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

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.

Aubry Boyd Charitable Foundation
Donations can be made to help Boyd pay for his expenses by contacting: Aubry Boyd Charitable Foundation P.O. Box 1353, Tallahassee, Fla., 32302

"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 was 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.

And the young man Boyd collided with on the playground that fateful afternoon? They've seen each other just twice -- the last time was many years ago -- but Boyd does not harbor any ill feelings.

"When I first saw him (after incident) I wasn't sure what to say; it was one of those surreal moments that's difficult to even describe how you feel," said former Seminole teammate Byron Wells, 39, a vice-president of operations for the Preferred Managing Agency Company in Tallahassee.

"But Aubry made it easy because of who he is and his personality. He's one of those guys who will talk you into the ground."

A disability can't measure the warmth and desire of a person's heart.

Boyd can be found at most FSU basketball games behind the bench or near the tunnel that leads into the Seminoles' locker room. He's not afraid to talk smack or show off the conference title bling he won at FSU.

The Seminoles are looking to produce an encore to last year's 25-win season and NCAA tournament appearance -- their first since 1998.

"He always reminds us to appreciate life, appreciate what you have and don't take anything for granted," said FSU senior forward Ryan Reid. "He tells us to make good use of our years here, and he's not afraid to throw in his two cents about how we need to play."

Monies raised over the years have helped purchase and modify a van and a Tallahassee apartment for Boyd's special needs. Through rehabilitation, Boyd has feeling back in his right leg, and limited movement in his arms, specifically his right arm, and hands.

"Like anyone put in that chair in his situation, he wants to be able to walk once again, especially when you see the technology that has come out," said William Lester, a former basketball player from Augusta, Ga., who befriended Boyd when the two met more than 20 years ago.

"But he understands that God has done this for a reason for him and he has learned to live with his disability. Now, he's comfortable with the rest of society. When you are around him, you quickly realize he's the same ol' Aubry."

The injury stole the movement from Boyd's body.

It did not steal his spirit.

And he continues to greet each day with a simple wish:

Hoping that today is better than yesterday.