Recruit gives emotional speech on signing day
Other high school football players had made fun videos, announcing their college choices via paintball fights and skydiving, but this was a simple moment to savor. A teenager speaking from the heart, and no one telling him what to say or how long to take saying it.
A podium was set in the gymnasium at Bellflower St. John Bosco on Wednesday morning for national signing day. Students sat in the bleachers. Parents sat in chairs on the gym floor. Nine athletes sat behind a table covered with name cards letting everyone know what school they would attend. Each of the signees was invited to say a few words.
When defensive back Mykal Tolliver stepped to the podium wearing a lei around his neck — he’s headed to Hawaii — he was carrying three pages from a spiral notebook — a speech that he had spent hours working on. For more than 15 minutes, he gave an emotional talk that put into perspective what signing day really means, beyond all the shenanigans.
“I’m not usually good at talking,” he said.
Then he talked and talked and talked.
“My dream was to be standing here in front of you guys ever since I was small,” he said. “This is what I wanted to do — get a scholarship to play football. I wanted to be somebody to look up to for young kids. I worked so hard. This is a surreal feeling.
“I had so much help. So many peopled believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. So many doubted me and it motivated me every single day to be who I am. I got back up after falling so many times.”
He talked about how his father bought him his first jersey, that of quarterback Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I probably wouldn’t be here without my dad,” he said. “I’ve been a daddy’s boy since I was little. He
knows it. When my parents got divorced, I think that’s why he took me.”
Tolliver’s voice started to crack. He paused, bit his lip, looked down. Then people started clapping. As happens with many teenagers, it was then his resilience kicked in.
“A shorter speech would have been cool,” he said, jokingly.
He closed with a promise: “I told my coaches at Hawaii, once I step onto the field, I’m going to be somebody. I’m going to push myself. This is not the last time you’re all going to hear from me. I promise you that.”
As Tolliver left the podium to applause, his high school coach, Jason Negro said, “Mykal hasn’t spoken that much in 10 years.”
He saved the best for last.