Bowling Green State University Athletics
McGrady Has A Lot To Think About
September 29, 2003 | Football
Sept. 29, 2003
By JACK CARLE, Sentinel Sports Editor - It's understandable when Cornelius McGrady III may not run the correct pattern on a third-and-four pass play.
The 23-year-old McGrady, a redshirt junior on the Bowling Green football team, has a lot to think about these days. Aside from the normal day-to-day routine of a college student, he's also working hard to earn regular playing time at wide receiver for the Falcons as the team prepares to make a run for the Mid-American Conference West title.
However, there are bigger things on McGrady's mind -- specifically the status of the war in Iraq. During his spare time the television is turned to CNN, he's not watching too much ESPN or music videos.
That's because his father, Cornelius McGrady Jr., is a military policeman currently stationed in the Baghdad area. A first sergeant, the older McGrady is a member of an Army Reserve unit that was activated earlier this year.
McGrady was also deployed to the Middle East during the Gulf War for six months.
"I was worried about where he would be stationed mostly," McGrady said. "He was in another city and he just got shipped to Baghdad about three weeks ago.
"Before he wasn't even near the war ... I knew everything was fine. When he got shipped up there, I was getting a little nervous because I knew what was going on."
That leaves it up to Connie McGrady to be both mother and father to her football-playing sons this fall. Cornelius' younger brother, Carleton, is currently a freshman defensive end at the University of Findlay. Both she and her sons are adapting to life without Sgt. McGrady.
"Even though I'm going ... it's not the same," Connie McGrady said. "They're saying it's OK. He's over there, defending this country, he's fighting for us."
Sgt. McGrady would have been one proud father Saturday in Ohio Stadium. Cornelius caught his first career touchdown pass for the Falcons and his mother was in the stands right behind the end zone.
"His football career is right at its peak and he was upset that Dad was going to miss the big game," Connie McGrady said about her oldest son. "Now he's taking it in stride and he's trying to make him proud.
"We had awesome seats," she added. "I know he would have enjoyed that to see him that close to make that touchdown."
Because the Falcons have a bye this week, the players were allowed to go home after the Ohio State game. McGrady was at his parents house when his father just happened to call early last Sunday morning.
"That's the first time I talked to him in about a month," the younger McGrady said. "He's very positive. He keeps telling me to stay focused on football and school and not worry, he'll be OK.
"He's been through it before and I can't have a negative mind because I won't be able to do the things in school and football."
The older McGrady will be able to relive his son's touchdown as many family members and friends taped the game for him. Connie McGrady said he was planning to ship one of the tapes to Iraq very soon.
Even when his father was working his regular job as an accountant examiner for the State of Ohio, it was not easy for the younger McGrady.
A graduate of Reynoldsburg High School, which is a suburb of Columbus, McGrady lettered in three sports in high school. However, his academics were not in order and for his freshman year at Bowling Green he was a Proposition 48 student and did not play football while paying his own way. During his freshman year he worked hard to get his grades in order which allowed him to gain his football eligibility.
In 2001 and 2002, he saw limited playing time, but he had two blocked punts last season. Urban Meyer, who was BG's head coach for those two seasons, wasn't too high on McGrady.
"A lot of people said he couldn't play here," said Zach Azzanni, BG's wide receivers coach. "But he's a warrior. He's ruthless on the field. All the other kids look up to him."
McGrady is proving Meyer wrong as he's sharing time with Steve Sanders as BG's fourth receiver. McGrady is fourth on the team with 13 receptions for 130 yards.
"He plays for his dad," Azzanni said. "During two-a-days ... he would mess up and I would have to get on him about it. Then at night I would think about it. We're right in the middle of a war and this kid's thinking about his dad who could possibly get killed and I'm yelling at him because he didn't get the right depth on a third-and-four."
