Prepared For Adversity

Springfield High assistant football coach Malik Boynton continues to dream big despite a past full of uncertainty.

By Kindra Roy

Energy is high under Springfield High’s Silke Field lights. The usual excitement surrounding a high school football game is bursting at the seams, magnified by the curiosity of the newly redirected team. On the sidelines, unfamiliar faces pace back and forth, for a new coaching staff was brought on just weeks before. Students and families sneak peeks at the new coaches, attempting to diagnose their qualifications in a split-second glance. Near the Miller end zone, one coach’s presence demands attention. Walking confidently and casually, he approaches players, his plaid belt raising onlookers’ eyebrows. He appears young, energetic, real.

Malik Boynton seems to be the usual 23-year-old football fan, with hobbies like bowling, watching Netflix and playing Fortnite, however, the power of his voice and wisdom hint at a story much deeper. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Boynton was the oldest of four children. He was notably gifted in sports, and caught attention playing baseball from an early age. However, his family life was disrupted early on when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, passing away the summer before his freshman year of high school. Soon after, Boynton’s father lost his job, and when the family was unable to keep up on house payments, an old van became their temporary home. The night of his mother’s death, Boynton had a baseball game, the last baseball game he would play in. Boynton turned to football instead, leaving baseball behind with a quickly changing life. Football became his outlet.

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To onlookers, it appeared that Boynton came out of nowhere his junior year, bursting onto the scenes his first season starting on the varsity team. He quickly became one of Michigan’s best receivers, and schools took notice and began recruiting. Boynton did not disappoint his senior year, recalling, “it was like the icing on the cake, I just came and had an even better year.”

By the end of his high school football career, Boynton had been selected all-state wide receiver, defensive back, and specialist, along with being an honoree for the Offensive-Defense All American Bowl. Boynton received a full-ride scholarship to Austin Peay State University, a Division 1 college out of Clarksville, Tennessee.

Boynton became a recognized name at Austin Peay after starting games his sophomore season as their defensive back. “My junior year of college, everything was finally starting to get along,” Boynton remembers. Making nine tackles during the season-opener against Tennessee Tech, and continuing his success with solo and shared tacklesfor-loss in early games, the season was off to an honorable start. But Boynton’s season came to an early end.

On October 22, six weeks deep into their season, Boynton’s attempt to take down an opponent with poor form had serious consequences.“I came down and made a hit with bad technique,” Boynton explains.

After the play, Boynton was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. Though he began to regain feeling quickly in the hospital and through rehab, Boynton was out for the remainder of his junior season.

Despite the startling injury and disrupted season, Boynton returned to the Austin Peay Governors his senior year, refusing to let his injury bring his career to an end. Boynton’s senior season proved to be a success as he racked up an additional 50 tackles and three forced fumbles, along with an interception and two fumble recoveries. Ending his time at Austin Peay with 158 tackles, Boynton’s performance with the Governors landed him an invitation to the 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers rookie camp.

After the loss of his mother, a period of homelessness, and a shocking injury, Boynton knew he could not give up on his dreams, even when the future was unclear. After being released from the Steelers with nothing more than the chance to improve, Boynton kept his head up, grateful for the challenge and the opportunity to grow. Boynton determined the next step in his career was to try out for the Memphis Express of the then newly formed Alliance of American Football (AAF). However, after earning a spot on the team, Boynton was inactive the first two weeks of the season, watching from the sidelines as they lost their first two games. Even after reassurance of his ability and value to the team, Boynton received a call informing him he would not be used until later in the season. Just six weeks later, the AAF, along with the Memphis Express, was shut down. Boynton was lost. “I didn’t know my next step,” he confesses.

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Coaching was his next step. Brought to Eugene by his girlfriend, Boynton received word of Springfield High’s search for a new football staff through boys attending his football clinic. “I was eager to join,” Boynton explains.

He was interviewed and hired by new head football coach and Springfield High graduate Miles Haley.

Waiting for his next big break, Boynton is currently using his story, experience, and determination to fuel a new generation of football players. Boynton was excited for the opportunity to coach at Springfield High during the 2019 season.

“[Coaching] allows you to be a part of these young kids’ lives,” Boynton explains. He believes his background has shaped him, and the lessons he has learned throughout his life can benefit the boys he coaches.

“The challenges made me tougher, they made me more patient, they made me more caring and more understanding,” he says. “They made me more prepared for adversity.”

Boynton now finds himself naturally lending advice and help to those facing adverse situations. In the Springfield High community, facing adversity is a common thread. Students and athletes all have their own stories, some of which have been written in part by the hands of poverty, addiction, grief, or racism. Boynton feels prepared to interact and mentor the boys he coaches, connecting with them on a personal level. To those who look up to him as their coach, he is a symbol of overcoming the worst, and never giving up on a dream. And Boynton has not given up. A free agent in the recent XFL draft, he continued training towards returning to a football career. Now, he is on to his next step after recently signing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

Though each step of his journey has come with its own challenges, Boynton has refused to let adversity stop him from pursuing his dreams. From grief to instability, injury to lost opportunity, Boynton continues to believe that hard work can get him, and others, to where they want to be. “You can’t waste time, you can’t take things for granted, because yesterday could have been the worst day of your life, and the next day you could wake up to an entirely different lifestyle,” he says.

He offers this advice to those who feel their dreams are obstructed by challenge: “you never know when your break is coming, so you just gotta stay focused and keep pushing.”