The room connected to Ethan Glynn’s bedroom is a teenager’s dream. There is a poker table, gaming system, a place to store snacks and a wall of TV screens capable of showing four games simultaneously.

Glynn looks around the room and calls himself “grateful.”

“There are people in a lot worse situations than me,” he said.

Three years after a ninth-grade football collision left him paralyzed from his shoulders down, Glynn’s outlook remains upbeat and optimistic. He refuses to let his circumstances prevent him from living a full and adventurous life.

He went scuba diving in the Cayman Islands.

He hosts poker night with his friends every Saturday.

He studies video of Bloomington Jefferson’s football opponents and files a scouting report that is distributed to players.

He started a foundation with his parents, Corey and Cassidy, that supports people who have experienced a life-changing event.

And later this week in Las Vegas, Glynn will drive a specially designed car owned by former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt, also a quadriplegic, that can reach 200 miles per hour.

“I might just go in there and ask for the track record,” he said, smiling. “What do I have to beat?”

He admits being excited and “super nervous” to drive the car, but the Jefferson senior has conquered fear and challenges alike since suffering a traumatic spinal cord injury while making a tackle in a freshman game in 2022.

I talked to Glynn one month after his injury while he was in Colorado at Craig Hospital’s renowned spinal cord rehabilitation center. He had learned it was a complete spinal cord injury at C4. One of the first things he said in our phone call was this: “I want to try to live as normal of a life as I can.”

He turned those words into deeds.

When he turned 18 in July, he celebrated the milestone like so many other teenagers: He went to the casino.

“Got really lucky,” he said. “Won $1,000 on a $1 slot.”

He plays fantasy football (his team is struggling this season) and video games with friends. He controls his gaming system with a special device that uses “sip-and-puff” technology similar to what operates his wheelchair.

“If it’s Madden,” he said of the popular football game, “I’ll beat pretty much all my friends.”

His home has become a gathering spot for playing cards, watching sports on TV and hanging out. The family purchased a van that accommodates his wheelchair. His friends are allowed to drive the van on food runs or trips to the mall provided they are “Ethan-approved.”

Senior Frankie Schmitz, a hockey teammate and close friend since elementary school, is on the list.

“A lot of kids would have shelled up and kind of stayed to themselves,” Schmitz said. “But he hasn’t changed a thing about his personality. He’s always been the same Ethan.”

Sports remained a constant in his life. A three-sport athlete as a kid, Glynn remains involved in Jefferson’s football and hockey programs.

Jefferson football coach Marc Bachman asked Glynn last year to study Hudl video of opposing wide receivers for tips to share with coaches and players. The coach added more scouting responsibilities this season.

Bachman said Glynn has a standing offer to join his coaching staff after he graduates.

“When he’s ready to do it,” Bachman said, “he’s going to be coaching with us.”

Bachman holds so much admiration for Glynn’s strength and positivity that he honored him when creating the program’s motto: “810.” Those were jersey numbers (8 and 10) worn by Glynn and Jaguars alum Tom Burnett, an airline passenger who took heroic actions during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Bachman encourages his players to exhibit an “810 mentality.”

“I’ve learned so much from him,” Bachman said. “It was just amazing the spirit that he showed. It inspired everybody.”

Glynn credits his parents, older brother Parker and a community of supporters that lifted a family in need of love and help.

His dad ended his career as an IT manager last September to become Ethan’s full-time care provider.

“I’m kind of spoiled to be with him all day,” Corey said. “I get to see what he does all day and get inspired by just being around him.”

Not that they don’t needle each other.

Said Corey: “He’s not the best boss. He doesn’t pay anything. I get TO — time off. Not paid time off.”

Said Ethan with a sigh: “I was waiting for that.”

Said Corey: “That’s my go-to dad joke.”

The family’s 1958 rambler received a makeover to become wheelchair accessible. Bauer Design Build coordinated an expedited remodeling while the family found temporary housing. The finished product is a marvel that doubled the size and allows Ethan to access every room on the main floor.

His favorite room — the one with the poker table and wall of TVs — is known as the “Bama Room.” A shrine to the Alabama football team serves as a focal point that includes an autographed Jalen Hurts jersey, a Crimson Tide helmet, autographed football and other memorabilia. He puts up his Bama-themed Christmas tree at the holidays.

His love for Alabama football originated as a 6-year-old watching the 2013 Iron Bowl. He had no ties or allegiances to the Tide before that game. Nine years later, his first words after being removed from a ventilator after spinal cord surgery were “Roll Tide.”

Word reached Alabama, sparking a flood of uplifting correspondence from the team, school and fan base. Glynn has attended several Alabama games over the years and met former coach Nick Saban and current coach Kalen DeBoer. Fans routinely ask to take photos with him on visits.

Glynn usually watches Bama games by himself. No parents, not even friends in the room. Too stressful. Everyone can join him afterward.

“I always say the worst days of the week are Tuesdays and Wednesdays because there’s no football,” he said. “I still love watching football and being around it.”

The scuba diving outing last June was arranged by Craig Hospital for about a dozen people who have suffered severe spinal cord injuries. Ethan and Parker earned open-water dive certifications before the group traveled from Denver to the Cayman Islands.

Three instructors assisted Ethan’s dives, which went to 50 feet deep. One dive explored a shipwreck. Though physically taxing, he found the experience “calming.”

“It just shows that you can do a lot of things,” he said.

He will demonstrate that again this weekend when he drives a car as a guest of Schmidt, the IndyCar driver who founded an organization called Conquer Paralysis Now after a practice session crash in 2000 left him a quadriplegic.

Schmidt partnered with Arrow Electronics to build a semi-autonomous motorcar (known as SAM). The car’s technology allows him to control gas and brake by using the sip-and-puff system on a straw-like device. He will control steering by moving his head.

Schmidt heard about Glynn’s story and invited the family to an event in Las Vegas at which Ethan gets to drive the car.

Ethan had driven a car one time before his injury at age 15. His dad let him practice on a secluded dirt road north of Duluth while in town for a hockey tournament.

He plans to get behind the wheel of a souped-up sports car in Vegas this weekend. Though he joked about breaking the track record, anyone who knows Ethan already knows the outcome. He is destined for the winner’s circle.

...

FOOTBALL ACROSS MINNESOTA

Game balls

RJ Chakolis: Augsburg linebacker recorded 16 tackles, one sack, blocked a punt and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown in a win over Macalester.

Roman Voss: Jackson County Central senior had a monster first half in a win over Windom with three touchdown passes (67, 75 and 49 yards) and two touchdown runs (87 and 69 yards).

Gophers defensive line: The entire position group gets a game ball after collecting eight of a team-record nine sacks and dominating Nebraska’s offensive line in a 24-6 win.

Amari Powell: St. Thomas senior backup quarterback accounted for four touchdowns while setting career highs in passing yards (265) and passing touchdowns (three) in a win over Valparaiso.

Social shoutouts

The best things we saw on social media this week:

Flooding the field: College football fan Michael Barker notched his 17th career field-storming after the Gophers upset Nebraska.

Shaver catches Mack: Moorhead receiver David Mack is having a terrific season, and listening to him chat with Randy Shaver after the Spuds’ win vs. Edina was a joy. Mack had four TDs in that one.

Feeney’s film: In that aforementioned Moorhead victory over Edina, Spuds QB Jett Feeney returned from injury and had himself a night.

Jaguars’ new home: Bloomington Jefferson had a memorable night opening its new stadium.

He said what?!

“We just came out flat. That’s not who we’re supposed to be. We’re the hammer, not the nail.”

— Maple Grove senior linebacker Ryder Skanson on his team’s mindset after trailing Minnetonka 14-0 before rallying to win 30-14.

Numbers to know

6: Points scored by Nebraska in a loss to the Gophers, the fewest points scored by the Cornhuskers in this series matchup since 1949.

399: Career wins for Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant, who will try to become the third coach in state history to reach 400 Friday against Lakeville North, joining Mike Mahlen and Dwight Lundeen.

28: Vikings’ ranking among all 32 teams in third-down offense at 34.3%.

Grab your popcorn

Gophers vs. Iowa, Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

It’s Pig Week, the battle for Floyd of Rosedale. The Hawkeyes have possession of the trophy after winning last season. The teams have identical records (5-2, 3-1 in Big Ten). The most recent meeting in Iowa City ended with a Gophers win and fans from both states arguing about a fair catch signal.

And the high school football postseason is here. On Tuesday night, watch several first-round games on stribvarsity.com. Come back to Strib Varsity on Friday to watch four more opening-round games in Class 6A’s 32-team bracket.

A FAM final word

“Defense.”

The Vikings rank 10th in the NFL in scoring defense and eighth in yards allowed, which are respectable statistics. But that unit has not been as consistent or as dominant as many projected before the season.

. . .

Thank you for reading Football Across Minnesota (FAM), my weekly column that tours football topics in our state from preps to pros. FAM will publish midday on Tuesdays. I appreciate feedback, so please reach out anytime. — Chip (email: anthony.scoggins@startribune.com; on X: @chipscoggins)