November 2013 South Carolina Living Magazine Vol. 1 | Page 19

Mr. Football 2009 • Marcus Lattimore, Running Back • Byrnes High School

From Mr. Football to Mr. Popular
Last October, it appeared everyone with a passing interest
in sports was pulling for Marcus Lattimore. A gruesome
knee injury had ended his junior season at the University
of South Carolina and probably extinguished a bright
professional career. What followed was an outpouring of
support so vast that it became a story unto itself.
“It was truly amazing,” Lattimore says of the get-well
cards and letters that came in by the bushel. “I can’t tell
you how many I got. We quit counting when we got to
50,000. There were so many, Coach [Steve Spurrier] had to
store some in his garage.”
The response overwhelmed him, even though Lattimore
lived life as one of the state’s highest-profile athletes. It
began in 2009 when he was a senior at Byrnes High School,
the powerhouse program in Duncan. Most observers called
him the best running back in the country, making him the
subject of an intense college recruiting battle. He capped
his prep career in Myrtle Beach that December, receiving
South Carolina’s Mr. Football award.
“Winning Mr. Football was definitely one of the greatest
feelings I’ve ever had,” he says. “It’s still something I think
about even now.”

‘I’m just so blessed to be in this
situation. The only downside
is I have a long way to go
for a home-cooked meal.’

Photos: Univ. of S.C. Sports Information

When it was time to choose a college, Lattimore says
he picked South Carolina because it was close to home. An
instant fan favorite, he was praised as “a highly hyped signee
who lived up to the billing” by The Sporting News, which
named Lattimore the 2010 National Freshman of the Year.
He started the 2011 season as one of the best-known
players in college football, but a knee injury in game six
knocked Lattimore out for the rest of the year. He rehabilitated the knee with a maniacal will, and his comeback was
a national story when the 2012 season began.
A junior, Lattimore was expected to play the season
and turn pro in 2013. The
plan was on track until the
devastating knee injury last
October against Tennessee.
He cried as he was carted
off the field. A desolate
crowd gave him a standing
ovation. Many instantly
speculated Lattimore would
never play football again.

“As long as I was told I still had a chance to play football,
then I knew I’d be OK,” he says. “If I had a chance, I could
take it from there.”
Lattimore attacked another rehabilitation regimen with
conviction. Bolstered by the support of fans and eager to
prove his career was not over, he clawed back to health in
time to work out for pro scouts ahead of the NFL draft.
Barely five months after his knee was mangled, Lattimore
finished an exhaustive series of agility drills, and the scouts
broke out in spontaneous applause.
Drafted by the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and
signed to a four-year deal, Lattimore remains on
injured reserve but is looking forward to making
his NFL playing debut in 2014.
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