Persevering in the face of adversity

by Vanessa Strobbe

Daily Lobo

As a child, Quincy Black defended his future by resisting gangs and drugs on the streets of Chicago.

As a teenager, he defended his dreams by enduring his parents' deaths with courage and composure.

And as a Lobo, he defended the goal line and established himself as one of the best linebackers in college football.

Despite the blows Black took in his life off the field, the leading UNM defender in 2006 dealt enough hits on the field to be selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Black is listed on the team's roster as second-string linebacker.

"I am a guy who faces adversity and perseveres," Black said. "It took a few people very close to me passing to make me realize life is precious and short and that every day should be taken advantage of. That's what I did."

Growing Up

Black was born and raised in the south side of Chicago. Along with his older brother and sister, he lived with his mother, Doris Lorraine, and grandfather, Booker Smith. His father, James Black, was a drug addict and was in and out of the family's life until he died of a drug-induced heart attack when Quincy was a high school freshman.

That's when Black turned to sports.

He was originally a basketball player and did not take up football until the Kenwood High School football coach approached him during a basketball camp because of his size. Black said he joined the football team because he liked being physical and knew it would be a good place to channel his pain.

"Football became my outlet," he said. "It took away the element of falling into negative situations. It was my coping mechanism so that I didn't focus on the bad things in my life."

Black became an all-conference honoree as a high school freshman and sophomore and an All-Public League selection as a senior. He struggled in the classroom and, as a result, was left with one scholarship offer from Hinds Community College in Mississippi.

Two weeks before Black was set to graduate, tragedy struck again.

Black's mother, whom he called his biggest fan, died of a stress-induced heart attack at the age of 44.

Rather than letting the hardships destroy him, Black used them for motivation.

"My parents' deaths inspired me to go on," he said. "They made me make sure I was achieving something in each new day."

The Steps to the Draft

After spending a short time at Hinds, Black returned to Illinois to play football at Harper College. As a freshman linebacker, he tallied 88 tackles and set a school record with 16.5 sacks en route to second-team junior college All-American honors.

It was not until that season that Black realized playing professional football was a reality for him.

"From that year on, I took the next step and set an achievable goal for myself," he said. "I was going to play pro football, and every decision I made from then on revolved around that goal."

Black earned an associate's degree in three semesters, finishing in the spring of 2004. At the same time, UNM defensive coordinator Osia Lewis was recruiting in the Chicago area.

After talking to the Harper coach and watching game film, the Lobos signed Black as a linebacker.

"New Mexico became the best situation for me at that point, so I went with it," Black said. "The Lobos gave me the opportunity to show a lot of different things that I can do."

As a college sophomore, Black played every game in special teams and as first backup linebacker, notching 18 tackles and one forced fumble. His junior year, he played in all 11 games, starting in 10 and racking up 63 stops.

That October, Black's grandfather who helped raise him died.

But again, Black persevered.

As a senior, he finished first in the Mountain West Conference with 94 tackles and was ranked 20th nationally with 9.4 tackles per game.

In the postseason, Black excelled at the East vs. West All-Star game in January and was the lone Lobo invited to the NFL combine, where he posted the best vertical leap of all athletes there and ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash.

"Quincy's performance at the combine certainly raised his draft stock," UNM head football coach Rocky Long said. "He reinforced everything he had worked hard for up to that point."

No Big Surprises

On April 29, the first day of the NFL draft, Black sat as a spectator with his family in Chicago. Though many expected that Black would not go until the later rounds of the second day, he knew Saturday was the day he would get the call.

"I have set goals that I can achieve, and along with those goals comes certain things that you expect," Black said. "I try not to get caught off guard by anything in my life, so I expected a call on that day, and it came."

With the fourth pick of the third round, 68th overall, the 6-foot-2-inch, 235-pound linebacker was selected by the Tampa Bay

Buccaneers.

And with that selection, all of Black's hard work was solidified, and his perseverance through his family members' deaths had

paid off.

"I believe that (my father, mother and grandfather) were watching, and I think they were proud," Black said. "I am carrying on their name in a life that I know would make them proud."

Giving Back

Black is going through Tampa Bay's mini-camps for now, and while he has set some high goals, not all of them are for everyone to know - at least until they are achieved.

"I have many more goals to achieve, but for now, I keep them to myself," he said. "You don't want to be seen by people as someone who makes lofty expectations. And if I keep things to myself, then people don't know what I want to do - and when I do it, they'll be surprised."

One thing Black does not keep secret is that he is going to reach out to the younger kids who grow up in similar situations of temptation and hardship. He's already been back to Chicago to talk to students at high schools about choosing a goal, whether it be in sports or in school, and keeping to it.

"It's about being there for kids, being real because they can see through the bull," Black said. "They need to know things for real. They need to know that you need to set a goal, want it for yourself and earn your keep to achieve it. They can - I did."