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He didn't know she was dead:' The inspiring story of Arizona football signee Troy Young
By Ben Thomas
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." – Jeremiah 29:11
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On one of the biggest days of Troy Young's life, someone important was missing.
When Young, a senior at Mobile Christian, signed a national letter-of-intent on Feb. 1 to play college football at the University of Arizona, it was a dream come true -- with one exception.
"At all the big moments in my life, I want my mom there," he said.
"But I know she can't be."
Valencia Young was gunned down in front of Troy and little brother Dylon Adams when Young was just 7. It was Troy who called 911 and who held his mom until authorities arrived. She died that day at the age of 27.
Despite that horrible situation, Troy Young's story is one of triumph and of perseverance. Through the love and support of his grandmother and aunt and with some help from Mike Gottfried's Team Focus organization, Young became one of the best high school football players in the talent-rich Mobile area.
He led the Leopards to the Class 3A state championship game in December.
He was one of three finalists for that classification's Back of the Year Award.
"I admire Troy a great deal," Mobile Christian coach Ronnie Cottrell said. "Most people who have had to deal with situations like that would become bitter or maybe even give up. He never did. He's very inspired, very goal-oriented. He's a great football player but an even better person. He is strong beyond his years. His mom is smiling I'm sure."
The day life changed forever
Troy Young said he has never known his real father.
"I don't know who he is. I don't know his name. I don't know what he looks like," Young said. "My mom and grandmother always were my father figures when I was little. I really never had another. It was just us and my little brother."
On July 16, 2006, everything changed.
Troy remembers an afternoon argument between his stepfather and one of his mother's former boyfriends.
Those two men eventually left the house. However, later that night, the former boyfriend returned.
Troy Young watch his mom murdered in front of him when he was just 7, but his perseverance and athletic ability led to a Division I scholarship with Arizona.(Mike Kittrell)
"My mom, my brother and I were just in bed watching TV and having a conversation," he said. "He came in. I'm not sure how he got in the house. My mom got up to give him a hug. He had a gun under a bandanna in his hand. My mom didn't see it. She went in front of the bed. He went bananas and started shooting her. He just looked at my brother and I and left."
Jarrod Keith Brown was arrested the next morning and charged with murder.
Though he was young at the time, Troy remembers several agonizing details about that Sunday night.
"My mom was on the floor bleeding," he said. "I didn't know what to do. My grandmother and I always had practiced calling 911 so that is what I did. My mind kind of went blank after that."
Tabitha Jones (now Tabitha Beaman), Valencia Young's sister, told the Mobile Press-Register in the days following the shooting that, after calling 911, Troy rushed back to his mother and held her until paramedics and police arrived.
"He didn't know she was dead," Jones said at the time.
Troy and Dylon – then only 2 -- went to their grandmother's house that night.
"The next morning I thought it was all a bad dream," he said. "But I turned on the TV, and it was on the news so I knew it was real. We have been with my grandmother (Yolanda Young) ever since."
Brown eventually pleaded guilty to the murder, according to a Press-Register report. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 13, 2008. According to then-Assistant District Attorney Joe Beth Murphree, Brown shot Young five times inside the family's Toulminville home.
His guilty plea likely spared Troy from having to testify as a key witness.
Growing up fast
Through it all, Yolanda Young proved to be the stabilizing force in Troy and Dylon's lives.
"My grandmother was just always there," Troy said. "She has kept us in the right places. We've always gone to Sunday School and church. I always have known right from wrong. If I did something wrong, my grandmother would lecture me for an hour. I used to hate that more than getting a whipping."
Beaman also has been there along the way for Troy and Dylon.
"My Auntie has always called us and checked on us," Troy said. "When I need something, she is there. She called me when I was on college (official) visits and would tell me how proud she was of me. That meant a lot. I look at her like I look at my mom. My family is really close. If it wasn't for them, I don't know where I would be right now."
Another factor in Troy and Dylon's development since the death of their mother has been the Team Focus organization. Gottfried, the group's founder, estimates that 5,000 young men have been through the program nationwide. Team Focus' vision is to provide role models and positive influences that will bridge the father gap for teens who are without that natural male leader in their lives.
Troy said he was in middle school at Clark-Shaw when a counselor asked him if he had heard of Team Focus.
The first representative he talked to was former LSU football player and current Murphy assistant coach Muskingum Barnes.
"I remember that very well," Barnes said. "Troy was a shy kid, not real talkative. I remember asking him what he wanted to do when he grew up. At that time, I don't think he knew. I spoke to him about staying on top of his grades and told him that if he wanted to follow a career in sports then he could do it. As that whole process began, you could really start to see Troy come out of his shell."
Young said recently that Team Focus has been instrumental in his maturation.
Troy Young stiff arms a defender during the Class 3A championship game against Piedmont.(JULIE BENNETT)
"It made a lot of difference really," he said. "It gave me guys I could look up to and talk to when I needed guidance. Where I live I have seen so many people make mistakes and I can see where they are now because of it. Team Focus gave me good men to be around, people to look up to. Coach (Tommy) Wasden and coach Cottrell have both provided the same. They take care of me. I feel like all of that and the love of all of those people has made me what I am today."
Young went from Clark-Shaw to Denton and, in seventh grade, enrolled in Mobile Christian. Troy's grandmother and Team Focus had a lot to do with that decision.
"His grandmother brought him in and really wanted Troy to have a Christian education," said Wasden, Mobile Christian's president. "That was very important to her. At that time, I think everyone's sole focus was helping a young man – two young men with Dylon – that had been dealt a rough situation. We felt like even then that Troy and Dylon were good young men and that certainly has proven to be the case many times over."
As Troy, now 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, continued to grow and his athletic ability became more evident, he had a chance to transfer to bigger schools in Mobile where he might receive more recognition.
"His grandmother wouldn't hear of that," Wasden joked.
Gottfried said he also advised Troy and his grandmother on the matter.
"Ms. Young called me and said, 'Listen, these people are saying that Troy is at a small school and the colleges won't find him.' he said. "I just told her that I've been in coaching all my life – much of it in college – and the one thing I have found out is that if you are good, colleges will find you. And they certainly did in Troy's case.
"Many schools from all over the country came in. I think that is a tribute to him digging into his academics and being the best student he could be and applying himself on the football field. He has really blossomed."
Athletic excellence
Young has been a standout on offense and defense during his time at Mobile Christian.
As a junior, he rushed for 1,440 yards and 21 touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 236 yards and three more scores. He helped the Leopards to a 10-2 record and a Class 2A second-round playoff berth.
As a senior, Young rushed for 1,149 yards and 15 touchdowns. On defense – where he is expected to play at Arizona – he had 81 tackles and three interceptions. He helped Mobile Christian to a 13-2 record and its first AHSAA Class 3A championship game. The Leopards lost to two-time champion Piedmont.
Young was a first-team Class 3A All-State and AL.com Coastal Alabama All-Region selection.
"Troy obviously is an amazing athlete," Wasden said. "But I think what makes Troy special is that he is willing to listen, willing to learn and willing to work. I think that is his key to success on the football field, in school and in his personal life in general."
Cottrell said, without a doubt, Young is "the most respected guy in our football program."
The future is now
Gottfried was right. The colleges did find Young. He committed to Arizona last July. Several Alabama schools, including UAB and South Alabama, made a push late in the recruiting process, but Young stuck with the Wildcats and signed on Feb. 1.
He will play safety for Rich Rodriguez's Wildcats. He is scheduled to leave in early June.
The distance from Mobile to Arizona did give him some pause – enough so that he sat Dylon down to talk to him about the move.
Mobile Christian coach Ronnie Cottrell talks things over with Troy Young during a practice session.(Mike Kittrell)
"When I committed and was about to sign, I sat down with Dylon and told him that I was going to be moving across the country," Young said. "I told him he had to grow up and be the man of the house. He said he could do it. Then I went to my grandmother's room and asked if she could really handle it if I went to school that far away. She said she could. She told me she loves me and is proud of me."
Gottfried said the good news for Young is that this is not the end of his story.
"In fact, it is really just the beginning," he said. "Troy has an opportunity to do something special in Arizona and beyond because of the type of talent he has and the man he has become. If you have a goal and you have a vision, you can obtain it."
Wasden not only is Mobile Christian's president but also has coached Young on the football field throughout his high school career.
"I couldn't be more proud of the respect that he shows, the young man he is and the way I feel like he will represent himself, his family and Mobile Christian moving forward," he said.
For Troy, his motivation to succeed continues to be evident 11 years following his mother's death.
"I think about it every day. I think about her every day," he said. "Her memory motivates me ... in practice, game days, walkthroughs. Any time I am struggling and I feel like I can't make this rep or can't make that play, I think about my mom. I think about what she went through.
"Honestly, it still hurts. I am sure it always will. I love giving my grandmother my awards and my trophies, but I always wanted my mom to be sitting right next to her. But I know she would want me to play ball the way I can and, more importantly, to be a good man. I don't plan on letting her down."
Read Young's Inspiring story here CLICK HERE (http://highschoolsports.al.com/news/article/9071971917338862793/he-didnt-know-she-was-dead-the-inspiring-story-of-arizona-football-signee-troy-young/)
That is certainly inspiring! That young man may be better than most people realize before it is over. I wish him the best in life and on the field.
Great post