Every time the clip was played last year, the Penn State student section let out a collective "Oooo."

You know the one I'm talking about.

The one where former Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson took off down the sideline and ran full-keel into Minnesota safety Brandon Owens at Minnesota's 12-yardline during the Oct. 1 Penn State victory against the Golden Gophers.

The collision leveled the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Owens, but Robinson was left standing above the motionless Minnesota safety. For many Nittany Lion fans, that picture will remain as one of the defining moments of the magical 2005 season.

But few really know the true impact of that hit. While many fans know Owens was injured on the play and saw him walk off the field clutching his right arm, many don't realize Owens' football career ended that afternoon.

Owens, considered by many to be just as much an NFL prospect as former Golden Gopher and current New England Patriot running back Laurence Maroney, missed the rest of the season with nerve damage in his pectoral and shoulder muscles and underwent surgery.

In the spring, Owens said goodbye to football. To this day, he still wears a sling.

This year, the Minnesota Sports Information Department has been mum on the injury, citing HIPPA laws -- which don't allow athletic departments to divulge injury information without the players' consent -- as reasons why.

Minnesota associate athletic communications director Shane Sanderfeld could only offer limited updates on Owens' condition, saying Owens has had slight improvement, regaining some sensation in his arm.

I reached Owens by phone Monday night. Quiet, but polite, he said he'd talk with me about the injury, but not at that time. Call back tomorrow, he said.

By Tuesday night, Owens had changed his mind, deciding that he no longer wanted to talk about the injury that ended his once promising football career. Since the injury, Owens hasn't spoken publicly about it.

For any football player, his story drives home the fact that on any play, something tragic can happen. After all, under the pads, football players are just flesh, muscle and bone, just as fragile as the rest of us.

"It's still all a game, and we're still all humans, and things can go wrong," Penn State wideout Deon Butler said.

As famous as the clip is, Penn State fans won't be seeing it again anytime soon. Penn State director of marketing and branding Guido D'Elia said that since the Penn State athletic department learned the extent of Owens' injury, the clip has not been played in Beaver Stadium. It also doesn't exist on the new Penn State football Web site, GoPSF.com.

Really the only people who will see extensive replays of the hit this week are Penn State football players, as they will review film of last year's game to prepare for tomorrow's game against Minnesota.

"No one watches the film and says 'Ohh' or 'Ahh' anymore," Butler said. "Now you kind of want to look away because something so dramatic happened."

As the Lions see the hit this week, they are constantly reminded that they could just be one hard tackle or one awkward slip away from an NFL career being taken from them.

"You never know," Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli said. "You could be one play away from a career-ending injury, that's why you've got to play 100 percent whenever you step on the field. ... You've got to play every play like it's your last."

Unfortunately for Owens, he's played his.