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TU football: Groceries to gridiron
Two years ago, John Destin was bagging groceries at a Florida store. Friday, he'll take the field for the final time with TU.

TU's John Destin caught the attention of Golden Hurricane coaches with a YouTube video. CORY YOUNG / Tulsa World
 
By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer
Published: 11/26/2009  2:27 AM
Last Modified: 11/27/2009  11:03 AM

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

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

After 18 months of sacking groceries at his hometown Winn-Dixie and an ill-fated walk-on attempt to play football at Alcorn State, Destin seemed headed toward a hard life of working at the local store.

After seeing so many friends "making it," he decided to market himself. He found a spot at a junior college in Illinois for one year, but that only added to his desire to play Division I football. That — more importantly — would come with an opportunity for a bachelor's degree.

Destin put together a YouTube video and sent 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 communications degree.

"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."

Life hasn't been easy for the native of Belle Glade, Fla. His father died when he was 10 years old. The son doesn't know the cause of death.

"It's still a mystery to me today," Destin said. "He's Haitian, and one day he flew back to Haiti. My uncle contacted me and said he passed away. That's the last thing I heard from him."

It's been John Destin and his mother, Bessie McKenzie, since then.

"She's had to be a strong mother figure to me and a father figure," he said, pride flowing with each word.

McKenzie is a schoolteacher and has always stayed on top of her son's schoolwork.

"She's made sure I've had good grades," Destin said. "Most parents don't ask, but every time we're on the phone, she says 'Why don't you send me those grades' or 'E-mail me your grades.' She's always on me about education."

College didn't seem possible after high school. A running back, he didn't put together jaw-dropping numbers in the talent-rich state of Florida.

"I had zero offers," Destin said. "I had 500 rushing yards and five touchdowns. That wasn't going to work.

"I decided to keep working (at Winn-Dixie). I thought maybe college isn't for me. I had first-year (high-school) coaches that weren't worried about putting players out to college."

He tried out for Alcorn State's football team, but returned home after one semester.

"I went back to the grocery store," Destin said. "It's what I knew best. I thought maybe it's not so bad. Maybe I can work here for 20 years and move up to a management position."

After two years, he decided to give college and football one final try.

"It was just seeing other people from my hometown making it," Destin said. "If they can do it, why can't I?"

After doing research and with the help of a local recruiter, he enrolled at Rock Valley (Ill.) College in fall 2006. Destin finished with 23 tackles, 10 pass deflections and five interceptions in only six games.

He also became familiar with YouTube during his time at Rock Valley. He spliced together game videos and personal workouts in an effort to link with a Division I program.

"I went to all 119 Division I schools and sent it off to everybody," Destin said. "Some were like 'Let's see what you do after one more year.' Tulsa jumped right in and offered me right away."

The tape was found by coach Jess Loepp, who brought Destin to campus.

"John showed up here out of the blue," defensive coordinator Keith Patterson said. "We brought him in and threw him to the wolves early in his career. We put him in some tough situations, some that he probably wasn't prepared for mentally or physically at the time.

"But to see his development ... he's developed into a good football player."

Destin's 2-year-old YouTube video is still online ( tulsaworld.com/destinvideo ). He will never take it down.

"It's motivation to tell anyone that, with hard work, everything can pay off," Destin said.



Eric Bailey 581-8391
eric.bailey@tulsaworld.com
By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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14 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Destined for success: TU's Destin found a home," which was published on 11/25/2009.
Report Comment
hawkdaddy, (11/25/2009 1:30:03 PM)
Great story. Only offer huh? That might explain why the secondary gets beat all the time. At any rate, I'm happy the kid made it.
Report Comment
dork74, Broken Arrow (11/25/2009 1:31:48 PM)
Congratulations! This is the type of person that our young people need to be looking up to.
Report Comment
KYCane, Crestwood (11/25/2009 1:39:22 PM)
Awesome! Well Done, Sir!
Report Comment
iflyfast, At an airport somewhere in the Tulsa area (11/25/2009 1:54:38 PM)
hawk...Destin has been one of our, if not our best DB. He leads the team in PBU and INT.
Report Comment
gigglecurv, Oak View (11/25/2009 5:31:21 PM)
Hey Hawkdaddy! Shut UP!
Report Comment
NOLA gal, (11/26/2009 7:53:34 AM)
John,

I see on campus all the time and I'm so proud of you. You have come a long way since Winn Dixie. YOu never gave up. You are a true gentleman and your mother did a wonderful job! I wish you all the luck in the future.

Paula
Report Comment
2curious, Tulsa, OK 74104 (11/26/2009 7:55:51 AM)
Very good HI subject and story, Eric. Well done.
Report Comment
zephyr, Tulsa (11/26/2009 8:23:28 AM)
Congratulations on your accomplishments, Mr. Destin, and best wishes on your graduation next year!
Report Comment
GusherBob, Shawnee Mission (11/26/2009 8:28:35 AM)
I am proud of TU for giving this deserving young man a chance. Hope he moves his mother to Tulsa and becomes a real citizen of Tulsa. Tulsa needs more like him.
Report Comment
Moses, Jenks (11/26/2009 10:22:41 AM)
What a great Thanksgiving story!
John, you are a guy young kids should look up to and admire.
You are an inspiration to everyone who reads this story.
Congratulations to you and your mother.
May your future be filled with health, wealth and happiness.
Happy Thanksgiving and God bless.
Report Comment
TUgrad76, Spring (11/26/2009 1:04:38 PM)
Congratulations to you John Destin. You are a great example of what happens if you never give up. I am very happy that you made your mark at the University of Tulsa. Keep that good attitude and you will continue to be successful in life. God bless you and your mother.
Report Comment
Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/26/2009 2:44:10 PM)
Great story.

What a fine young man. An asset to the University of Tulsa community.

Enjoy your time on campus........ I still enjoy fond memories of my time there in the early 1970s.
Report Comment
Rhymeister, International (11/26/2009 6:26:45 PM)
Nice story, perserverance pays off. OSU's Lucien Antoine also has a Haitian background, they probably got some talking to do...

Best of luck w/ everything!
Report Comment
JR, (11/27/2009 12:43:16 AM)
A DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TULSA.. PRICELESS....
 

 
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