Cedric Minter

Cedric Alwyn Minter, (born November 13, 1958, in Charleston, South Carolina), is a former professional football player, and an award-winning running back in the Canadian Football League.

Early years

Minter's father served in the U.S. Air Force, and was transferred to Mountain Home AFB in Idaho in 1959, when Cedric was a few months old. A year later the family moved to nearby Boise, where Cedric grew up and played his high school football in the mid-1970s for head coach De Pankratz at Borah High School. Minter had outstanding seasons as a sophomore and junior, and had the attention of the top college football programs. But after incurring a shoulder injury on the first play of his senior season, the attention rapidly subsided. Oregon and Kansas were still interested, but only Boise State in his hometown was interested in him as a running back.

College

Minter graduated from high school in 1977 and accepted a football scholarship to Boise State, where he became a two time All-American under head coach Jim Criner. As a sophomore, he set a BSU record by rushing with 1526 yards in 1978 (surpassed twice by Brock Forsey and Ian Johnson). As a senior, he was a member of BSU's "Four Horseman" backfield (along with QB Joe Aliotti, FB David Hughes, and HB Terry Zahner) which lead the Broncos to the 1980 I-AA national championship. BSU defeated the Grambling Tigers 14-9 in the first round (semifinals) at Bronco Stadium, then defeated favored Eastern Kentucky 31-29 in the championship game in Sacramento on December 20th. [http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_game_by_game.php?coachid=480&year=1980]

Minter finished his college career with 4475 rushing yards. As an undersized Big Sky running back (5'10", 190 lb.), he was not selected in the 1981 NFL Draft. Minter began his professional football career in the Canadian Football League in 1981. He graduated from BSU with a bachelor's degree in elementary education.

Pro career

Minter played with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL from 1981-83, rushing for 815, 563, and 599 yards in consecutive seasons. He was awarded the Frank M. Gibson Trophy as best rookie in the East in 1981, and was an all star in 1981 and 1982. Minter's finest moment came in 1983, when with only minutes remaining in the 71st Grey Cup game, he scored a touchdown on a Joe Barnes pass to win the game and end the Argonauts long championship drought, whose last win was 31 years earlier in 1952.

After three seasons in Canada, Cedric Minter played two seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets. In 1984 and 1985 he played a total of 9 games and scored two touchdowns. Minter rushed for 159 yards, caught 11 passes, and returned punts and kickoffs. [http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/players.nsf/ID/06520254] He returned to Toronto in 1986, played in 4 games and rushed for 170 yards. After a brief stint with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1987, Minter retired.

After football

After his playing days, Minter became an educator in 1988. As a teacher (and coach), he served at various locations in southwest Idaho and eastern Oregon: Middleton, Boise, and Nyssa. He received a Masters degree in 1995 from Northwest Nazarene College, and is currently a high school principal in Boise.

External links

* [http://www.argonauts.ca/Argos/History/ArgoHeroes/2004/06/18/504733.html Toronto Argonauts history] - Cedric Minter
* [http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/players.nsf/ID/06520254 NFL statistics] - Cedric Minter
* [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MINTECED01 DataBase Football.com] - Cedric Minter
* [http://www.mountainhomenews.com/story/1139009.html Mountain Home News.com] - Cedric Minter to headline Black History Banquet - 08-Feb- 2006
* [http://www.mountainhomenews.com/story/1140938.html Mountain Home News.com] - Cedric Minter: how football changed his life - 22-Feb-2006