Sam Craft learning on and off the field from his dad, Ray.
By: Bill Salyer
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*NOTE: This feature story on the Crafts -- Sam and father, Ray -- first appeared in the Sept. 17 Memphis Tigers Football GameDay program (Memphis State Throwback Game).
When Sam Craft stepped onto the field in the summer of 2013, he started a different era of football for the Craft family; however, it was by no means a new era.
From 1986-88, Ray Craft, Sam's father, was a standout on the football field. The elder Craft grew up in Rosemont, Tenn., a small town located between Millington and Arlington.
There are plenty of similarities between the two. Both are tough, athletic players – Ray as a wide receiver and Sam as a running back – but the biggest similarity is that both wore the jersey number 11.
"Growing up my number was 1," said Sam Craft. "That was the number I always wanted to wear. When I got to the eighth grade, they didn't have a No. 1 jersey, so I started wearing No. 11. From then on, it carried over. I went back to No. 1 as a senior in high school, but when I got to Memphis and saw I could wear No. 11, and my dad wore No. 11, I knew I needed to stick with it.
After graduating from Bolton High School, Ray matriculated on to Memphis State University, where he was a part of some of the biggest wins in program history.
Sam's father, Ray, played football for the Tigers
in the mid-1980s.
In 1987, the Tigers beat Ole Miss and 15th-ranked Alabama, and a year later, topped 14th-ranked Florida on the road. That Florida squad was led by a running back named Emmitt Smith. Two games later, Memphis State fell by seven points to a Brett Favre-led Southern Miss squad.
"Among my favorite memories was when we beat Alabama," said Ray. "That was a huge win for us. And then the next year beating Florida down in Florida. That was a great moment. I remember riding the bus to their campus, and all we saw were Florida's colors and no one gave us a chance. The best thing about that win was when we came back – we were staying in South Hall – that night, we had some fans meet us at the dorm. They were handing out alligators on a stick. We thought that was really cool."
Once his playing career was finished, the criminal justice major was looking for a job following his playing career. He received a call from Dr. Bonita Lyons asking if he wanted a job with Memphis State Security.
"At the time, the Memphis Police Department and a lot of the police agencies had hiring freezes," said the elder Craft. "After I graduated, I went back home and stayed with mom and dad. Then Dr. Bonita Lyons called and asked if I was still interested in police work. At that time, I didn't have a job. I had just graduated, and I was home not really doing anything. I came down and applied. The position wasn't paying a lot of money, but I said I'd take it, and I've been here ever since."
Now a colonel with University of Memphis Police Services, Ray has seen each of his three sons follow in his football footsteps. His oldest two sons, twins Marcell and Montrell, played football at North Alabama. They both had successful careers, but Montrell individually stood out. Montrell earned All-America honors at North Alabama and played the 2010 season with the Canadian Football League's BC Lions.
It was being carted from his peewee games straight down to Florence, Ala., to see his brothers play that ingrained football into Sam.
"He was at all of their games," said Ray. "A lot of his love of the sport came from him just being around it. We would have his peewee game on Saturday morning, and as soon as his game was over, we'd travel down to Florence to his older brothers' games. He has been around football forever. He was a kid that could stand straight up and do a backflip - he was doing stuff that I couldn't do as a kid - so I could tell he was going to be kind of athletic."
As important as athletics are to the Craft family, something that Ray tried to instill with his boys was that no matter how strong of an athlete that you are, what truly matters is how you handle yourself on and off the field.
"I've tried to help Sam understand is to control what you can," said Ray. "One of the biggest things I told him when he got to Memphis was to stay humble. You know your abilities, don't go in thinking you are 'the man' – there is nothing wrong with that, and you can have that – but you have to earn that respect. You're not going to get into the game because of who you are, you are going to have to earn that. That will take you a long way.
"Your athletic ability will take care of itself. And that is how he is. He was in the position where I had been teaching him along the way. Not only him, but all of my boys, to stay humble. Even when football is over with, then be productive in the real world, you never know who you are going to need."
Among the ways he helped keep his boys humble when they were younger was to teach them that as important as they think that athletics are, they are really just a small part of what it takes to be a complete person.
"Obviously sports is a big part of our family," said Sam. "My dad, he focuses on being a good person, making sure you take care of things around the house, school – all of that came first before football. I can remember him making me cut the grass first before I went to do something else with sports. It wasn't always sports with our family, he always tried to teach us to be great young men and women. He tried to teach us the right things and be a citizen of the city."
While his life path has sent Sam to the University of Memphis, both Ray and Sam agree that it wasn't Ray that pushed his youngest son to follow in his footsteps.
"He pretty much grew up on campus," said Ray. "Obviously, as a father, and especially with me playing sports, I wanted to make sure that it is what he wanted, and not necessarily what I wanted. He knew where he wanted to play, and as a parent and as an alumnus, it is a great feeling to come here and play and be a part of the group that helped turn this program around. When we won the conference championship a couple of years ago, I was happy for him, but I was even happier for the city of Memphis and the fans."
Sam said, "(My dad's history at Memphis) had a part in my decision. At the same time, being from Memphis and being such a huge fan of the program, that made a big impact and was a part of what made the decision for me."
As it is, Ray not only worked over the past 28 years at keeping University of Memphis students safe in his role with University of Memphis police, but has provided a fantastic role model for his sons and daughter.
"A lot of kids don't have a father figure in their life," said Sam. "For me to have him, it's a blessing. I talk to him every day, just because he has done everything correct. He has lived his life the right way. I'm just trying to live my life the same. He treats my mom well. He raised me, my brothers and my sister well. That is a perfect guy to look at."
