Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard: Behind the Draft Season

On the field and in the stat book, Mardy Gilyard looks like an outstanding athlete and an amazing player. And he is. But his performance on the football field is not what NFL draft evaluators find fascinating about Gilyard; it’s his story.

The All-American wide receiver who was an instrumental part of bringing Cincinnati to it’s first two BCS games in the past two seasons, has been one of the most prolific offensive weapons in the country.

And at the most recent bowl game against the Florida Gators in which the Bearcats lost, Gilyard had a story to tell about his New Orleans experience, and it happened before the opening kickoff. Gilyard had a chance to talk to a homeless person in the city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

He looks to this encounter as a way to show how he’s overcome his downfalls, and how his redemption still hasn’t been completed quite yet.

Dealing with Home

Off the gridiron, Gilyard’s life wasn’t a simple life in suburbia. He faced life in a very rough neighborhood, where drugs like cocaine and dope and violence almost daily made life a struggle every day.

Already having to deal with an abusive father, Gilyard also had to cope with the lack of food in his house, something he credits to his mother, Viola Gilyard Crudup, and his brother, Otis, for helping him survive those rough stages of his life.

At times, his meals would include mayonnaise sandwiches—two toasted pieces of bread with some Helman’s in between—cereal with water, and a syrupy milk that would serve as a meal in itself, at times.

In school, Gilyard was, as you would expect, a top notch football star and a heavily recruited athlete. So good that he was recruited by the Florida Gators and former head coach (current coach of Illinois) Ron Zook.

But, the day Coach Zook was to come to his high school to meet with the speedy receiver, Gilyard wasn’t there.

Instead, he was at the beach, hanging out on a “Senior Skip Day.” After that, Zook and company felt that Gilyard wasn’t worth their time. And by just not showing up, Gilyard already closed the door on his best opportunity.

To the Point of No Return

He got a scholarship to play with the rising Cincinnati Bearcats program, recruited as a defensive back. But, the honeymoon away from his town was short-lived, and soon his lack of production in the classroom got him on now former coach Mark D’Antonio's bad side, and was eventually revoked of his scholarship.

He now had to pay his way through college. Still, through all his struggles and desires to return home, his mother refused to let him back.

It was on Gilyard to get out of his situation for himself. Being off scholarship, Gilyard was evicted from his dorm room, making him homeless.

Where did he sleep? He either had to crash in a teammate's dorm or on a friends couch, or sleep in the car he borrowed from his girlfriend’s brother. Not the life Gilyard had imagined when he came in as a highly-touted prospect for the Bearcats.

On the Rise

Gilyard quickly realized where his demise could lead to, and began turning his life around.

To begin to pay off his $7,000 college debt, Gilyard had to work three jobs: as a construction worker, door-to-door cutlery salesman, and pizza delivery man.

That, coupled with workouts and still needing to attend class made Gilyard a non-stop motor. Still, he realized that bettering himself wasn’t enough to finish his ongoing transformation.

He began volunteering in the community. He passed out sack lunches to homeless people and worked at the Wesley Chapel Mission Center where he taught Bible study.

While Gilyard was on the right track mentally and personally, he needed a bit of luck to get the second chance he coveted. When new coach Brian Kelly took over for the Bearcats, he happened to watch film on the then defensive back Gilyard.

Intrigued, he wanted to try out Gilyard at receiver for his new wide-open offense.

So, with the chance to redeem himself under a new coaching staff, Gilyard, giddy with excitement and a profound sense of accomplishment, had managed to stockpile his seven grand he owed the college, and rejoined the team as a full scholarship player.

And boy did it pay off for Gilyard and Kelly.

Doing What He Does Best

Keeping his background in mind, things started pretty quickly for the now speedy receiver for the Bearcats.

Gilyard had 36 catches for 563 yards and three scores as a sophomore. Nothing spectacular to the casual fan, but Cincinnati personnel knew they had only scratched the surface.

He exploded as a sophomore, emerging on the national scene with 81 catches, 1,276 yards, and 13 total touchdowns, two from kick returns. In just two short years since being homeless, Gilyard had shined in the national spotlight.

He was one of, if not the, main factor in Cincinnati building a new tradition and capturing the Big East crown, leading them to their first BCS game.

So, after leading Cincinnati to their second straight BCS game, Gilyard has now solidified himself as one of the most explosive players in the country. And a little thing called the NFL Draft is now the current thought on Gilyard’s mind.

He’s thinking about how he can improve his already solid draft stock. He’s thinking about his play at the recent Senior Bowl. He’s thinking about if  the first to second round projections will hold true come in April.

Regardless of what he’s thinking about now, there is no question regarding if he’ll ever forget what he’s had to overcome. From the abusive house to the knucklehead decision making to the homelessness and everything in between, Mardy Gilyard has been through more than the NFL draft prospect.

And whether scouts view him as an inconsistent pass catcher or an undeniable game breaker, no one can deny that Mardy Gilyard has the courage and desire to continue to improve himself.

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