Patrick Grange was a skilled soccer player who played collegiate soccer for the University of Illinois-Chicago and later for the University of New Mexico. After college, Grange played in a semi-pro soccer league in Chicago. In his life, Grange suffered three concussions, one at the age of three, another at 17 and a third during his playing career which led to 17 stitches in his head. In 2011, Grange was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and passed away a year later. After his death, researchers at the UNITE Brain Bank diagnosed him with stage 2 (of 4) Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), making him the first American soccer player to be diagnosed with the disease.
