VIRGINIA TECH Crawford overcomes concerns over cancer

The senior defensive back missed time last season with a swollen lymph node.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- Even underneath Virginia Tech's maroon shoulder pads and helmet, Michael Crawford has trouble intimidating opponents.
It's that smile of his. Crawford can't keep it in check long enough to look mean -- and for good reason.
At 22, Crawford already has stared death in the face. He knows what it is like to be poked with a biopsy needle and talk with doctors worried about cancer. But as with just about everything else in a young life already marked by many ups and downs, the defensive back has come out on top.
"You learn to choose your worries," Crawford said. "Some things you can worry about. Those are things you can control. Things you can't control, why worry about them?"
He missed only one game last season with the Hokies while doctors checked and rechecked a swollen lymph node in his neck. It never was cancer, just infected, doctors now say.
Now, Crawford begins his final season as No. 9 Tech again sets its sights on a national championship. He can return his concerns to getting good grades and arriving at class on time. The only pain he feels is the good kind from scrimmages or wind sprints during late afternoon practices under the sun.
"You've got to enjoy this," Crawford said, huffing his words after a recent practice. "I thought I'd miss all of this year from what the doctors were telling me."
No worries
Last year's cancer scare never seemed to worry Crawford as much as it did his teammates and coaches. Adversity is nothing new for the Baltimore native, who has spent a lifetime overcoming low expectations.
He was born weighing just 2 pounds with lungs so weak that doctors had to revive him shortly after birth. But he grew up a runner nevertheless, fearlessly tackling older boys during football games in the back yard.
"He was always running ... to the store, to the bathroom," said Crawford's grandfather, Archie Carrington, who helped raise Michael and his four siblings. "We always knew he was going to be a pretty good athlete."
But growing up in Baltimore wasn't easy. Crawford got into a lot of fights. He was kicked out of middle school after one brawl, and before he entered high school, Crawford spent time at a school for troubled teens. Crawford smiles when he thinks of his past.
"That was before I started playing football," Crawford said. "I used high school athletics to keep off the streets of Baltimore. It's been a great blessing."
But by last year, Crawford had worked his way into the starting lineup at rover, a position similar to strong safety. He helped the Hokies roll to an unbeaten record in mid-October when he received the startling news.
Doctors determined after a final biopsy in January that Crawford was suffering from an infection, not cancer. He was given a clean bill of health and sent back to the Hokies for his final season.