Ex-Dolphins Betters builds on small successes through rough rehab.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

PLANTATION, Fla. _ The statement was one the bearded behemoth in the wheelchair once would have taken for granted.

"Walking is cool," he said.

But so is flying an airplane. Fly-fishing. Driving a powerboat. And all the little things Doug Betters is doing again as he continues recuperating from a skiing accident that has left the former Dolphins defensive end without use of his legs.

Almost three years ago, Betters was in a hospital receiving treatment through the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis after suffering a severe spinal injury on a mountain near his Montana home. Betters was back in South Florida on Monday, only this time as the honorary …