Graduation Day

When Georgia baseball player Johnathan Taylor was paralyzed in a 2011 collision (SI, Aug. 20, 2012), it was an eerie case of déj√† vu. Two years earlier, Bulldogs second baseman Chance Veazey (above, right, with Taylor and former teammate Brett DeLoach) became a paraplegic following a scooter crash on campus. The two forged a bond, helping each other cope with their life-changing injuries. Now, they're moving on. Both Taylor and Veazey received their diplomas on Dec. 13. Taylor earned a degree in consumer economics and hopes to become a financial manager; Veazey, who majored in risk management and insurance, has a job lined up with an Athens agency. "One mountain has already been climbed," says Taylor. "It was difficult, but I overcame it." Says Veazey, "It's a bittersweet day."

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DON EVANS/UGA SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS (TAYLOR, LELOACH AND VEAZEY)