Cory J. Boyd (born August 6, 1985) is a former

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

. He was drafted by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

in the 7th round of the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27 ...

. He played college football at

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

Early years

Boyd played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

and basketball at Orange High School, earning him a football scholarship to the University of South Carolina.

College career

Boyd played for legendary coaches

Lou Holtz Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is an American former football player, coach, and analyst. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the New York ...

and

Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his ...

while at South Carolina. He finished ranked 10th all time in Gamecocks rushing with 2,267 total yards and 9th all time in yards receiving with 1,283 total yards. Boyd finished with 28 touchdowns in his 4 seasons with the Gamecocks. He played in the 2007 East-West Shrine Game.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Boyd was drafted by the

in the 7th round (238rd overall) of the

. He injured his knee during a rookie mini-camp and was placed on injured reserve for the 2008 season. Boyd was released by Tampa Bay on October 17, 2008.

Denver Broncos

Boyd was signed to the practice squad of the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

on November 4, 2008 after

P. J. Pope William Leroy "P. J." Pope, Jr. (born February 26, 1984) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Bowling Green. Pope has also played for the ...

was promoted to the active roster. Boyd was promoted to the active roster on December 9 when fullback

Peyton Hillis Peyton Derek Hillis (born January 21, 1986) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). Hillis attended Conway High School in Conway, Arkansas and was a highly touted recruit. Hillis attended the ...

was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. The Broncos waived Boyd six days later and re-signed him to the practice squad. He was then put back onto the active roster for Week 17 of the 2008 season following the season-ending injuries to

Selvin Young Selvin Young (born October 1, 1983) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Texas. Early years A three-year starter at Jersey Village ...

and P.J. Pope. The Broncos waived Boyd on March 31, 2009.

Toronto Argonauts

Boyd signed as a free agent with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...

on March 12, 2010 and was extended with Toronto on March 21, 2011. In his first year in the CFL, he rushed for 1,359 yards and had 363 yards receiving in spite of missing several games due to injuries. Boyd received several post-season honors including being named the CFL's toughest player, the Argonauts' most outstanding player and was also nominated to the CFL East All-Star Team. For 2011, Boyd rushed for 1,141 yards and had 118 yards receiving having missed multiple games due to injuries. Once again, Boyd was named a RB for the CFL East All-Star Team. Boyd was released by the Toronto Argonauts on August 12, 2012. At the time of his release, Boyd led the CFL in rushing.

Edmonton Eskimos

Hours after his release from Toronto, Boyd joined the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Comm ...

. On October 11, 2012, Cory Boyd was released by the

Eskimos Eskimo () is an exonym used to refer to two closely related Indigenous peoples: the Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Greenlandic Inuit, and the Canadian Inuit) and the Yupik (or Yuit) of eastern Siberia and Alaska. A related t ...

. Boyd saw limited playing time (76 yards through 8 games) as the Eskimos backfield became very crowded with Hugh Charles and

Jerome Messam Jerome Messam (born April 2, 1985) is a former professional Canadian football running back. He most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by ...

. He was re-signed on October 21 after an injury to Hugh Charles.

Post retirement

Boyd now coaches football at South Carolina Faith Athletics & Music College in Charleston Sc.

References

External links

Just Sports StatsEdmonton Eskimos bioToronto Argonauts bioDenver Broncos bioTampa Bay Buccaneers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Cory 1985 births Living people African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football American football running backs Canadian football running backs Denver Broncos players Edmonton Elks players Orange High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Orange, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey South Carolina Gamecocks football players Sportspeople from Essex County, New Jersey Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Toronto Argonauts players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people