When he was 5 years old, Damarea Crockett never let go of his football.
The ball was a gift to Crockett from his mother, Vanessa Keener. It had his name written on it, and he kept it by his side day and night.
“Kind of like a little girl who has a doll that she likes to sleep with, Damarea slept with his football,” Keener said.
One day, Keener drove Crockett to Walmart. When the car was parked, he darted out the door and threw his football in the air.
Keener remembers her son scampering around, throwing his precious football in the air, running around parked cars.
“Put the football back in the truck,” Keener called out to her son. “You can’t take it in Walmart. They’re going to think you stole it.”
As the young boy hurried back to put the ball away, Keener remembers a “little old lady” stopping her.
“Let him carry that football,” the woman said to Keener, “because that football may make him some money someday.”
Crockett has let football carry him from Walmart parking lots to the Southeastern Conference. Now a freshman at Missouri, he has emerged as a potent running back for the Tigers’ high-flying offense.
The coaches see Crockett’s potential, and he sees it too. He’s strong, fast for his size and has good feet. He’s had success in his first four games, rushing for 210 yards and three touchdowns, but he is not done developing.
“There’s still a lot more in store,” Crockett said.