The Boyk Brief
Go into chambers with attorneys Chuck Boyk, Mike Bruno, Zac Shaffer, and the attorneys of Charles Boyk Law Offices on The Boyk Brief, as we talk with interesting personalities from the legal world, celebrities, experts, business & community leaders, and other engaging people about a variety of topics.
The Boyk Brief
Terry Crosby: Athlete, Activist, Angler
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In this episode, Chuck Boyk and Boyk Law Attorney Wes Merillat sit down with Toledo athletic legend Terry Crosby. Terry shares stories about his phenomenal career as a high school football and basketball star in the 1970s. Terry then talks about his international professional basketball career, and how he’s so happy to be back in Toledo! Chuck and Wes also chat with Terry about his current work as an outreach community ambassador for the Taylor Automotive Group and Terry’s involvement with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night virtual event on Sunday, October 11.
Welcome to the Boick Brief. I'm Desmond Strue, Marketing Director at the Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, located in Toledo, Ohio. The Boick Brief invites you to go into chambers with the attorneys of Boyk Law as we explore real legal cases, talk to fascinating people in our area, raise awareness about community initiatives, and share helpful information about protecting yourself and those you love. In this episode, Chuck Boick and Boick Law attorney Wes Merrillat sit down with Toledo athletic legend Terry Crosby. Terry shares stories about his phenomenal career as a high school football and basketball star in the 1970s. Terry then talks about his international professional basketball career and how he's so happy to be back in Toledo. Chuck and Wes also chat with Terry about his current work as an outreach community ambassador for the Taylor Automotive Group and Terry's involvement with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night event coming up on October 11th. All of this coming up on the Boyk Brief.
SPEAKER_03Hi, this is Chuck Boyk, and I have with me today Wes Marillot, and we have the opportunity today to interview the greatest two-sport athlete in the history of the City of Toledo, Terry Crosby. Terry Crosby was a football superstar and basketball star in the 1970s at DeVelbus High School. He was a first-team big school All-State player in football and basketball, his junior and senior year, first team All-St in football, and holds records that have never been broken. And his career continued on to the University of Tennessee, the NBA, playing basketball in Great Britain, and he's made his way home again as a local representative for Taylor Automotive and a community activist, and we're going to hear about his story today. Terry, thank you for being here.
SPEAKER_02Hey Chuck and Gang, thank you very much for having me. I really appreciate what it what a great honor to be here with you.
SPEAKER_03So, Terry, there's all sorts of things we can talk about. For the people that don't know about your background, why don't you tell us about um the 1970s, the sports climate in Toledo, and your successes and some of your competitors back in the 70s?
SPEAKER_02Well, first of all, I'm born, bred, water, and fed from right here at Toledo, Ohio. I'm proud to say that throughout my travels. I first started off being very competitive around the 1970s. I played football and basketball in Nathan L for West Toledo Athletic Association, and it just kind of stemmed from there. So I'm originally from here. Went on to have a great uh two-sport career at De Rovers High School and both basketball and football. Enjoyed that tremendously, had some great teammates. Without my teammates, I wouldn't have been as successful as I was at that time. Got four scholarships to 150 D1 colleges for both football and basketball, and decided to go to the University of Tennessee, where I had a great career. Played four years there with the great Bernard King, Ernie Grunfield, Mike Jackson, Johnny Darden, and a host of other players. So had a terrific career there. Ended up getting drafted uh in the third round by the Kansas City Kings. Played four games for the Kings before, unfortunately, I got released from the team. Uh worked a little while here back at Fermi 2 up in Michigan. I was a quality control inspector, uh believe it or not. And uh got a call from Craig Lynch, who was my first coach over in Great Britain. Called me up, said Crosby, what are you doing? And I was like, Well, I'm just working right now. I want you to come over here and play for me in Great Britain. So one of the first things I said at the time was, England, that's where they have horses and buggies. Do they have cars over there? And he just kind of laughed. He kind of laughed out loud about it.
SPEAKER_03So how many years did you spend in Great Britain, Terry?
SPEAKER_02I played basketball in Great Britain from ninth, well, I was in Europe for 17 years in four different countries. So uh I spent about 11 of my years in Great Britain, um, where I have two kids over there now, a son and a daughter, and Manchester, England. And my other travels included Florence, Italy, uh VC, France, and Geneva, Switzerland.
SPEAKER_03So one of your claims to fame was the 1974 shoe ball, the city championship game. I wrote down you rushed as a running back for 328 yards, you had three touchdown runs of five, sixty-three, and ninety yards, and then you played a little bit on defense too, you had three interceptions, and there's a rumor that you sold popcorn during halftime.
SPEAKER_02Don't forget the hot dogs, Chuck.
SPEAKER_03And um wasn't Tom Cole on the other side of that, at least as a coach.
SPEAKER_02Well, I actually work with Tom now, and uh he he doesn't often like for me to bring this up, but you're absolutely correct, Chuck. Yeah, that was just one of those games where it just can't be taught, you know, as my last official competitive uh high school football game or football game, period. And I wanted to really make a mark because I knew most likely I would never play again. So that was my last opportunity to put on a DeVovis High School football jersey, alone with my great teammates. It wasn't just about me, it was about the team effort, and we uh we ended up winning two back-to-back Su Bowls.
SPEAKER_03And then my understanding is six days later, you played Scott and you scored 38 points in basketball.
SPEAKER_02I did, and I I often say to my nemesis, Truman Clater, the great Truman Clater, who went on to play for the Kentucky Wildcats, won a national championship in 1978. I often um reflect back to that game, and I say to Truman and the the rest of the Scott Board Offs, hey, I just broke records in football and came back five days later and dropped 38 on the Scott Boards at Scott. Truman says to me, because you know he had 40, he said, You needed two more, T.
SPEAKER_03So I know uh you had a tough decision picking between football and basketball. Now, my understanding is uh Michigan wanted you, Woody Hayes wanted you. Correct. Basically, everybody wanted you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, uh I have several offers, like I said at the beginning uh of of this interview. I had at least uh, and this is no estimation, 150 offers from D1 colleges for for both football and basketball. Uh Johnny Orr was after me, University of Michigan, Bowsen Blecker for football, Woody Hayes uh at Ohio State wanted me. Well promised that I would start as a free uh free safety my freshman year. Uh Ralph Readout from the uh USC, Jerry Tarkinian from UNLV. Uh I had an article that somehow I got leaked out um that UCLA with the great coats Wooden, John Wooden? Yeah, the great John Wooden. You know, he wrote me a letter and wanted me to go out there and visit them. So it was very confusing at the time for 18-year-old high school senior.
SPEAKER_01So um, do you have any regrets or second thoughts?
SPEAKER_02You know what? A lot of people uh ask me that, and I'll have to be uh honest with everyone when they say you should have played football or you know you chose the right sport. I don't have any regrets, but if I had to do it all over again, I would probably play football because I feel like there would have been more opportunity, bigger opportunity for me to make it and stay at the next level.
SPEAKER_01If you would have played football, who where would you have gone? Uh most likely Ohio State with Woody Hayes and played free safety.
SPEAKER_02Although I have Bill Jacob from St. Francis. Me and him often have debates, and um, he often says to me that I wouldn't have played free safety at Ohio State. I would have played linebacker, outside linebacker. I don't really get that one, but there you are.
SPEAKER_04So how how close of a decision was it for you? I mean, what were you going through? Basketball, football, was it was it at that time kind of a clearly basketball for you?
SPEAKER_02Well, basketball has always been my favorite sport. And at that time, I was wise enough to know that uh competing and excelling in high school football is different than competition at the college level. So each and every level that you go up, it gets harder and harder because you go to Ohio State to play football, everybody's all-American. Or basketball for that matter. So basketball has always been my favorite sport. So I chose to play that. And I'm I'm still in pretty good shape right now, you know, in my latter years. Some football players are completely beat up right now. I know my teammate at DeVovers, Jerry Blatt, and he played for many years at Kansas City Chiefs, and he's had like two rotator cup operations. So I realize the scale of competitiveness at the next level. So basketball was all my always my first choice.
SPEAKER_03So, Terry, let's talk about what you're currently doing and your involvement with Taylor. Taylor Automotive is one of the best examples of leadership in the community and public service. And why don't you talk about what your role is?
SPEAKER_02Well, my title is Outreach Community Ambassador, which entails bridging those gaps and building those relationships up with uh different entities in the community. Mr. Taylor and Steve and the entire Taylor Alamoto family, they give so much to so many people. It's it's unbelievable. So we support a lot of businesses through uh funding or building those partnerships. Uh, and it's just a wonderful opportunity for me after all that I've done in life, all the places I've been to actually come back and be able to give back to my own community. So I'm really, I'm really excited about that.
SPEAKER_03Now, my understanding is that you and Tom Cole have a uh leadership role in the um leukemia um fundraising situation. Why don't you tell our listeners about that?
SPEAKER_02We were absolutely honored to be selected to to co-chair or co-host this year's Light Tonight event, which is scheduled for October 11th. Uh, myself and uh Mr. Tom Cole, we were approached as representatives of Taylor Automotive family uh to co-host the event. We're really excited about it. We're having a corporate cruitment event.
SPEAKER_03And and when is that and uh how can our listeners get involved?
SPEAKER_02Okay, you could simply go uh to my Facebook page. I have a link that gives you uh um a lot of insight information. And also, um as as co-hosts, we're looking for uh support from donors, we're looking for support from sponsors. So if you go to Terry Crosby's or Tom Cole Facebook page, you can go on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Facebook page or on their website. The link is also there. So this is gonna be a huge event. We're really excited about it, but part of part of my job is to uh raise awareness. And so I'm pretty much speaking about that almost every day because as representatives of Taylor Automotive family, uh we're we're really ecstatic that we've been chosen uh to co-host this year's event.
SPEAKER_03One of the big issues in the news is um the Black Lives Matter movement, and I think you have a unique perspective. You grew up in Toledo, you went down south in Tennessee, and then you spent a large number of years in Great Britain, and I think most people really don't know about racial relations in other countries. Why don't you talk about where did you as a a black man feel the safest? In Toledo, in Tennessee, or in Great Britain?
SPEAKER_02That is a good question, Mr. Boy, but hey, I have a uh I have a truthful answer for that. In all honesty, I really feel like the diversity and the culture and the atmosphere and the environment that I experienced at DeVoe's High School really opened my eyes to how to conduct myself, how to accept other cultures, how to be sensitive to other cultures. So I don't really think it started for me at Tennessee or it started for me in Europe. I think it actually started at DeVoba's High School. We had a great time, very diverse school. We all got along. We were a complete family. We didn't see color, it didn't matter, you know. If you were, excuse my language, but if you were a jerk, you was a jerk. No matter what color of your skin, you know, red, white, blue, purple, whatever. And so, Chuck, it really, it really began for me uh in my early years of Nathan Hill elementary and also DeVobas High School.
SPEAKER_03How is Great Britain though compared to uh the United States for those of us who've never been to Great Britain?
SPEAKER_02The entire Europe scene is, in my opinion, based on my own life experiences, is so much further than the USA. Now don't forget, we're supposed to, we call ourselves leading the nation in different categories. That is one area, obviously, with everything that's going on right now in the world, that is one area where we are so far behind, it upsets me to even think about it. So when it comes to, you know, cultural differences, when it comes to accepting people for who they are and what they are, in my opinion, based on my own life experiences, we are so far behind, I couldn't even tell you.
SPEAKER_03And I think it's interesting that you came back to Toledo, and um, you know, you're accepted and respected by basically all races, you know, sexes, religions. And really, your your role at Taylor is really to try to unify the community.
SPEAKER_02Yes, exactly. I mean, that is uh and that's very important uh as I've ventured through life in my latter years. I want to be accepted uh by uh pretty much any and everybody. I love people. I'm a people's person. So for me to do this job and to reach out, not just to the urban community, but all communities throughout the district, it's just a wonderful thing. I often tell Mr. Taylor or mention to both Stephen is that this is this particular job was tailor-made for me uh in regards to my passion, the enjoyment that I get out of it, uh the attitudes of other people, you know, I tend to uh be able to deal with quite well, whether it's a positive thing or a negative thing. I just love people. So this has given me a platform to uh do what I love doing.
SPEAKER_03So if people want to hire you to speak or have you provide mo motivational talks or get advice if they have a grade school or high school athlete, what would be the best way to contact you?
SPEAKER_02Well, you can always cop me, uh contact me via my email, which is Terry T-E-R Y, dot Crosby, C-O-S-B-Y, at skysky.com. In regards to what you just said, motivational speaking, I already do a little work directly with students of different grades, uh, with uh Michelle Klinker from Partners in Education.
SPEAKER_03And so Terry, what um you're one of the few people that came home again, and uh I think it was what Tom Thomas Woof said you never could come home again and you came home. What is your uh favorite activity in Toledo?
SPEAKER_02This is what I do. Really, I I I work hard, I get a lot of job satisfaction. I like to go to the gym and work out, but of course we've been under quarantine for so long, that's very difficult. But my thing is, and I I would say this with 100% confidence, I am bro I am a professional angler. I fish. I posted pictures on my Facebook page. It's just the water, the peace, the tranquility of it all, it just sets my mind free. It really, really does. And uh, of course, I'm I'm always competitive. So I'm trying to trick those fish into biting whatever I have on my hook. So I get a whole lot of excitement out of that.
SPEAKER_03And after uh your time in Toledo, there were quite a few other star basketball players, and my understanding is you had camps and you uh helped mentor several of them. Maybe you can mention a few of them.
SPEAKER_02Those were great times, Tuck. Um, my sophomore year going into my junior year at Tennessee, my junior year going to my senior year, I used to hold Terry Crosby basketball caps at Nathan Hill uh elementary school. And you would not believe who was on the sidelines watching his older players play. He was in the sixth or seventh grade at the time. Mr. JJ, Jim Jackson. So we we used to let him get in and play. We didn't have because you know, Jimmy was big for his age uh and very talented at a very young age. But a lot of times we used to just sit him down and let him watch. I mean, it was uh it was amazing over there. The whole city will pretty much be there. Those were uh very exciting times.
SPEAKER_03What would you like to say to um football and basketball fans as far as comparing the current era back when you played?
SPEAKER_02Well, Chuck, you know, I'm real biased when it comes to that. I don't think for me, and uh I face uh debates and opinions and arguments all the time, but I am adamant that the the mid-70s in all sports here in the city, uh, City League Athletics was some of the most competitive uh in the history of uh uh City League Athletics. I really believe that. You had two or three All-Americans on each team, which not taken away from the 80s or the 90s or the 2000s, I just think spread it out equally over um all the city league. We had the most overall talent competing against each other at the same time in one season. Not just in football, not just in base uh basketball, but also baseball, track, all sports, wrestling. Yeah, it was a very, very competitive time back then. So, you know, if you got your groove on back then and gets the best, then hey, you were doing something because uh it wasn't easy to sign back then.
SPEAKER_04Terry, how do you see the basketball that you grew up playing with the basketball that uh you know is being played today by kids?
SPEAKER_02I appreciate that. That's that that's a very good question. This is my personal opinion. I look at today's sports, and this is not taking anything away from any of the great athletes, but it's kind of soft as vanilla ice cream to me. I mean, it's it's a completely different game. It's much faster. I I think the kids today are much more athletic than we were overall. But we got down to the nitty-gritty. You know, we could hold, we could push, we could pinch, you know, we can get a little aggressive. There wasn't no shooting no three-pointers, you know, seven-footers shooting three-pointers these days. So the game has changed drastically. And I think the difference is it's much more a finesse playing now compared to being aggressive back in the day. You know, and again, not to take anything away from today's athletes. I think they're just as good as us or better. It's just the overall and all sports, the the sports has changed.
SPEAKER_03One thing that also seems to be different is you played football and basketball. Now you have eight or ten-year-old kids that are playing one sport, travel sports year round. Do you think the fact that you played multiple sports made you a better athlete in each one of those sports?
SPEAKER_02Well, we um me and Tom Cole, we we often you you know, we work together every day. So we often have debates, and we we both come to the conclusion, the opinion that by playing multiple sports, that allows you to become so much better at your favorite sport. So if you can understand that, me playing football, two sport athlete, me playing uh football, that gave me some additional attributes to sign at my favorite sport, which was basketball. Okay. So I always recommend. There's no one sport specialist. What is that? I'm kind of looking at people like, you're kidding me, aren't you? So your son's not playing football. No, we don't want our son to get hurt. So your son's not playing baseball. No, we want him to stick to one. Look, he's a kid, okay? And as a child in early child development, I'm very strong about to play all sports, benefits any sport that that kid wants to play. So I'm an advocate on on pushing that for it. You know, I'll argue to him blowing my face. No, you play all sports. You run track, you play baseball, you play football, you play because, like I said, when you're active like that, first of all, you stand in shape. And when you're active like that, one sport or all sports will help and develop you to play and perform at a higher level and your favorite sport.
SPEAKER_01So I'm a I'm a hundred percent believer in that, Chuck.
SPEAKER_03I don't want to let you go without mentioning some of your teammates. Why don't you just briefly mention some of your favorite teammates in high school?
SPEAKER_02Well, first of all, I think everybody knows Russ, that was his nickname, had tree trunks, uh, legs like tree trunks, uh, Mr. Farley Bell, Jerry Blatton went on and played for the Kansas City uh Chiefs in football, NFL, Mr. George West, our captain quarterback on our two uh back-to-back Super Bowl teams, Nino Maricola, Charles, Charles McQuery, uh Gary Mayweather, the list goes on and on and on. Sach Worthy, uh Ron Lewis, Roy Williams in basketball, Robin Gregory, and a lot of those guys are are still here in the city, and we get together every now and again. Uh, some have moved away, but um, a lot of them are still here. So those were good times.
SPEAKER_03So, Terry, I want to thank you for being with us today. I want to thank you, Ted. I think we're gonna probably have you on again to talk about some other topics. Uh, we could talk all day with you, but I want to thank you, uh, and we appreciate the fact that you're an individual who was a star athlete in the 70s and uh for the next 20 years professionally. Um, and now you're back in Toledo, you're giving back, and you're a leader in the community. Thank you very much.
SPEAKER_02Thank you, Chuck. I really appreciate that. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Tune in next week for another episode of the Boig Brief, where we'll discuss more issues of law and life. Thank you for joining us.