Four world records in hand, Tucsonan taking another run

He's goal-oriented. Knock one thing out, tackle another. "Set up the next one," he said.

Many in Andrews' sport have looked, mouths agape, at the 26-year-old superstar for the past seven years. Maybe he will do the same later, but not now.

"The next goal I have is a career," he said.

But he has one more thing to do before moving on.

Andrews, who first trained in Tucson in 2002 and moved here full time in July 2005, holds four world track and field records for below-the-knee amputees.

His marks come in the 800 meters (2 minutes 7.18 seconds) and 400 meters (51.24), and as a member of the 4x400 (3:27.00) and 4x100 (43.06) relay teams.

But he wants more. And he's set a deadline — after next year's Paralympics in Beijing, he will retire.

"I think I'll be ready to move on," said Andrews, whose left leg was amputated below the knee and who runs with a carbon fiber and fiberglass leg made by his sponsor, Ossur. "It will be hard to completely move on. Right now, it's four hours out of my day five or six days a week.

"It will be a big change in my life. But I think I'm ready."

Phase I

Andrews lay in a hospital bed at 14, his leg in trouble.

By that age, Andrews — a chronic planner — had already decided he wanted to be a soccer player. He spent time working with a goalkeeper coach in New Port Richey, Fla., 40 miles northwest of Tampa.

A relaxed kid, Andrews seemed to flip a switch when he ran onto the field. He wanted to win so badly, his mother said she couldn't believe it was the same person.

Playing goalie got him into the hospital bed that day.

A ball had been flicked along through his team's defense; an opposing forward made a run for the ball, and so did Andrews. The forward slid, "kinda a mix between being stepped on and kicked," he said.

Andrews suffered a jagged, brutal broken left leg. But it quickly became more than that. He was diagnosed with compartment syndrome. Pressure from the break had cut off blood to the muscles in his left leg.

His leg was dead. Andrews and his parents had two choices: amputate the leg or fuse his ankle, leaving his leg one rigid mass.

Andrews had one question: Can I play soccer with a prosthesis? His parents said yes. The doctors amputated.

Andrews missed the second half of eighth grade and skipped the first year of sports at Gulf High School. As a sophomore, he lined up again as a goalie. A corner kick in junior varsity practice sent him jumping for the ball. He was undercut by a teammate and landed on his back. It didn't hurt.

"It really took getting hit hard one time and being fine when I got up," he said. "That did it."

Meanwhile, running, a sport he started in seventh grade — just to stay in shape for soccer, his first love — began to tug at him.

He attended the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta and was inspired.

His coach's father coached at the University of South Florida and put the word out to the University of Miami.

Andrews joined the Hurricanes' track team. He became the first male Division I-A amputee track athlete. He graduated in 2005 with a degree in biomedical engineering.

In 2000, Andrews won a trial in New London, Conn., to qualify for the Paralympics in Sydney, Australia.

Danny had never run in front of more than 300 people. In a packed Stadium Australia, the 19-year-old ran a world record time, 2:08.79, in the 800.

"Nobody on the international scene knew who I was," Andrews said matter-of-factly. "It was crazy."

Andrews would later break his record by running a 2:07.18 at the 2002 International Paralympic Committee World Championships.

Phase II

Andrews dated a UA student while at Miami, so he spent his summers in Tucson. He called UA track and field coach Fred Harvey in 2002 and asked if he could train with the team; Harvey said yes.

Starting in May 2004, Andrews prepared for the Athens Paralympics with Dawn Boxley, Arizona's sprint and hurdles coach.

"I was intrigued; this could be a really cool experience for me," Boxley said. "We hit it off really well — he's amazing. He does what you ask him to do.

"It was a different experience for me. I was a little naive, or maybe ignorant. I didn't know — can he do these things?"

Almost always, Danny was able to do so.

"Regardless of the circumstances, he is always in there gutting it out," Harvey said. "It doesn't matter if he's racing against Paralympians or able-bodied athletes. He's really committed to getting things done.

"With Danny, we don't sit back and determine what he can't do."

Andrews serves as inspiration for UA athletes, Harvey said.

"Danny is a young man with one leg; it is what it is," Harvey said. "It absolutely motivates young athletes when they see him going through the trials."

In September 2004, Andrews broke the world record in the 400 and the 4x400 relay at the Athens games.

His mom, Luann, took her mother, Luella Jones, then 72, to watch Danny run for the first time.

"She hadn't seen him run at local races," Luann said. "It's like I got to see Danny run through her eyes. It was so special."

Phase III

This week, Andrews starts a new job as a quality engineer contracted to manufacturer Honeywell.

It fits Danny's interest and will further his career. For two years, he has worked toward his Master's degree in quality and reliability engineering online through Arizona State. He hopes to finish after the fall 2008 semester, right after the Beijing games.

Around November, he will switch from Harvey's summer workout schedule to a full-bore approach in his preparation for the Paralympics.

He hopes to run in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, but has set two individual goals.

The first is to obliterate his record in the 400, running under 50 seconds, about 1.5 seconds faster than the world record.

Andrews said he thought he had a great chance to reach the mark at the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships in the Netherlands. But the sleeve he wears to keep his leg on ripped when he was in the blocks. Because his equipment bag had been taken away, Andrews had to run the race as is.

"I went out and ran anyway and hoped it wouldn't rip and come off," he said. "It was really disappointing."

He still finished second.

Andrews' second goal is more challenging. Danny wants to add the 200 meters to his stash of world records. He began running the event in 2002, relatively late in his running life.

He wants to break the world record of 22.67 seconds, but 22.5 has a nice ring to it, he said.

That would make a nice, clean ending — the end of one phase so he can move on to the next without regrets.

"Hopefully, this being my last chance," he said, "will give me a little motivation."

Danny Andrews bio

Age: 26

Off the track: Has one sister, Melanie, 22. … Parents are Bill and Luann Andrews … Appeared on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" in May 2002. … Graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in biomedical engineering in 2005. … Became first Division I-A male amputee track athlete at Miami. … Worked for Home Depot (El Con Mall) as part of its program for Paralympians and Olympians, allowing Andrews to train and travel to events. … Trained during summers in Tucson before moving here in July 2005.

Accomplishments:

• World record-holder in four events — 400 meters, 800 meters and 4x400- and 4x100-meter relays

• Three gold medals at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens: 400, 4x400- and 4x100-meter relays

• Gold medalist at the 2000 Paralympics in the 800 (2 minutes 8.79 seconds)

• Broke his world record in the 800 when he ran a 2:07.18 at the International Paralympic Committee World Championships in 2002

• At the 2006 IPC World Championships, he set the world record and won the 4x100 relay. Was second in the 200 and 400 meters.

The running leg

Danny Andrews has a special running leg, a carbon fiber composite made by his sponsor, Ossur. The leg features a rounded blade at the bottom and is called the Ossur Cheetah, based on a cheetah's hind leg.

Legs are categorized by the amount of weight they hold. On a scale of 1-9, Andrews wears a 5.8. The leg is made with one adult foot size, but the leg is customized to each individual user.

Andrews also wears a walking leg made by Ossur. Andrews' socket is made by Bill Copeland of Copeland Prosthetics in Tampa, Fla.