St. Aloysius graduate and strength and flexibility coach Carter Stamm has seen plenty of ACL tears and Achilles tendons injuries at the Final Fitness rehabilitation center he runs in Harahan, La., just outside New Orleans.

He’s made a living — after getting a cup of coffee with the New Orleans Saints in 1982 — helping athletes recover their strength and flexibility after possibly career-threatening injuries. Partnering with Southern Orthopedic Specialists, Stamm and speed coach Derrick Joseph have helped plenty of athletes return to the playing field or the court after serious injuries.

But nothing could have prepared them for the predicament of former LSU safety Chad Jones. The promising young star, who was a third-round draft pick of the New York Giants and had shut down the Texas batting order in the 2009 College World Series, was lucky to be alive after a horrific car crash in New Orleans in 2010.

His left leg was shattered and damaged in a way that defies description.

Jones was in a hospital bed for a year after enduring 11 surgeries. Just the first surgery alone to merely stabilize the damaged appendenge took seven of the nation’s best surgeons six hours.

“If it would’ve been 20 years ago, they would’ve just gone ahead and amputated it,” Stamm said. “It’s that bad. It’s so bad, I can’t even give the injury an accurate description.”

Doctors told Jones that he’d be lucky to walk, much less run again. The NFL? No chance, they said.

He didn’t take no for answer. With the help of Stamm and Joseph and physical therapist John Moran, Jones set a goal of returning to the NFL.

Last week, Jones proved that his journey back is for real.

Jones, on his 23rd birthday and 10 months into his rehab, got on a track at his alma mater, St. Martin (La.) and ran a consistent 4.83-second 40-yard dash. Stamm said Jones has run 10-yard splits at a faster time than he did in the 2010 NFL combine, an amazing achievement.

“We like to set short-term goals,” Stamm said. “I told him that he was going run on his 23rd birthday, so he better get to work. I was absolutely ecstatic. I was just hoping that he could run under a 5-second time.”

But it hasn’t been an easy road to that shining milestone.

When Jones came to Stamm’s facility, Jones had to learn to walk again without a limp. He had to then learn how to run again with the help of Joseph, a former Tulane track athlete.

Every week, Stamm had to figure out a way to put together a workout program that got Jones the results he needed and not cause him excruciating pain.

“My wife said it was like putting together a puzzle,” Stamm said. “Dr. Finney said that we were in uncharted territory. He’s got so much scar tissue, a year’s worth, and we don’t know how his nerves and tissues and the screws and hardware in his leg will handle it. It’s going to require a stroke of luck and the help of God.”

Stamm put him through a grueling routine of weight training and a flexibility regime that isn’t for the weak of heart. It’d be a chore for the able-bodied, much less someone coming back from a catastrophic injury like Jones’. Stamm pushed hard with his program, week after week, and Jones kept improving. During an assessment of Jones, Dr. (Tim) Finney, an orthopedic specialist who is one of the New Orleans Saints’ doctors, told Stamm that he was “blown away” by the amazing progress.

But the road, while half done, has still more challenges ahead. And Stamm feels Jones is up to the task.

“He’s a great kid and I’ve grown quite fond of him. He’s humble, nice, pleasant and an incredibly gifted athlete,” Stamm said. “I don’t care about fame or money or anything like that. Getting him back to the NFL would be a home run for me.”

Sounds like a movie just waiting to be made.

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Steve Wilson is sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. You can follow him on Twitter at vpsportseditor. He can be reached at 601-636-4545, ext. 142 or at swilson@vicksburgpost.com.