Travis Roy
His life was tragically transformed 11 seconds into his first college hockey game, yet he built a lasting legacy of hope and spinal cord injury advocacy.
1975–2020 (age 45)·American ice hockey player·Birthday: April 17·Generation X
Biography
Travis Roy's story is one of devastating pivot and profound resilience. A highly-touted recruit from Maine, he fulfilled a dream by taking the ice for Boston University in October 1995. Mere seconds into his first shift, a crash into the boards left him paralyzed from the neck down. In an instant, his athletic future vanished. What followed, however, defined his impact. Roy refused to be defined solely by tragedy. He authored a memoir, became a motivational speaker of uncommon grace, and, most lastingly, founded the Travis Roy Foundation. With a focus on both quality-of-life grants for individuals with spinal cord injuries and funding for research, he channeled his experience into tangible help for others, raising millions of dollars and embodying a spirit of determined optimism until his death in 2020.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Travis was born in 1975, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Travis Was Born
The biggest hits of 1975
#1 Movie
Jaws
Best Picture
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Travis's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1975Born
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1980Started school
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1988Became a teenager
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Could drive
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1993Could vote
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Turned 21
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2005Turned 30
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 40
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2020Died at 45
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Founded the Travis Roy Foundation in 1997, which has raised over $20 million for spinal cord injury research and support.
- Authored the memoir 'Eleven Seconds: A Story of Tragedy and Courage' in 1998.
- Award an honorary doctorate from Boston University for his advocacy and humanitarian work.
Did You Know?
His BU jersey number, 24, was retired by the university in 1999.
The foundation's signature event is a charity wheelchair hockey tournament.
He delivered a widely-shared eulogy at the funeral of hockey legend Gordie Howe.
“I’m not a victim. I’m a survivor.”
