Desert Sapper
11/8/2007, 04:51 PM
It's sad what happened to his mother this summer, but it sounds like the team was really there for him and his family. It's good to hear that this young man is driving on, despite all that's happened to him (his mother, his injuries, etc.).
Highlights:
Patricia never missed her son's football games, from Pop Warner to when he became one of the nation's top recruits at Oklahoma City Southeast. But she never had the chance to watch him play for the Sooners, her favorite team.
McCoy's mother supported him through his recruiting and the birth of his daughter. She was there for her son when coaches decided to redshirt him a year ago.
When other players saw Patricia, they often hugged her and called her "Mother McCoy."
So when news hit of her death, OU's football team responded. Many of McCoy's teammates and almost the entire coaching staff showed up for the funeral.
McCoy's father, also named Gerald, said he'll never forget the support he received from the team, especially on the day his wife of 26 years was put to rest.
"When I saw that team show up, tears really dropped. That is what family is," Gerald's father said, beginning to break up. "It spoke for itself. They didn't have to suit up and put on ties and do that. They even carried her body. Isn't that cool? I love it. It was wonderful. His teammates were awesome. Wow."
"I told them my mother isn't here, but she loved this team and she knew everything about the team – she knew more than I did," McCoy said. "So we can't stop. I'm not going to stop. I told them, 'I'm not going to let nothing slow me down, and we shouldn't let anything slow us down as a team. Let's keep on pushing. Let's work through it. Let's go out there and win a national championship.' "
McCoy (6-4, 289) had a shoulder injury in the preseason that slowed him, but it was not enough to keep him from starting. He's started and played in seven of eight games this year.
McCoy broke a bone in his right hand during the Sooners' second game of the season, against Miami. The injury caused him to miss the next game against Utah State. So it wasn't until OU's fourth game of the year against Tulsa that McCoy recorded his first career tackle.
"There is a lot of stuff that has happened to me. ... It's a lot to make a person quit, but one thing you'll never see me do is quit," McCoy said. "At the funeral of my mother, my pastor said one thing she left with us is to never quit."
"He has a great family, great family support from his teammates and coaches and everybody here," Shipp said. "He's handled it greatly. Does he get better as time goes on? Yeah. But that's his mother, and he's going to look in those stands every day for her. And he should. But she has the best seat in the house because she's right there with him every play now."
God Bless, Gerald. Boomer Sooner!
Highlights:
Patricia never missed her son's football games, from Pop Warner to when he became one of the nation's top recruits at Oklahoma City Southeast. But she never had the chance to watch him play for the Sooners, her favorite team.
McCoy's mother supported him through his recruiting and the birth of his daughter. She was there for her son when coaches decided to redshirt him a year ago.
When other players saw Patricia, they often hugged her and called her "Mother McCoy."
So when news hit of her death, OU's football team responded. Many of McCoy's teammates and almost the entire coaching staff showed up for the funeral.
McCoy's father, also named Gerald, said he'll never forget the support he received from the team, especially on the day his wife of 26 years was put to rest.
"When I saw that team show up, tears really dropped. That is what family is," Gerald's father said, beginning to break up. "It spoke for itself. They didn't have to suit up and put on ties and do that. They even carried her body. Isn't that cool? I love it. It was wonderful. His teammates were awesome. Wow."
"I told them my mother isn't here, but she loved this team and she knew everything about the team – she knew more than I did," McCoy said. "So we can't stop. I'm not going to stop. I told them, 'I'm not going to let nothing slow me down, and we shouldn't let anything slow us down as a team. Let's keep on pushing. Let's work through it. Let's go out there and win a national championship.' "
McCoy (6-4, 289) had a shoulder injury in the preseason that slowed him, but it was not enough to keep him from starting. He's started and played in seven of eight games this year.
McCoy broke a bone in his right hand during the Sooners' second game of the season, against Miami. The injury caused him to miss the next game against Utah State. So it wasn't until OU's fourth game of the year against Tulsa that McCoy recorded his first career tackle.
"There is a lot of stuff that has happened to me. ... It's a lot to make a person quit, but one thing you'll never see me do is quit," McCoy said. "At the funeral of my mother, my pastor said one thing she left with us is to never quit."
"He has a great family, great family support from his teammates and coaches and everybody here," Shipp said. "He's handled it greatly. Does he get better as time goes on? Yeah. But that's his mother, and he's going to look in those stands every day for her. And he should. But she has the best seat in the house because she's right there with him every play now."
God Bless, Gerald. Boomer Sooner!