Cedric Minter

Cedric Alwyn Minter (born November 13, 1958) is a former professional football player, an award-winning running back in the Canadian Football League (CFL). After his playing career, Minter became an educator and is currently a junior high school assistant principal in Boise, Idaho.

Cedric Minter
Born: (1958-11-13) November 13, 1958
Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)Running back
CollegeBoise State
High schoolBorah (Boise, ID)
Career history
As player
1981–83Toronto Argonauts
1984–85New York Jets
1986Toronto Argonauts
1987Ottawa Rough Riders
Career highlights and awards
CFL All-Star1981, 1982
Awards1981 Frank M. Gibson Trophy
Honors1983 Grey Cup Champion

Early years

Born into a military family in Charleston, South Carolina, Minter moved with his family to Mountain Home Air Force Base in southwestern Idaho in 1959, when he was a few months old.[1] A year later the family moved to nearby Boise, where he grew up and played his high school football in the mid-1970s for Borah High School under head coach Delane "De" Pankratz. Minter had outstanding seasons for the Lions as a sophomore and junior; the Lions went undefeated in 1975[2][3] and Minter had the attention of the top college football programs. But after incurring a shoulder injury on the first play of his senior season in September 1976,[4][5] the attention rapidly subsided.[6] Oregon and Kansas were still interested, but only Boise State in his hometown was interested in him as a 170 lb (77 kg) running back.[1][7]

College

Minter graduated from high school in 1977 and accepted a football scholarship to Boise State University (BSU), and became a two-time All-American under head coach Jim Criner. Minter made his mark early as a freshman with a school record 210 yards against Cal Poly.[8] As a sophomore, he set a Big Sky record by rushing with 1,526 yards in 1978.[9] 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 led the 1980 Broncos to the Division I-AA championship. BSU defeated the Grambling Tigers, 14–9, in the first round (semifinals) at Bronco Stadium, then edged favored Eastern Kentucky, 31–29, with a late touchdown in the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game played in Sacramento on December 20.[10][11]

Minter finished his college career with 4,475 rushing yards, but as an undersized Big Sky running back (5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), 190 lb (86 kg)), he went unselected in the 1981 NFL Draft, then twelve rounds (332 selections). Minter began his professional football career in the Canadian Football League in 1981,[12] and graduated from BSU with a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1985.[13]

Professional career

Minter signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in April 1981,[12] and played three seasons, rushing for 815, 563, and 599 yards. 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, their last Grey Cup victory coming 31 years earlier in 1952.[14]

After three seasons in Canada, Minter played two seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets. He played a total of 9 games and scored two touchdowns in 1984 and 1985. Minter rushed for 159 yards, caught 11 passes, and returned punts and kickoffs.[15] 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 from pro football.

After football

After his playing days, Minter became an educator in 1988. He taught and coached in southwest Idaho in Middleton and at Capital High School in Boise, and then coached the running backs at Boise State for a season in 1992 under head coach Skip Hall.[7][16] He returned to teaching (and high school coaching) in 1993 in southeast Oregon in Nyssa[7] and earned a master's degree in 1995 from Northwest Nazarene College. Minter has worked in the Boise School District since 2001, and is currently the assistant principal at Fairmont Junior High School.

References
  1. "Cedric Minter: how football changed his life". Mountain Home News. Idaho. February 22, 2006.
  2. "Borah turns on Highland, wins SIC". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. November 15, 1975. p. 2B.
  3. "Varsity gridders receive awards". The Senator. Boise, Idaho. Borah High School. December 17, 1975. p. 10.
  4. "Zags upend Borah club". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. September 11, 1976. p. 9.
  5. "Lions to face Boise". The Senator. Boise, Idaho. Borah High School. September 24, 1976. p. 6.
  6. "The Bronco tradition of great running backs". Bronco Country.com. August 7, 2006. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  7. "Cedric Minter to headline Black History Banquet". Mountain Home News. Idaho. February 8, 2006.
  8. "Final grid games set by Big Sky schools". Prescott Courier. Arizona. Associated Press. November 18, 1977. p. 12.
  9. "Minter breaks Big Sky rushing mark". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. November 29, 1978. p. 2B.
  10. Egelko, Bob (December 22, 1980). "Boise grabs national title in Camellia Bowl". Kingman Daily Miner. Arizona. Associated Press. p. A-6.
  11. "Boise State: 1980 season results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  12. "Minter signs with Toronto". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 8, 1981. p. C5.
  13. "Frank Church High School: Cedric Minter". Boise School District. Archived from the original on December 20, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  14. "Minter comes through with the old 'Argo bounce'". Ottawa Citizen. Ontario, Canada. UPC. November 28, 1983. p. 29.
  15. jt-sw.com NFL Statistics - Cedric Minter - accessed 2009-10-10
  16. "Minter joins Bronco staff". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho-Washington. February 15, 1992. p. 1D.
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