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Ricky "Rico" Brown not only tells others that "sometimes you just have to play with the cards that God gives you." He lives it.

Brown's cards involve living with paralysis. At the age of 14, he sustained a spinal cord injury while playing football, which left him quadriplegic.


Much of his life since then has been spent in advocacy for and awareness about disabilities.

He took that advocacy to another level when he founded the nonprofit Childhood Injury and Prevention Services (CHIPS).

Brown started CHIPS as a means of educating kids about head and spinal cord injuries, many of which are preventable. Its motto is, "Play Hard and Play Smart."

Brown, who lives in Greenville, said he was a blue chips athlete in high school, meaning he was a target for drafting or signing by teams at the college level.

Brown graduated from the University of South Carolina, majoring in psychology and minoring in business and Spanish. He also has semester credits towards a master's in rehab counseling.