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Not Without Hope

Not Without Hope is a 2010 non-fiction book by Nick Schuyler and Jeré Longman. The book describes a 2009 boating accident that Schuyler survived while his three friends, including NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, died. Not Without Hope was a New York Times best-seller.[1][2]

Not Without Hope
First edition
AuthorNick Schuyler and Jeré Longman
LanguageEnglish
GenreNon-fiction; memoir
PublishedMarch 2, 2010 (William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
Pages256 pages (Hardcover edition)
ISBN978-0061993992

Summary

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Not Without Hope describes a 2009 boating accident that took the lives of NFL players Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith and Schuyler's best friend Will Bleakley. Schuyler survived the incident. It was co-authored by Schuyler and Jeré Longman, a sports reporter and author of several sports related books.[3]

On Saturday, February 28, 2009, at about 6:30 AM, the four men embarked in a 21-foot single-engine boat owned by Cooper from the Seminole Boat Ramp near Clearwater Pass. They had gone fishing in the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles (80 km) off of Clearwater, Florida. At around 5:30 PM, they went to pull up the anchor and head back to port but it was stuck. When Cooper tried to thrust the boat forward in an attempt to dislodge the anchor, the vessel became submerged and capsized, tossing the men overboard. According to Schuyler, over the next several hours, his three companions eventually succumbed to hypothermia and Schuyler was the sole survivor. On March 2, 2009, he was found by the United States Coast Guard. Schuyler was near death, clinging to the engine mount of the capsized vessel.

On March 25, 2009, a report was released based on a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation into the capsizing: it included interviews with Schuyler and an inspection of the boat.

The report concluded the following:[4]

  • the anchor line was tied to the port-side transom as part of a (mistaken) plan to free the anchor.
  • the vessel, which had a 200 horsepower (150 kW) motor, was then throttled forward.
  • the rear of the vessel was pulled into the water because its motor had been throttled without enough slack in the anchor line and
  • the capsized boat ejected the operator and occupants into rough Gulf waters.

The conclusions were accompanied by additional details from interviews with Schuyler. According to Schuyler, after the capsizing, he and the other three men, all wearing flotation devices, struggled overnight to remain on top of the capsized hull of the boat, with water reaching chest-high over the partially submerged hull and waves of about six feet. Cooper and Smith became non-responsive and separated from the vessel between 5:30 and 6:30 AM on the morning of March 1 and Bleakley became non-responsive and separated about 24 hours later, which was less than six hours before Schuyler was rescued. The investigator described the symptoms Schuyler displayed as characteristic of hypothermia.[5]

Accident victims

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  • William Ward Bleakley (born November 20, 1983, in Crystal River, Florida) was 25 years old at the time of the incident. He graduated from Crystal River High School with honors, where he played varsity football, baseball, and soccer. Bleakley earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida (USF) in finance and accounting. At the beginning of his college career, he was invited to walk-on to the USF Bulls football team. He played in USF's first two bowl games, including its first bowl victory. Bleakley and Schuyler met in the sixth grade,[6] played football together at USF, and became best friends. In the early morning of March 2, 2009, according to Schuyler, Bleakley became non-responsive, exhibited signs of hypothermia, and separated from the fishing boat. This was less than six hours before Schuyler himself was rescued by the United States Coast Guard. Bleakley's body was lost at sea; he is missing and presumed dead.
  • Marquis Victor Cooper (born March 11, 1982, in Mesa, Arizona) was age 26 when the boating accident occurred. He was a linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2004 NFL draft. Cooper had also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Oakland Raiders. He played college football at the University of Washington. Cooper was the owner of the 21-foot single-engine boat on which the four men had gone fishing and which eventually capsized. In the early morning of March 1, 2009, according to Schuyler, Cooper became non-responsive, exhibited signs of hypothermia, and separated from the fishing boat. According to Schuyler, this occurred approximately one hour before Smith had done the same, and approximately a full day before Bleakley did likewise. Cooper's body was lost at sea; he is missing and presumed dead.
  • Nicholas L. ("Nick") Schuyler (born January 18, 1985, in Chardon, Ohio) was 24 years old at the time of the incident.[7] In 2003, he graduated from Chardon High School, where he played on the school's basketball and football teams.[8][9] He then graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) in 2008 with a degree in communications. At USF, he played on the football team as a walk-on, along with his best friend Bleakley, whom he had known since sixth grade. Schuyler worked as a personal trainer and, in 2014, opened up his own gym in Lutz, Florida.[10][11] On November 14, 2015, Schuyler married Paula Oliveira.[citation needed] Their son was born in 2017. The sole survivor among the four men, Schuyler was stranded for 46 hours in the 60-degree waters.[12] When rescued by the United States Coast Guard, he was within five to ten hours of death.[13] He was nearly dead from exposure; at the time of his rescue, his body temperature had dropped to 88.8 degrees.[14]
  • Corey Dominique Smith (born October 2, 1979, in Richmond, Virginia) was age 29 when he was lost at sea. Smith was an American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was originally signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He had also played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions. Smith played college football at North Carolina State. According to Schuyler, after the boat capsized, Smith began to experience symptoms of hypothermia; he also became increasingly combative. Smith was the first of the men to become separated from the fishing boat. His body was lost at sea; he is missing and presumed dead. Smith's family has established the Corey D. Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund in his honor. The Detroit Lions held a memorial service for him on March 21, 2009.[15] The Detroit Lions announced that they would retire Smith's jersey number (#93) during the 2009 season in honor of him.[16] Smith was (posthumously) named the 2009 recipient of the Detroit Lions/Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association/Pro Football Writers Association's Media-Friendly "Good Guy" Award. The award is given yearly to the Detroit Lions player who shows consideration to, and cooperation with, the media at all times during the course of the season. Smith's family accepted the award on his behalf.

Film

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Main article: Not Without Hope (film)

Not Without Hope is slated to be made into a film. The film was originally to be produced, distributed, and financed by Relativity Media. Dwayne Johnson was cast to play Schuyler and was also executive producer. After the project was tied up at Relativity Media for four years, as a result of the company's 2015 bankruptcy, 36films and its founder Michael Cuccolo acquired the rights to produce the survival drama.[17] The UK production/financing company Goldfinch later purchased the film rights and hired Rupert Wainwright as director.[18] Miles Teller was cast in the role of Schuyler, and production was set to begin in early 2020.[19] With the outbreak of coronavirus delaying film production, the filming date was moved to September, with pre-production beginning at the water facility in Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios.[20] However, Wainwright would later leave the director's chair, citing creative differences, before filming began.[21] A adaptation directed and written by Joe Carnahan is currently in filming with Zachary Levi and Josh Duhamel in the lead roles.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Adult New York Times Best Seller Lists for 2010
  2. ^ The New York Times – Books – Best Sellers – Hardcover Nonfiction
  3. ^ "Jeré Longman". HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  4. ^ Florida Boating Accident Investigation Report (PDF) (Report). Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. March 25, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-31.
  5. ^ Florida Boating Accident Investigation Report (PDF) (Report). Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. March 25, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-31.
  6. ^ Florida Boat Accident Survivor: 2 NFL Players Gave Up Hope
  7. ^ "Will Bleakley Memorial Service Information". South Florida Bulls. March 5, 2009.
  8. ^ Chardon High School graduate Nick Schuyler still deals with guilt of being lone survivor of boating accident
  9. ^ Chardon's Nick Schuyler rescued, 3 NFL players still missing from fishing boat
  10. ^ Years after tragic boating accident, ex-USF football player Nick Schuyler achieves dream of opening gym
  11. ^ Alumnus opens fitness center with second chance
  12. ^ Florida Boat Accident Survivor: 2 NFL Players Gave Up Hope
  13. ^ Report: Boat not properly anchored
  14. ^ Death and disbelief: Sole survivor of accident that killed three tells his story
  15. ^ Lions to Hold Memorial for Missing Boater ESPN.com, March 20, 2009
  16. ^ Lions to retire Smith's No. 93 in '09 ESPN, March 21, 2009
  17. ^ McNary, Dave (May 30, 2017). "'Not Without Hope' Survival Movie Leaves Relativity, Lands at 36films". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  18. ^ McNary, Dave (October 15, 2019). "Film News Roundup: 'Galaxy Quest' Documentary Set for Release". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  19. ^ McNary, Dave (June 12, 2020). "Film News Roundup: Patrick Wilson Joins Halle Berry, Josh Gad in Science-Fiction Epic 'Moonfall'". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  20. ^ de la Fuente, Anna Marie (June 24, 2020). "Dominican Republic Poised for Post-Pandemic Return". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  21. ^ Lang, Brent (August 4, 2020). "Rupert Wainwright Out as Director of Miles Teller Survival Drama 'Not Without Hope' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  22. ^ A grateful Nick Schuyler admits survivor's guilt from boating accident that killed 3 friends

Further reading

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