WYOMING, Mich. — A cadre of Dallas Cowboys players chased after the football as it tumbled into the end zone under the bright lights of “Monday Night Football.” In a flash, one player emerged in front of the pack — a 268-pound defensive end who smothered the ball for a touchdown.

To most Cowboys fans, it was 6 points scored on a blocked punt. But to many in western Michigan, it was the culmination of a lifetime of hard work for the funny but quiet, sports- and video-games-obsessed guy they knew, Marshawn Kneeland, who had spent 24 years outrunning circumstances, loss and doubt to make the NFL.

That touchdown on Nov. 3 was his first in the league, and the congratulatory texts flooded in, including from one of his college coaches. The next day, Kneeland was still buzzing from the touchdown

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