to free himself from the ventilator, he committed his energy to raising the funds for The Miami Project’s revolutionary strategy: to gather in one institution the finest minds in neuroscience and launch an all-out assault on SCI. With the completion of the new Lois Pope Life Center in October of 2000, The Miami Project was finally housed under one roof, and has unified the efforts of The Project, promoting the collaboration between the scientific and the clinical approaches to finding a cure for paralysis.
The indomitable spirit that brought Marc through months of grueling rehab led to further achievements. He 
returned full-time to the University of Miami, making the Dean’s List and graduating in 1993, with a degree in psychology. Marc became Ambassador for The Miami Project and now serves as president, undertaking a vigorous campaign to let the world know that paralysis does not have to be forever. The message — that powerful new scientific tools can unlock the secrets of spinal cord repair and regeneration – has touched millions of paralyzed persons around the world. Marc has served on several local, state and federal committees, given hundreds of interviews, spoken at countless public appearances, and inspired millions with his courage.
“One day I was a normal kid — thinking about school, sports, and girls,” muses Marc. “The next thing you know, I’m out there talking to people about paralysis. My goal is to get everyone out of these wheelchairs.” To reach that goal, the Buonicontis formed The Buoniconti Fund, and have been the catalyst in raising over $500 million for Miami Project research through special events; cause related marketing initiatives and the development and management of a nationwide network of volunteer Chapters.
Says Marc: “I truly believe in my heart that The Miami Project holds tremendous promise for people who are spinal cord injured. In 1985, The Miami Project was a dream. Today, it’s reality.”
Visit their website and join Marc Buoniconti in work to cure spinal cure injury.
Michael Reed is Editor of The Standard.
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