Ramon Ramos

Ramos began to play in 1985 for the Indios de Canovanas[?] franchise, as a bench player. Eventually, he became an important key on the success of the Indios of the late 1980s. In 1987, Ramos played in Puerto Rico's national youth (under 21) team that won the gold medal at the Centrobasket Under 21 competition, by beating the team from Cuba, 94-78 in Caguas.

Ramos helped the Indios to the finals in 1988, where they lost to the Vaqueros de Bayamon, 4 games to 3. In 1989, the Indios reached the quarter-finals.

Ramos helped his next team of Seton Hall[?] in the US get to the final four's championship game during his last season there, that of 1989. But they lost to the University of Michigan by one point, 80-79.

Ramos was then signed by the Portland Trailblazers, who predicted a great future for the Puerto Rican player. In his six games in that organization, Ramos did not leave the bench because his coaches wanted him to observe the NBA's game style and learn before letting him play.

One night in the middle of December of 1989, however, all that changed drastically. After the Trailblazers' return flight to Portland, back from a game against Golden State, Ramos' car skidded off the free-way as he was driving home. Ramos was injured badly, and he was in a coma for more than one year. In Puerto Rico, because of the time difference between Puerto Rico and Oregon, people did not learn about the accident until the morning after. The news was covered by all newspapers, and television channels kept updates about Ramos' condition. Some television entertainers asked the public to pray for Ramos. A minute of silence and prayer was held at many activities throught the island that day.

Ramos was flown to Puerto Rico by an air-ambulance, alongside his close relatives. About one year later, he began to make progress, drifting in and out of his coma, but still being in a semi-vegetative state. He regained his speech, but, because of his condition, sometimes he would start to say profanities to news reporters that informed the public about him.

Ramos has difficulty walking and doing every day things, and he requires constant supervision by his parents. His story has been shown several times in Puerto Rican and American television.