Ben Utecht doesn't remember getting Super Bowl ring with Colts

In a new book, the former Colts tight end details his battle with traumatic brain injury and relives some Colts moments.

Dana Hunsinger Benbow, dana.benbow@indystar.com
Ben Utecht testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing regarding concussions and the long term effects of brain related sports injuries in 2014.

Irsay was saying thank you to his team for capturing a Super Bowl win in 2007. The thank you that night would end with a ring.

The white gold ring with 57 diamonds around it came in a dark wooden box. In the center of the ring was a sparkling blue horseshoe made from synthetic sapphires. The ring was engraved with the words "Faith" and "Our Time." It had a small red ruby, symbolizing a drop of blood for all the hard work.

Former Colts tight end Ben Utecht was there. He has one of those rings on his hand with his name engraved on it. 

It was an unforgettable night. But Utecht remembers almost none of it. 

The sad part for me in sharing this story with you is that I had to ask my wife for most of the details. I have little memory of ... even what my reaction was when I got the ring. To be honest, I hardly remember how the rings were distributed. I just wish I could remember the night when we celebrated our victory.

Former Indianapolis Colt Ben Utecht showed his Super Bowl ring to a fan in 2012.

Utecht tells his somber story of receiving this coveted ring — and what it cost him — in his book, "Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away," released last week.

After suffering five documented concussions playing the sport he loves, Utecht has been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. It leaves him stuttering, searching for words when he talks, forgetting lyrics to his songs (he's also released an album) and discovering a different memory, almost every day, that he's lost.

Much of Utecht's book — co-written with New York Times best-selling author Mark Tabb, who lives in Indiana — is a love letter to his wife and four daughters. He wrote the book, in part, so his memories will be preserved for his family, even if they slide away from him.

Utecht, who played for the Colts from 2004 to 2007, talked to his parents, teammates and wife, Karyn, to help fill in the gaps. He had to have people relive moments of his life for him, like getting that Super Bowl ring.

But the book isn't all about Utecht's injury; there are plenty of Colts moments in the book, including the time Peyton Manning made all the wives mad.

Peyton rules 'No wives allowed'

The Colts would be at the Super Bowl in Miami for an entire week so  team President Bill Polian held a meeting to go over the logistics. During that meeting, he told the team that wives could stay with the players in their rooms. As he was moving on to the next item on his agenda, Manning raised his hand.

"I think we should talk a little bit more about the wives staying with their husbands," he said. "We've never done that for any game. I think we should discuss it a little more before we decide to do it."

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (18) holds up the the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Super Bowl XLI football game at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2007. The Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29-17. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Polian said, "OK, Peyton, we will discuss it," and tried to move on. He got through a few more items before Manning spoke up again. This was really bothering him. 

"I've decided that wives are not going to be allowed to stay with their husbands," Manning said. The quarterback went on to explain that the team had come too far to deviate from the way it had been doing things. He urged players to look at the magnitude of the game. 

The funny thing is, no one disagreed with him. Well, some of the wives were not happy, but Peyton was right.

Marcus Pollard's hamburger runner

Being on an NFL team isn't always glamorous, especially for a rookie. Utecht, who came to the Colts recovering from a sports hernia, spent much of his first camp with the Colts in 2004 as the gofer for veteran tight ends.

Marcus Pollard smiles after a Houston Texans defeat in 2004.

He was the one who had to carry the helmets and pads to the locker room, get them water and meet their on-field demands. But one night after camp, Marcus Pollard, who had been in the league 10 years and was kind of like a king, took the request to a new level.

"Hey, rook, make sure my rally run is in my room before I get there tonight. This is important, you got that?" he said to Utecht.

Utecht laughed, figuring it was some kind of joke or light hazing. He was wrong. The next day, players came up to Utecht saying that Pollard was furious with him, that he hadn't made his rally run. Utecht eventually found out that "rally run" meant "Rally's run," as in the hamburger joint. Pollard loved those burgers.

Believe me, I never missed another Rally's run nor did I ever act annoyed at hauling helmets and pads or anything else I was asked to do. Marcus noticed. He was, in my opinion, one of the greats. Over the course of the season he became a fantastic mentor and friend to me.

Former Colt Ben Utecht to pen memoir on traumatic brain injury

The time Dungy lost it

Behind 23-0 early in the second quarter of a road game against the Chargers during the 2007 season, the Super Bowl champion Colts were playing miserably. The team managed to hold San Diego's offense and fight back to a 23-21 score by halftime.

The team went into the locker room, expecting the usual coach Tony Dungy. No matter what the situation was, he talked with force, but always calmly and gently. He didn't yell. He didn't throw things. He chose his words carefully. But at halftime of this game, Dungy kind of lost it for Dungy. He screamed. It was the first time Utecht recalled ever hearing Dungy even raise his voice.

He just unloaded on us. His behavior was the exact opposite of how he normally addressed the team. To me, it was like watching Jesus flip the tables of the money changers over in the temple. 

The Colts concussion

It happened in a game against the Broncos at home in Indianapolis 2007. Utecht lost his footing and fell. As he did, a defensive back jumped over him, clipping his helmet. It wasn't a hard blow, but hit him in just the wrong spot. Utecht crumpled to the ground and lost consciousness for about 10 seconds. Then, just like that, he came to. He sprinted to the sideline, talked to team doctors, talked to players. 

Then came time to start the second half. Bryan Fletcher, also a tight end, came up to Utecht and said: "Man, you were messed up."

What? Utecht had no idea what he was talking about.

"Oh, man," Fletcher said. "You had no idea where you were or what had happened. You kept asking me, 'What happened? What happened?' Wow. You really got hit."

Utecht remembered none of the first half, the hit, being in the locker room. 

I remember feeling really confused during the conversation. I had no idea what he was talking about. I just laughed it off.

Read more: To purchase Utecht's book, go to simonandschuster.com.

Follow IndyStar reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow.

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