Big-time football prospect once disliked track because there was too much running, now he's running faster than almost everybody.
Football has been Marvin Bracy's first love since he was 6 years old. Track was not his cup of tea — too much running, he told MaxPreps.
However, when he entered his sophomore year at
Boone (Orlando, Fla.), he gave track a shot because his best friend, A.J. Turner, went out for the sport and encouraged him.
Bracy was an instant hit, according to track coach Josh Shearouse, who also helped coach him on the JV football team.
"The very first meet he ran a 10.8 (100-meter). Our jaws just dropped," Shearouse exclaimed. "We knew he was fast. We just didn't know how fast. Our school always was known for distance runners. We never had been known for speed. Every meet he just got faster."
Marvin Bracy is a dual-sport star, posting great track times and displaying a knack for scoring touchdowns in football.
Photo by Darrell Laxton
Indeed, Bracy went from an outstanding 10.8 start in the 100 meters to winning the Class 4A state championship with a brilliant 10.19 clocking, which would have been a state record if not for a slight wind advantage. He also won the 200 as his time improved from 22.1 to 21.21.
Of course, he loves track now and Shearouse calls him the team's hardest worker.
"I had hard practices and hard days," Bracy confessed. "I started winning and it made me feel good. I started working harder, seeing that I could progress."
However, there was one bump in the road. At the end of March, Shearouse thought Bracy was not going hard on drills and kicked him out of a practice. Every team member had signed a contract concerning rules and ethical conduct and Shearouse considered a bad attitude something that broke the pact.
The next day they had a heart-to-heart talk and Bracy remained on the team after apologizing.
"He kind of broke down and shed some tears," Shearouse recalled. "It was a coach/athlete moment. After that day, you could tell he was committed to the team. I've never had a problem with him since. Now he's got a decent GPA (3.2). He's working hard and starting to grow up as a young man."
Bracy related, "He said I could rip it (the contract) up and be off the team, or I could apologize. Since then everything has been good."
After setting school records in the 100, 200 and sharing the 400-meter relay record, Bracy qualified for the USA team that competed in the IAAF Junior World Championships in Moncton, Canada. He ran a leg on the victorious 400-meter relay, calling it the highlight of his summer.
The multi-talented teenager also has made a major impact on the Boone football program. He played on the JV team as a sophomore, scoring eight touchdowns in five games as a tailback. In his first game, he returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown.
Varsity coach Phil Ziglar noted, "He was a great player with speed, but he took a pounding. He didn't have the muscular size (5-foot-10, 165 pounds). He got banged up quite a bit because he was a tailback. We moved him to wide receiver (as a junior). He just blossomed out and did such a fantastic job."
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Everything started with last year's spring game in which he scored four spectacular touchdowns: an 80-yard kickoff return, punt returns of 63 and 56 yards and a 90-yard reception that was overthrown, but he still ran it down.
Marvin Bracy of Boone High School.
Photo by Darrell Laxton
"When that hit the internet, the next thing I've got people calling from all over the place about this kid," Ziglar noted. "When you put pads on him he carries the ball with more speed than I have seen in 36 years. It's how he changes directions full-speed and never misses a beat. He is a phenomenal football player."
It was déjà vu, according to Bracy, because in his first varsity game he matched his first JV game by returning the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown against Orlando Olympia.
"I was kind of nervous," Bracy admitted. "The ball came straight at me. I just did what I had to do."
Opponents rarely kicked to him again last fall. Still, he finished with 11 touchdowns, including two punt returns. He had 26 catches for 463 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing 28 times for 387 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Ziglar pointed out that powerhouse programs such as Florida State, Alabama, Nebraska and Oklahoma are among the many schools courting his young superstar.
The veteran coach added proudly, "A lot of people in our community know he is a phenomenal young man (off the field) and very humble. It's a pleasure to see as a coach. He is handling (his success) with a lot of class and character. He's a good ambassador for our school."
Ziglar started nine sophomores last year and took some lumps. The Braves should be administering some of their own lumps next fall. But Bracy is in track now and he's dead serious about making some big waves.
"I do two practices a day," he pointed out. "I practice with my team and with my personal coach (Ricky Argro). I really don't chase times. If I can win the state every year, I'll be satisfied."
Down the road, he wants to try out for the 2012 Olympics and also expects to play college football for four years.
Shearouse is excited, because as he puts it, "We still have a whole another year to see what he can accomplish."
That goes for football and track.
"I'd like to try pro track and football," Bracy affirmed. "I'm never going to pick just one unless I have to."
