I'm Still Here: Iowa Track & Field's Missy Miller

Most people would have given up their athletic dreams after one reconstructive surgery, maybe even two, but Missy Miller is not “most people”, the thought never even crossed her mind. Some athletes have never been the same after one ACL tear, let alone two, yet Missy wants people to know that she is destined to do what she does. It is not a thought of arrogance that has her think this way, but the hard work, sweat, and dedication of life she have given to her sport. You always see the wins, personal records, smiles, and great accomplishments of NCAA athletes, but you seldom see how that athlete came into glory and what it took for him or her to get there.

The athletes who win aren't the only ones with stories to tell. Sometimes, even the athletes who comes in last can be an inspiration to the common public. The stories that don't make headlines, newspapers, or movies are the real ones to tell. The ones that everyone can probably relate to. The ones where someone overcame all possible adversity, and came out on top. This story is a lot like that, well except for that fact that she is one hell of an athlete.

Missy Miller has never gotten it easy. Since her freshman year of high school, it's been a long road, a winding road, a never-ending road. And if you ask her she'd probably tell you it wasn't supposed to be this way. It was supposed to be easy. She was supposed to be an All-State athlete and pick any sport she wanted to play at any Division 1 college. But that just wasn't the plan laid out for her.

As a freshman at Tipton High School in Iowa, Miller was a part of the Cross Country and Track & Field State Champion teams in 2006. Looking ahead to her sophomore season, Miller was expecting the same. During Tipton's Homecoming week in the fall, Miller was playing in a flag football game that was a part of the Homecoming festivities.

“I remember before the game, my dad looked straight into my eyes and said in the most serious tone, “If you get hurt don't even come home,” Miller said. “Of course that was a joke, to an extent, but the point was that he didn't want me to play in a game that had no significant meaning.”

Being an athletic female it meant something to her, she knew of her abilities and wanted to put them on display for her high school. That display turned into an unplaced pivot foot and a crushing fall. Missy had a torn ACL.

The bright news was that it was only a partial tear, which still allowed her to compete in Cross Country that fall. Only going in a forward motion while running wouldn't damage the knee any further, but would be painful. Missy didn't even hesitate. That Fall, Tipton won the State Title in Cross Country and Missy placed fifth overall. After that, it was time for surgery.

After surgery Missy was unable to play her sophomore year of basketball. It also hurt her overall year in Track as she wasn't able to high jump or hurdle. However, she did qualify for four events at the state meet and since she had ACL surgery just 4 months earlier, it was quite an accomplishment.

Another year passed and Missy was back to full strength. Feeling as powerful as ever she started her focus on her future. Being a junior she started thinking about college choices and her high school legacy. She knew her final two years of high school would be sports domination. She was determined to be the best athlete possible for herself, her family and her school. And she was just that.

Tipton was 2nd Place in Cross Country in the State and 3rd place in Track. Missy was satisfied.

Senior year came and she expected more of the same. Due to her accomplishments as a Junior Missy started receiving letters from everywhere across the country, for every sport. She knew she had no limits. What she wanted, she would get. To Missy though, the biggest decision was what sport she wanted to play, not which school she wanted to attend. In the back of her mind, she always knew it would be basketball. Knowing her passion for the sport, it was the obvious choice.

During both her junior and senior years, Missy was a finalist for the Gazette Athlete of the Year Award. She placed second individually her senior season in Cross Country and headed into basketball ready to succeed. Everything went right for her. Shots dropped, plays happened, scouts from all over the country were interested. The star that she had worked so hard for had finally happened. It was her own and she was on the mountain top.

January 3rd, 2009, ended up being the last basketball game that Missy would ever play. It was the seventh game of her senior season. During a free throw, Miller went up for an offensive rebound. While back up for the lay-up, Miller came down. Hard. She heard the sound and knew what had happened. The same knee as her sophomore year was throbbing. Missy had a torn ACL. And this time it was shredded.

Even though she averaged 22.7 points and 7 rebounds a game, the college offers went away. No one was taking a chance on damaged goods, a twice torn knee. Except for one school, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Miller - "I want people to look at me, see my struggles and see that I'm still here." 

Christi Smith, the Women's Assistant Track & Field Coach at the University of Iowa made the call. They had Missy's back, and wanted her to join. Although Missy's basketball plans were over, she set out on a different path. One that she vowed to follow.

”I know what everyone was thinking, She made it! She fulfilled her goal to become an athlete at the collegiate level! My goal may seem like it was fulfilled from an outside perspective, but in reality my goals were far from being reached. I did not only want to be a collegiate athlete, I yearned to be a great, glorious collegiate athlete,“ Miller said.

Joining the Hawkeyes as a freshman, Miller started off her career horribly. Both the Indoor and Outdoor track season went by without any goals attained. Never having to deal with such failure, Miller became depressed and became a person no one recognized. Without her athletic identity she felt like vanishing, she pretended, put a smile on her face and went through the day to day, but inside she was suffering.

Grades started to slip, studying was no longer a priority. She was no longer the confident and determined girl she had once been. At the start of the summer after her freshman year, Missy knew something had to change.

Serious summer training started and Missy started seeing the results, and so did everyone else. The goals that were set were being reached and people that used to pass her by were being left in Missy's dust. With the athletics improving, so was Missy, her school work and her life.

Improvement took a backseat when Missy started feeling a pain in her jumping knee. Her mom scheduled her an appointment. Sure enough, another knee surgery was needed. All of the hard work that Miller had put in was gone. She wasn't happy, and neither were her coaches.

The procedure was simple, but it would require seven weeks of rehab and recovery. Missy was patient and did everything that was asked of her. When going back to the doctor on what should have been a happy day, Miller was given even more bad news. The tendon in her knee was only half healed. She needed another knee surgery.

Missy Miller 

“Many people wonder why I keep going and I don't have a clear-cut, concise reason but I believe with every fiber of my being that this is the path God has created for me. No one's path is paved, cleared, or landscaped. They are rough, treacherous, and contain numerous detours. I learned the hard way that no matter what talent you're given, no matter how great you are, and no matter how perfect life may seem that it isn't fair and never promised to be.” – Missy Miller

Currently, Missy is in the stages of her fourth knee-rehab session. She hopes to compete for the Hawkeyes next year as a Junior.

Joseph Larsen

Community Contributor