Ken Kunken continues to inspire and motivate people throughout the country. In his talks, Ken shares his life story and the lessons that he has learned since he was injured during a college football game at Cornell University in 1970. The injury severed Ken's spinal cord, leaving him a quadriplegic, almost totally paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Ken would not let his injury keep him from realizing his goals and dreams, and remained determined to lead a useful and productive life. After spending more than nine months in various hospitals and rehabilitation centers, Ken returned to the Cornell campus where he completed his undergraduate degree in engineering. He then earned two graduate degrees, a Master of Arts degree from Cornell University in education, and a Master of Education degree from Columbia University in psychology. Ken became a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor, and worked for more than two years providing vocational and placement counseling to severely disabled individuals.

Wanting to accomplish still more, Ken enrolled in Hofstra University’s School of Law, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree at the age of 32. Ken went to work as an assistant district attorney in Nassau County, Long Island, where he continues to work today, more than 30 years later. Ken now serves as a Deputy Bureau Chief of the County Court Trial Bureau, supervising 22 other assistant district attorneys.

Ken has testified before a United States Senate Sub-Committee on Health Care, chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy, and Ken’s life has been the subject of one of the Reverend Norman Vincent Peale’s nationally syndicated radio broadcast’s “The American Character”. The Ken Kunken Most Valuable Player Award is presented annually by The Adirondack Trust Allegiance Bowl in Saratoga, NY in recognition of Ken’s personal accomplishments, contributions to society and extraordinary courage.

Ken’s personal life has also attracted national attention. He married at the age of 52, and at the age of 54, after having been paralyzed for more than 34 years, Ken became the father of triplet boys.

Ken believes that everyone possesses certain innate abilities that help him or her to function and handle difficult situations. He is convinced that: "We all also possess an inner strength that enables us to rise to the occasion and tackle almost insurmountable odds. How that inner strength is used will make the difference between someone who is good and someone who is great." According to Ken, even the most difficult obstacles can be the springboards to the most satisfying success.