As far as Penn State football legends go, Adam Taliaferro is in a class by himself. His story is one of courage and perseverance that continues to inspire Penn State fans to this day.

While Taliaferro has been welcomed back proudly by Penn State and honored in a variety of ways, he will receive a new honor when he serves as the 2011 Homecoming Grand Marshal.

The news was released Tuesday night via Twitter by @PSUHOMECOMING, who tweeted:

Taliaferro expressed his appreciation for the honor last night as well.

For those unfamiliar with Adam’s story, he arrived at Penn State in 2000 as a highly-recruited defensive back from New Jersey. He saw playing time right away, which, of course, is rare for a true freshman under Joe Paterno, but suffered a spinal cord injury while making a tackle late in the game against Ohio State.

The hit left him paralyzed from the neck down, and his parents were told that his chances of ever walking again were a slim three percent. Adam, however, was never told that prognosis. Less than a year later, he led Penn State out of the tunnel before their clash with #2 Miami in one of the most emotional moments in Penn State football, and maybe even college sports, history.

I’ve spoken with Adam a few times at Beaver Stadium, and I can attest that he truly represents everything that Penn State and Penn State football is about. There could not be a more well-deserving candidate to be the 2011 Grand Marshal, and my congratulations go out to him!

For more on Adam’s story, I highly recommend reading the book Miracle In The Making, which details Adam’s story and miraculous recovery. This article also gives you a brief overview of what happened and how it relates to his current career as a successful lawyer in Philadelphia.