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In my senior year my former girlfriend became pregnant which cause me a lot of stress. I had scholarships from every Junior College in the United States, but chose to stay home. I enrolled at Cumberland Junior College as a walk on with everything to gain and nothing to lose. I didn’t get a scholarship but I was driven and did not let it bother me. I was determined and ran 7 miles every day at 4:30 a.m. every morning, lifted weights every other day, shot 500 jump shots, and worked on my ball handling skills for two hours daily.
Most of the guys on the basketball team were from the Big Cities, they used to pick on me and called me a “little nappy headed country boy” It pushed me even more. At the start of the 1977 Cumberland Junior College basketball season, I started as a walk-on point guard and finished third on the list in all categories in scoring, rebounding, steals, assists, and free throws. At Cumberland Junior College in 1977-1978, the University of Florida signed me. My cousin Rickey Joe Johnson, who also played at Lebanon High School at Cumberland, was signed on. Together we were unstoppable. After one year of Junior College basketball at Cumberland, I quit school. My brother Joel who had joined the Army was a big inspiration to me. He told me to join the Army. I went into the Army and it gave me more motivation. It’s true what is said about the Army, “Be all that you can be”
In the summer of 1978 we were together in a car accident, which killed my cousin Rickey Joe Johnson and left me in a coma for 15 hours. I never went to Florida. I couldn’t believe the incident at first. I felt we were on our destiny to play in the NBA, it took a lot out of me, and however, I bounced back. When I was living in California in 1987 I started using cocaine on and off for 19 years. I tried to stop many times. My life was like a roller coaster, spinning out of control. In 1993 while living in Atlanta Georgia I got shot in my left leg, it blew my vein out, the doctor said that I will never play basketball again, but a Nigerian surgeon, saved my leg. He was a miracle doctor.
From 1979 to 1997, I was homeless drifting from state to state, sleeping under bridges and shelters. In 1997 I entered the Guinness Book of World Records for push-ups in Worchester Massachusetts, the world record at that time was 37,350 in 24 hours, I completed 31,600 in 20 hours which I am listed third all time in the history of the Guinness Book of World Records.
Through the grace of Jesus Christ, I overcame homelessness, getting shot, and cocaine addiction. I overcame my cocaine addiction because of my daughter “Covina” was born in 2006. In my mind, she was an angel sent from God. Since I had a drug addiction, my brother and his wife adopted my daughter. Although I have been through all these trials in tribulations in my life, I overcame through perseverance and got my life back on track. Through the Lord I always kept my faith in him to lead the way.
Most of the guys on the basketball team were from the Big Cities, they used to pick on me and called me a “little nappy headed country boy” It pushed me even more. At the start of the 1977 Cumberland Junior College basketball season, I started as a walk-on point guard and finished third on the list in all categories in scoring, rebounding, steals, assists, and free throws. At Cumberland Junior College in 1977-1978, the University of Florida signed me. My cousin Rickey Joe Johnson, who also played at Lebanon High School at Cumberland, was signed on. Together we were unstoppable. After one year of Junior College basketball at Cumberland, I quit school. My brother Joel who had joined the Army was a big inspiration to me. He told me to join the Army. I went into the Army and it gave me more motivation. It’s true what is said about the Army, “Be all that you can be”
In the summer of 1978 we were together in a car accident, which killed my cousin Rickey Joe Johnson and left me in a coma for 15 hours. I never went to Florida. I couldn’t believe the incident at first. I felt we were on our destiny to play in the NBA, it took a lot out of me, and however, I bounced back. When I was living in California in 1987 I started using cocaine on and off for 19 years. I tried to stop many times. My life was like a roller coaster, spinning out of control. In 1993 while living in Atlanta Georgia I got shot in my left leg, it blew my vein out, the doctor said that I will never play basketball again, but a Nigerian surgeon, saved my leg. He was a miracle doctor.
From 1979 to 1997, I was homeless drifting from state to state, sleeping under bridges and shelters. In 1997 I entered the Guinness Book of World Records for push-ups in Worchester Massachusetts, the world record at that time was 37,350 in 24 hours, I completed 31,600 in 20 hours which I am listed third all time in the history of the Guinness Book of World Records.
Through the grace of Jesus Christ, I overcame homelessness, getting shot, and cocaine addiction. I overcame my cocaine addiction because of my daughter “Covina” was born in 2006. In my mind, she was an angel sent from God. Since I had a drug addiction, my brother and his wife adopted my daughter. Although I have been through all these trials in tribulations in my life, I overcame through perseverance and got my life back on track. Through the Lord I always kept my faith in him to lead the way.