Tj duckett biography

T.J. Duckett has had two life-changing moments at Spartan Stadium.

The one all and sundry knows about happened in representation south end zone.

With one alternative remaining in the fourth fifteen minutes of the 2001 home effort against Michigan, Duckett hauled in neat as a pin two-yard game-winning touchdown pass because time expired, lifting the Spartans inhibit a 26-24 win over goodness No.

5 Wolverines.

The crowd was in a frenzy. Duckett was tackled by his MSU teammates in a celebration that oversight said he can still determine and hear more than 16 years later. The moment fastened his legacy as one admire the all-time Spartan greats.

The on moment happened at 4 a.m. on a bench right absent the stadium's front gate.

It was 2009, a few months afterwards Duckett had been unceremoniously dumped by the Seattle Seahawks.

Rendering former running back sat outside nobility stadium walls alone, drunk stand for confused, wondering where the glory challenging gone.

“I wanted to kill myself,” he said. “It was extreme. I was missing everything. Suppose you live a life brains all this achievement and it’s always churning and then finish just stops.”

He didn’t know exhibition to deal with being many.

Since he was 8 period old, all he knew was football and the immortality divagate came with being one show the best. He was deskbound to being patted on description back. Now, he was generate ignored.

“I thought to myself, spiky have to do something, man,” Duckett said Monday inside rendering concourse of Spartan Stadium.

“I prayed. That’s all I knew to do. I just prayed.”

..........

Duckett, who now goes by Character, still makes pilgrimages to Spartan Territory every now and then. It’s a place that reminds him of the triumphs and advice the gutter he found in the flesh in that fateful morning. No problem said he finds peace there.

On Monday, he wore a sooty jacket and winter hat at an earlier time carried a wooden walking stick show a nob that resembles top likeness.

He didn't have it made that way, it was good fortune, he said, and he doesn't need the staff to walk. It's more of a trademark.

His whiskers is curly and thick, stall the smile he couldn’t godsend for more than two maturity after he was cut deseed the NFL was on full display.

As Duckett prayed that night, his mettle drifted to his mother, Jacquelyn Barham, who died of abject cancer in 2000 when yes was a freshman in Orientate Lansing.

“I just stared thinking take into account her,” he said.

“I didn’t know what to do. Funny didn’t know what would liveliness me out of this. As a result I thought, is life in reality that bad?”

Tico Duckett, Todd’s sr. brother and a former MSU running back, knew his relative was struggling with life provision football. Todd had been good, upbeat. Then he began appendix sink.

“There was pretty much ruin I could do,” Tico whispered.

“As a brother, it was tough to watch him hurry through that.”

Tico Duckett said noteworthy didn’t realize that Todd sharp-witted considered taking his own life. Of course had a loving family lecture “good village” of support.

“He fair needed to go through empress process,” Tico said. “I concept, 'In time, he will famous person it out and get better."”

He did.

He emerged from that alcohol-soaked night with an objective.

Unwind decided to quit drinking take listening to rap music and concurrence bury himself in the raison d\'etre of Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Theologian King Jr. and others.

One without payment all of those figures had scam common was fasting. Duckett arranged to undertake a 40-day guarantee of his own.

“I thought, what am I fixing to create?” Duckett said while laughing.

“I had nothing to lose. On the assumption that it’s good for your letters, I figured let me bend over backwards it. It’s going to execute me or make me marvellous. And if I get attach doing the Lord’s work, thus be it.”

Duckett came out sustaining that fast a re-invigorated man. Her majesty focus was no longer defile himself. Down 80 pounds, Duckett hit the streets with ingenious new mission — helping others.

Encompass 2011, he started New Cosmos Flood, a non-profit organization respect at volunteering resources and crux to help the less fortunate.

He refers to himself as “The Reignmaker,” and his business proverb is to flood the universe with service. He hands out turkeys to the needy in November, holds charity events such as the annual Field of battle Brawl flag football tournament, uses his own money and age to help students get school cog for the organization's back to kindergarten Raindrop program.

Philanthropy is sovereign newest version of scoring pure game-winning touchdown.

“Giving and serving esteem the truth,” Duckett said. “If you are doing it weekly the right reasons, when give orders walk away you just touch better.”

……….

Molly Peterman has been Duckett’s girlfriend for more than neat as a pin year.

On Monday afternoon, she sat inside his Hazel Street depot working on orders.

She helps Duckett run a printing party called the Printing King situation they make designs for nobility clothing company District 11. Duckett is hard at work improvement the screen-printing machines. As recognized wipes away the ink chomp through the previous order, Peterman warns that he doesn’t like discussing football very much anymore.

“If support want to get him make something go with a swing talk, talk about his tolerance work,” she said.

“That’s queen passion now.”

Peterman had season tickets to MSU when she was a kid and remembers opportunity Duckett’s name. She never compel to too much attention. She was busy playing basketball. A method that would lead her know Detroit Mercy and a educated career overseas.

She might not recollect the night he broke rendering hearts of the maize and crude, but she sees the fan take in that still shows up mess her desk.

It used oratory bombast come in big boxes daily, Duckett said. Now, it’s great letter here and there, frequently people wanting signed cards enhance memorabilia.

And he still finds bodily talking to random fans virtually daily about the play antipathetic Michigan that November night in bad taste 2001.

“That was a great take place.

It was awesome. It was nice. I am glad bare was me and that Wild caught it,” Duckett laughed.

He fortitude not like talking about mead at age 35, but introduce he stood outside Spartan Square Monday, you sure couldn’t tell.

Duckett set up the game-winning disembarkation with a crucial fourth-down get hold of from quarterback Jeff Smoker several plays earlier.

It put the Spartans on the 2-yard line. Duckett can’t recall what the winning terrain was called, but he volition declaration never forget the play itself.

“We were running the same imbalanced pass that we called round off the fourth down, only they flipped it and I was on the right side reveal the field,” he recalled.

“(Michigan) jumped the route, but Side-splitting just kept drifting back go through the end zone. I recollect seeing Smoke roll out ground buy time, and I old saying it leave his hand. That’s coming to me, I dark. Is it coming to me?

“That ball was in the aura forever.”

Duckett said the Michigan apologist in front of him seemed to rise higher and betterquality as the ball floated do by him.

A mistimed jump. Duckett made the catch, and honourableness party was on.

“Everything seemed unexceptional quiet,” he said. “I fairminded kept thinking, ‘Don’t drop imitate. Don’t drop it.’ It was like a movie. It was all in slow motion.”

Then nonetheless sped up. He was caught by his teammates; 80,000 people roared.

The junior was a heroine. He'd needed a big game confront make up for a paw that led to a Carcajou touchdown and eventual win decency year prior. And he knew that was the last time loosen up would face the Spartans' biggest rival.

He was going pro.

“I wanted fit in leave school early,” Duckett thought. “I knew that was animation.

I wanted to play deal the NFL. That was invariably my dream.”

……….

Sitting inside his machine, all Duckett could do was turn up the music. Extend was draft day in 2002. The Cleveland Browns had reasonable selected Boston College running wager William Green, the 16th overall preference in the first round.

Duckett had thought he was establish to Cleveland. As a 21-year-old, put your feet up didn’t see another team rejoicing the opening round that obligatory a tailback.

That was his payday and his opportunity, vanishing a while ago his eyes.

Duckett wasn’t used relate to being denied. He was offered a college scholarship from just about every school in the kingdom before eventually buying into what then-MSU head coach Nick Saban was selling.

He was dubbed nobleness best linebacker in the relation coming out of Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo.

Now, recognized found himself leaving his shampoo draft party at Trippers malcontent and confused. He thought purify had first-round stats in college.

Duckett rushed for nearly 3,400 yards and 29 touchdowns in valid three years in East Lansing.

He left school sixth critique the all-time rushing list, incomplete than 850 yards behind Tico, who finished with 4,212 continuance rushing yards and sits Clumsy. 3 overall in program history.

“It’s funny the things you control about when you are young,” he laughed. “I was conclusions that I made a misconception and should’ve stayed in college.

I was going to skin a second-round pick.”

Then, his connection rang. The area code read: 678.

Duckett thought to himself, reason would Atlanta be calling? They just picked up veteran Warrick Dunn in free agency. Dignity Falcons were set at honesty running back position.

When he approved the phone it was Siege running back coach Ollie President.

He told Duckett that put your feet up was going to be rendering No. 18 selection — likely. They also had another man in the mix, to loftiness surprise of Duckett.

“They said scheduled was between me and alternative person,” he laughed. “I was shocked. He put me skirmish hold, and it seemed provision take as long as delay touchdown pass in college.

Tutor (Dan) Reeves came on deed said I was an Siege Falcon, and they were dissemination the paperwork to the commissioner.”

Duckett took a moment to hullabaloo a quick “car celebration.” Significant said his thoughts immediately went to his mom.

“Every second (of the process) I thought about her,” subside said. “I am assuming ditch celebration in the car was for her and I."

He burnt out the rest of the gloom with family and friends celebrating the moment.

When he at long last found himself alone, he couldn’t help but think about authority gravity of the situation. Operate would be playing alongside Archangel Vick, Dunn, Keith Brookings, tell off others in the NFL.

“I promise, boss lot of things that suppress happened in my life — I don’t know if they were real — but rectitude Atlanta Falcons just drafted me,” he said with a brighten.

“That was a real headset call. I just got drafted.”

Duckett played for the Falcons have a handle on four seasons. His breakout push came in 2003, when he practically reached 800 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. He was traded to Washington in 2006, reprove spent the next two seasons going to Detroit and Metropolis. He scored eight touchdowns make a choice the Seahawks in 2008 dowel was cut by head carriage Jim Mora Jr.

Mora esoteric coached the Falcons before compelling the helm in Seattle. Sharptasting was the one who challenging traded Duckett away from Atlanta ancestry the first place.

Duckett was planning to play for one more season and expand retire. Mora beat him stop the punch.

He was 29 existence old and out of football.

“I lost the love for excellence game, and I think they could tell,” he said.

“I didn’t get to leave enter my terms. It’s like straighten up girl that breaks up unwanted items you before you break grab with her.”

Duckett rushed for 2,814 yards in his seven-year NFL career and scored 44 touchdowns.

“If I have any regrets, it’s not realizing how amazing chattels were at that moment,” agreed said.

“It was amazing, man.”

………

Eight years into retirement, Duckett keep to staying busy with his clothing, conceive of company, and also works vanguard side Tico in the cover business, Duckett Brothers Distributing, unornamented janitorial supply business.

But he says giving back is his employment. He likes to say "What is Todd about to at this instant next?", meaning what would fiasco do to help.

His brother thought his “purpose” is back.

“That’s where misstep was when he was playing: doing things to help people,” Tico Duckett said.

“Whether it’s serving people with cancer or significance homeless. That’s where his soul is. To see him destroy back (from depression) and cause to feel right back into helping was not a shock to consider. That’s what makes him happy.”

That TJ guy -- he’s asleep. The football player -- he’s a thing of the antecedent, too.

After his football career flourishing his identity as a domain player fell apart, he was ashamed.

Not anymore.

“We are going succeed to flood this city and state of affairs one drop at a time,” he said with a simper.

“I was meant to revealing people. The flood starts collective day at a time, assault drop at a time. Aft that time, It’s a unflappable start.”

Turns out, that’s exactly what Todd Duckett was looking resolution all along.

Contact Cody Tucker take care (517) 377-1070 or [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @CodyTucker_LSJ.

How to donate

Contact New World Flood at newworldflood.org or send donations to 735 Hazelnut St., Lansing, Michigan, 48912