November 2013 South Carolina Living Magazine Vol. 1 | Page 16

Mr. Football 2000 • Roscoe Crosby, wide receiver • Union High School

The legend of Roscoe Crosby: Part two
Tragedy and misfortune
helped steal his career in sports.
In retrospect, they probably
saved his life.
First, the update. Yes, Roscoe Crosby
is alive and well.
Crosby rarely grants interviews, and
when we meet he immediately introduces himself and throws out the first
question.
“Guess you’re wondering what I’ve
been up to,” he says.
Truth is, many sports fans have
wondered about Roscoe Crosby. There
was a time, not long ago, when Crosby was South Carolina’s
most celebrated athlete. As a senior at Union High School
in the fall of 2000, Crosby was rated the number-two
football receiver in the country. Blessed with a rare combination of speed, strength and size, he was a dazzling wide
receiver. In early December, he helped lead the Yellow
Jackets to a second consecutive state championship.
A week later, Crosby was crowned South Carolina’s
Mr. Football. When asked if he remembers anything about
the ceremony, he laughs out loud.
“What!? Of course I remember,” Crosby says incredulously. “I went out that week to buy a new suit to wear. We
had won state, so the season was already a success. But I’ll
be honest. I wanted that award. I wanted to be the best.”
After football season, Crosby put on his high school

baseball uniform. As great as he
was catching passes, football was his
second-best sport. A sweet-swinging
left-hander, Roscoe Crosby could hit
a baseball like nobody’s business.
Just ask Kevin Floyd, a scout for the
Kansas City Royals.
“When I first saw him, I told my
boss, ‘Look, I’ve been doing this
25 years. I’ve never seen anything
like this kid. He may be the perfect
baseball player,’” Floyd says.
By the spring of his senior year,
major league scouts had Crosby
tabbed as one of the top five baseball
prospects in the country.
“That was a crazy, crazy time,” Crosby recalls as he
thinks back to his last semester of high school. “You’re
pulled a million different directions. Do I play football?
Take the money and play baseball?”
Crosby decided he could do both. In February 2001, in
front of a throng of media, he announced he would play
football at Clemson. In June, the Kansas City Royals, undeterred by Crosby’s desire to be a part-time baseball player,
drafted him and gave him a signing bonus of $1.7 million.
When a reporter asked Allen Baird of the Kansas City
Royals why the team made an investment in a player who
was not 100 percent committed to baseball, the general
manager shot back with a list of glowing evaluations from
his scouting staff. Then he added this about Crosby: “He
just makes it look so easy.”

Above and Right: Milton Morris

Roscoe Cosby shares his life story
with at-risk teens. “Talking about
sports helps me get their ear.
But when they learn my past,
I have a way to their heart.”

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