Posted on 12/18/2007 5:31:51 AM PST by MissEdie
Despite numerous challenges, USC running back jukes his past - and other obstacles - to earn his degree By JOSEPH PERSON - jperson@thestate.com
GERRY MELENDEZ/GMELENDEZ@THESTATE.COM Cory Boyd shares a lighter moment Monday with other graduating teammates, including Blake Mitchell, back left. Boyd is the second member of his family to earn a college degree. During the best of times, Cory Boyd figured he would play a couple of seasons at South Carolina and follow his childhood dream to the NFL.
During the worst of times, Boyd thought about packing his stuff, leaving school and returning to the crime-ridden projects in north Jersey he had hoped to escape.
Neither scenario included Boyd staying at USC long enough to finish his degree.
But the emotional leader of the Gamecocks stuck it out four-plus years, capping a tumultuous USC career Monday when he received a diploma during commencement exercises for December graduates at the Colonial Center.
About 20 friends and family members from Boyd’s hometown of Orange, N.J., were in attendance to see Boyd become the second member of his extended family to graduate.
But the 22-year-old Boyd leaves USC with more than a degree in hospitality management. He says he now has a better understanding of life management.
“Jersey sent a young boy, and Carolina is sending out a young man,” Boyd said. “I appreciate everything that I went through here and the development of making me who I am today. I hope I never will be forgotten.
“It was a long journey, but I’m sad that it had to come to an end.”
Boyd arrived in Columbia in 2003 as the less-heralded tailback in a recruiting class that included Demetris Summers, a Parade All-American from Lexington. He lasted three years longer than Summers, who was dismissed following the 2004 season after failing multiple drug tests.
Boyd played for two head coaches and three position coaches, and he led USC in rushing in each of his final two seasons. The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder joined Stanley Pritchett as the only players in school history to finish their careers with more than 1,000 yards rushing and receiving.
But Boyd nearly went the way of Summers.
He missed the 2005 season — Steve Spurrier’s first in Columbia — while suspended for a violation of university policy. Boyd also was involved in three incidents that drew the attention of police, although he was not charged in any of them.
Boyd said the year he was suspended, when he practiced with the scout team and was not allowed to suit up for games, afforded him ample time for soul-searching.
“It was enough to make me sit back and re-evaluate myself,” Boyd said. “Like, ‘What am I doing? I worked so hard to get out of the situation and the environment that I was in, and now I’m turning and making this environment somewhat similar to what I was fighting to get out of.’ ”
Boyd grew up in a rough section of New Jersey on the outskirts of New York City. Before his 12th birthday, Boyd had been stabbed in the side and watched a 19-year-old cousin die from a gunshot wound to the head.
He was forced to develop a tough exterior at a young age, a protective shell that grew harder midway through his USC career following the death of his mother, Crystal Boyd, in the spring of 2006.
Boyd considered transferring to a school closer to home. But having already lost a year to suspension, he decided to remain at USC, where he returned to the team for the ’06 season and “played off of frustration and anger.”
While those emotions might have helped Boyd run through would-be tacklers, the perpetual scowl he wore off the field served to further his reputation as a bad character.
“I felt as though the world owed me something, and that wasn’t the case at all,” he said. “Walking around looking evil and looking like you’ve got a chip on your shoulder, it makes you look terrible and bad in the public’s eye. My coaches started telling me about perception. Everything’s about perception.”
Running backs coach Robert Gillespie and others encouraged Boyd to go to class and try to smile more often. Always popular among the Gamecocks faithful because of his hard running style, Boyd was more engaging with media members and fans this year.
In the midst of his final season, Boyd visited a Sumter high school player who was hospitalized in Columbia with seizures caused by viral meningitis. Such hospital visits are common for teams at many bowl games across the country.
But Boyd’s 30-minute talk with Lakewood High’s Keith Cogdell was not a photo opportunity.
“He gave him a beautiful pep talk. It was just overwhelming,” said Jermecia McCoy, Cogdell’s mother. “I’m so grateful for him taking the time to visit. It really lifted his spirits and made his day.”
Boyd will play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 19 in Houston, a showcase for NFL scouts. In addition to Boyd’s size and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, Gillespie said Boyd has the intangibles to get to the next level.
“There are a lot of guys that when the going gets tough, they’re going to walk away because they have a lot to fall back on,” Gillespie said. “But he wants to succeed. There isn’t much for him to go back to, so he has to keep fighting. ... I think he’s going to be special in whatever he does.”
Boyd does not plan to go back to the seven-story apartment complex in Orange where much of his family lives. His dream is to build a home for his grandmother, Joan Boyd, with enough room for the rest of his relatives.
“Some people just want to live in a big house by themselves. I had that American dream of moving my whole family out of the projects because we were all just packed amongst each other,” he said. “To spread us out would definitely shake up the family tree.”
Boyd admits he was shaken initially by the season-ending, five-game losing streak that cost the Gamecocks a bowl berth. But his time at USC has given Boyd an appreciation of the bigger picture.
“It hurt because I definitely wanted one more game with the teammates I played with this whole year,” he said. “I still look back and try to figure out, where did we go wrong? I can’t put my finger on it. But it was a nice journey.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.