Tulsa World: Destined for success: TU's Destin found a home

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Destined for success: TU's Destin found a home

John Destin turned is on track for his college degree at TU. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World

By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer
Published: 11/25/2009 1:21 PM
Last Modified: 11/25/2009 1:21 PM

John Destin’s college dreams were nearly swallowed in a Florida grocery store.

No football program wanted Destin after high school graduation. Without an athletic scholarship, college would have been virtually impossible.

After two years of sacking groceries at his hometown Winn-Dixie and an ill-fated walk-on attempt to play football at Alcorn State, Destin seemed like he's never leave Belle Glade, Fla.

After seeing so many friends “making it,” he decided to market himself. A recruiter somehow found him a spot at an Illinois junior college for one year, but that only patched his desire to play Division I football. That — more importantly — would come with a bachelor’s degree.

Destin put together a youtube video and shipped it to 119 Division I schools. The grainy video showed plays from his 2006 season at the little-known juco. Only one school offered him a scholarship — the University of Tulsa.

He will spend this Thanksgiving Day with his mother, who will watch her only son in his final college football game on Friday. Six months from now, she’ll be back on campus to see Destin pick up his bachelor’s degree in communications.

“I’m very thankful,” Destin said, emotion in his voice. “Very thankful. Not too many people I know have made it out of that situation.”

TO READ MORE ON THIS STORY, SEE THURSDAY'S TULSA WORLD By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS

Reader comments for this story have been moved to the most updated version of the story, now under the headline "TU football: Groceries to gridiron," which was published on 11/26/2009. So far, 14 comments have been made.

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