Even in Wheelchair, Aubry Boyd's Spirit Still Runs Strong

Aubrey Boyd
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Tuesday's weather in Florida's state capital was Sunshine State-perfect for early November. Aubry Boyd opened his eyes and welcomed the bright, 75-degree day with a wish he has repeated for the past 14 years.

"Every day I wake up hoping it's a better day than it was yesterday," Boyd told FanHouse. "I am not complaining because I am still here. I still want to be part of life."

Paralysis and a motorized wheelchair have not stolen Boyd's genuine love for vitality and people. He still talks hoops, politics, religion and women over cold suds and wings with the fellas. He still wants to make a difference.

Boyd's smile and personality -- continued sources of pleasure and inspiration -- were on display Tuesday night when the Florida State basketball program honored one of its own.

Boyd, 40, one of the most endearing basketball players ever to suit up for the Seminoles, was left a paraplegic after breaking the fourth vertebrate in his neck during a pickup tackle football game in his hometown of Macon, Ga., on Oct. 29, 1995.

Boyd was 26 years old.

It was a game among friends. There was a fumble on the fourth play. Boyd and another player dived simultaneously for the football. They collided and bumped heads. For a moment, Boyd thought he was fine despite a tingling sensation throughout his body. The other player got up, but Boyd remained on the ground.

Unable to move.

"I still don't ask why," Boyd said.

Boyd said it just happened. One day he could walk and run, the next day a steel halo used to immobilize a neck fracture was screwed into his skull.

He was alive and forever changed. Yet, it still beats the alternative.

"When you come to grips with it and realize you have to deal with it the rest of your life, you can't be afraid," Boyd said.

At 6-foot-6, Boyd was never afraid on the court, playing three positions during his career -- point guard, shooting guard and small forward.

Boyd was one of the first recruits in head coach Pat Kennedy's signing class at FSU in 1987. He appeared in 116 games during his four-year career and helped lead the Seminoles to the NCAA Tournament three of his four seasons.

Boyd loved to shoot the trey (55-of-178 his senior season in 1991) and hunker down on defense (he held USC guard Harold Miner to 16 points on 7-of-27 from the field in the NCAA tourney).

"We played against some good cats, too," Boyd smiled.

FSU was a member of the Metro Conference during Boyd's days, and he thoroughly enjoys reminiscing. There were the tussles against "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison at Louisville, Wally Lancaster and Bimbo Coles at Virginia Tech, Clarence Weatherspoon at Southern Mississippi and Elliot Perry at Memphis.

The Seminoles could deal, too.

George McCloud was a first-round selection of the Indiana Pacers in 1989. Irving Thomas played a season with the L.A. Lakers. Charlie Ward made the game-winning shot in the Metro Conference Tournament Championship game over Louisville in 1991, and two years later led FSU's football program to its first national title and won the Heisman Trophy.

Boyd was team captain, team clown, and team rush chairman.

He was the life of any party and everyone's best friend, from the cooks at the dormitory that housed the basketball team to the students around him in class. Boyd was the player that FSU coaches designated to entertain visiting recruits. He was a role model, too, earning his bachelor's degree in child development in 1992.

Nobody wanted to leave when Boyd held court.

"Aubry's connection with people is just so unique," said Tom Carlson, a former FSU assistant coach during Boyd's career who is now a Senior Vice-President with Seminole Boosters, Inc.

That connection was evident Tuesday night, when Boyd received a warm ovation at halftime from fans who attended the Ninth Annual Aubry Boyd Charitable Foundation game at the Donald L. Tucker Center.

The Seminoles played an exhibition game against Delta State, and proceeds from the gate will be donated to the fund that helps with Boyd's living and medical expenses.

The foundation wFlorida State Sports Informationas started shortly after his accident in 1995 by Seminole supporters Bob and Mary O'Neil and is now monitored by FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton. The hope is that donations, which can be made to the Aubry Boyd Charitable Foundation, will continue to help ensure Boyd's future.

"Aubry's enthusiasm for life is something we try to teach to our players throughout their careers, " Hamilton said. "This gives us the opportunity to contribute to the quality of life of an individual who needs it."

Sure, there are days when Boyd is sad or depressed. Yet, he refuses to be a prisoner in that chair. He has a girlfriend. He watches youth and camp basketball games and would still love to coach one day. He travels to Macon, Ga., to visit his parents.