Great quarterbacks, they say, have at least one thing in common – they all have “vision” on the field of play. That is, they all have the ability to see the entire playing field in front of them and can “make the play” with a host of fleet-footed behemoths bearing down on them.
Charlie Trotman, an all-SEC performer for three years at Auburn from 1977-79, had such a gift. Today, a successful Montgomery real estate entrepreneur as head of The Trotman Company, Trotman ran the AU offense with precision, passing for numerous touchdowns when he wasn’t handing off to the much-heralded trio of running backs: Joe Cribbs, William Andrews and James Brooks.
What most football fans don’t know is Trotman actually played football with poor vision, legally blind from keratoconus, which clouds the cornea.. As Trotman put it, “It was like looking through a pair of binoculars that were out of focus. I could see light and color, but the eye was always blurry.”
The difficulty started around the age of 14, when Trotman began to notice that his vision was blurry, but he thought he simply had matter in his eyes.
“Mom thought I had a terminal disease so we went to see the world famous ophthalmologist Dr. Claus Dohlman in Boston, who tried several different kinds of lenses, none of which really worked. After several visits, he suggested that I see Dr. F. Phinizy Calhoun, Jr., then head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Emory University, who referred me to Dr. H. Dwight Cavanagh. Dr. Cavanagh recommended Dr. Roswell Pfister in Birmingham, who was much closer to home. Dr. Pfister ultimately performed the transplant that I needed so badly. This came after I had graduated from high school, Auburn and law school.
“Before the transplant, I continued to play football and other sports, doing well enough to wind up as the starting quarterback at Auburn. Although, my goal was to play pro-football, my athletic
Trotman/2
ability was not up to par, and my vision had gotten so bad that I needed surgery. That’s when I went to Dr. Pfister in Birmingham, who said I needed a new cornea,” Trotman said.
Speaking to about 150 people gathered at UAB’s Eye Foundation Hospital to celebrate the Alabama Eye Bank’s 35th year of providing the Gift of Sight, Trotman said the transplant operation has made an “amazing difference” in his vision, something he is eternally grateful for.
“I’m truly blessed by God to have my sight, to enjoy the beauty of life, my family and my friends. And, obviously, I am quite grateful for skillful ophthalmologists like Dr. Pfister who make this kind of surgery possible.”
Trotman is among the 30,000 plus transplant recipients that the Eye Bank has provided tissue for since 1969. During this period, the nonprofit agency has accounted for more than 50,000 corneal tissues recovered for transplant, research and training of ophthalmologists and technicians through the generosity of Alabama’s donor families and cooperation of hospitals, funeral homes and hospices. The Eye Bank has distinguished itself as one of the best eye banks in the world in tissues recovered, ranking in the top 10 for the past 22 years.
