Every superstar college athlete has a story to tell these days. Some stories we know better than others.
We know the tales of current idols in the vein of Reggie Bush and Vince Young. We know how spectacular these athletes are on the playing field and the honorable (or sometimes dishonorable) lives they lead off of it. Sometimes, these athletes go out of their way to let us know just how awesome they are.
But for every Bush and Young, there’s a great athlete who falls under the radar. The latter athletes are superstars in their own right, but usually participate in sports that don’t receive a ton of coverage from the national media. Therefore, few people know their story.
Cougar senior sprinter Ebonie Floyd falls into this category. She was easily the best female performer, if not best athlete, to walk the Houston campus this year, and one of the top female runners in the nation. She has an inspirational story, but few have ever heard.
Floyd, the daughter of former NCAA track champions Stanley and Delissa Walton-Floyd, closed out her impressive collegiate career two weeks ago with a silver-medal finish in the 100 meters and a third-place finish in the 200 at the NCAA Championships. On Monday, she was named Conference USA Track and Field Female Athlete of the Year. It was her second consecutive year to win the award.
Earlier this season, she set three C-USA records at the conference outdoor championship meet in the 200, 400 and 4×100 relay. At the NCAA Midwest Regional, she finished the 200 in 22.32 seconds, the second-fastest time in the world. She was named an All-American at the NCAA Championships.
That’s the story you’ll get from reading press releases from the UH athletics website. Floyd’s story, however, runs much deeper, and is much more painful than that. It’s one that tells of a promising future that was almost taken away in a split second, but was revived against overwhelming odds.
As a freshman in 2003, Floyd hit the track running and sprinted her way to being named the C-USA Female Freshman of the Year for both indoor and ourdoor seasons. But in 2004, she spent much of her time running away from bad memories.
That year, Floyd and her younger sister were involved in a car accident and she ended up fracturing her foot and injuring other muscles.
"I remember being pinned under the truck not thinking I would ever be able to walk again," Floyd said.
Then came the unthinkable news – her sister didn’t survive the crash. That sent Floyd and her family into a period of mourning followed by her road to recovery while sitting out with a redshirt.
The next season saw Floyd almost ready to make her comeback, but fate wouldn’t allow it. She became pregnant, and had to take another redshirt.
"When I got pregnant, I was like, ‘Oh, Lord, I’m really messing up. They already gave me a year off for being hurt and now I’m pregnant,’" Floyd said. "That was really hard to tell the coach that I was pregnant, but I had a lot of support and he told me I was going to be back and be good again."
Floyd persevered and her efforts finally paid off in 2006. Floyd returned to the track and ran like the speedster of old. She dusted the competition all the way to the NCAA Championships, where she finished fifth in the 200.
This season, Floyd was even better. She ran with more confidence and the aura of an elite runner. She also ran with the support of family and friends, and an individual unseen.
"I think about my sister," Floyd said. "Even in heaven, she’s cheering for me and pushing me. She wouldn’t want me to stop."
And now that her college career is over, Floyd is preparing to move on to the pros. She’ll soon be working with an agent on obtaining endorsement deals. She hopes to compete in the 2008 Olympics.
But despite all her collegiate success, Floyd desires to be remembered by UH fans as more than a great runner.
"There are a lot of good athletes, but I just want people to know that I was a good person on and off the track," Floyd said. "I just want people to say, ‘She was a good person and a great friend to her teammates.’"
Indeed, Floyd has a great story – one that should be told to the masses. It’s a crying shame so few get the chance to hear it.