LSU junior sprinter Tremayne Acy had to give up on his dream of playing football.
Acy, the “most talented” athlete on LSU’s track and field team to many, had the athleticism for many sports but was often told he was too small.
During his time playing football, he faced repeated injuries, including a broken collarbone and ankle.
“When I was 15, we had a football game and I broke my ankle and I said I was done with it,” Acy said. “So when my ankle healed, I said I was just going to stick with track … Track is my passion. I’ve been running since I was 5 years old. It’s something I’ve been doing all my life.”
With both of his parents having run track in their youth, the sport had always surrounded him, and it finally seemed like the right fit for the young Acy.
But his collegiate track career was halted.
The Dallas native failed to finish running in the preliminary round of the 200-meter dash after he injured his hamstring on Feb. 26 at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships.
Bouncing back from a sports-related injury is hard to do and most times doesn’t happen quick. For Acy that wasn’t an option. He had to rebound.
“When I got hurt it was like a big depression mode for me,” Acy said. “I was pretty much at home sitting watching TV a lot sitting on the couch … I had to get over it eventually. I know I couldn’t sit and be depressed all day.”
Acy said he knew the injury wouldn’t last forever but he needed to live a healthier lifestyle, which included spending time with his daughter Trinity, who lives in Dallas.
“She takes all my money, but it’s great having a daughter,” he said jokingly.
Drills to regain strength in his leg, visiting the training room two or three times a day and a small surgery on his hamstring led to his recovery.
The Tigers welcomed Acy back for the first time in two months at the Texas Invitational on April 16.
Acy returned to the 4×100 team as third leg to team up with sprinters junior Tinashe Mutanga, freshman Jaron Flournoy and junior Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.
The quadruplet won the men’s 4×100-meter relay title while posting a new NCAA-leading time of 38.95 seconds.
“Tremayne, we always say, has probably the most talent on this team,” senior sprinter Cyril Grayson said. “I feel like sometimes he doesn’t really realize how much talent that he does have. Sometimes it takes another person to tell you that you got this much talent.”
Grayson hosted Acy when he visited LSU during a recruiting trip his senior year of high school. Acy fit in with the fun-loving, “crazy” team, Grayson said. At the same time, Grayson appreciated that he took his athletic career seriously, too.
“When he got hurt ­— sometimes it’s easy to get down on yourself — but I always try to motivate him and say ‘Remember Trinity. That’s who you’re doing it for,’” Grayson said.
Mutanga, Flournoy, Mitchell-Blake and Acy teamed up again to turn in another national-leading time at the LSU Alumni Gold meet on April 23 when they ran a time of 38.94 seconds in the men’s 4×100-meter relay.
“I think he’s worked extremely hard to get himself prepared for outdoors,” said LSU coach Dennis Shaver. “Certainly he creates a little energy and I know he’s gaining more and more confidence but I don’t think he ever really lacked in believing in what it is he can do, I think it was more of being healthy enough to do it.”
Acy said he is confident he will be back better than ever and he has big plans.
Acy hopes to win the team championship with his teammates and win an individual in either the 100 or 200-meter dash. He also sees himself going to the
Olympics in the future.