INDIANAPOLIS HELPED RAISE TERRY MCLAURIN. HE RETURNS THERE AS A STAR
Indianapolis was, for McLaurin, once one big football field that he dominated. He used to be, at first, an elusive low-back bum in the urban league run by Tabernacle Presbyterian Church. Then he was a receiver of deep threats in the “more center class” of the New Augusta center school. By the time he transferred to Cathedral, a non-public Catholic university in the green enclave, McLaurin was a versatile offensive weapon who moonlighted as a ball-kicking defender.
The boy who used to extort pretzels from his father from the concession stand has been replaced by a 27-year-old man with money and expectations. And yet one hyperlink connects them: Indianapolis, which welcomed his grandparents, raised his mom, united his dad and mom, and gave identification to their extremely beloved son. McLaurin, who has worked in every position he has ever held, feels a sense of kinship with his city.
In AAU basketball, McLaurin met all the other outstanding athletes named Dominic Booth. One of the first things Booth saw about McLaurin—different from the lightning pace he seemed to have been born with—was his short shorts.
“That’s what he cared about.” “In no way did he genuinely care what he looked like.”
At Center College in New Augusta, Booth and McLaurin grew up and became the stars of a high-profile attack. Booth used to be a big-armed quarterback, and McLaurin was a lower-field threat.
McLaurin later quit basketball because he didn’t like the AAU’s temporary dedication and received a cut from the freshman baseball team. Once, there was only football.
But over the next two years, with dedication to the gym and rapid growth, Streiff, the embattled coach of the Irish university football team, began to realize the value of McLaurin. In his first duel, McLaurin again struck with a touchdown, and in the second, he made a deep pass past the goal for the prevailing score.
The following season, McLaurin distinguished himself as a main player. But it’s hard to appreciate a player’s true genius until he steps onto the biggest stage, said Kyle Neddenrip, a longtime reporter for The Indianapolis Star who specializes in sports events.
In 2012, no one shone brighter than McLaurin. In championship sports, against Mishawaka, McLaurin set a Class 4A record for the longest touchdown reception (79 yards) and the longest punt return touchdown (66 yards).
“I’ve covered a few eligible players; however, his speed was once something I didn’t see,” Neddenrip said. “Once it was electric.
In 2018, McLaurin returned to Indianapolis as one of the Bucs’ best receivers in the second Big Ten Championship game in a row. Ohio State got another one—McLaurin with a score of 6-1 for all time at Lucas Oil Stadium—and he got drafted. The Scouts’ reviews of McLaurin, looking back, were cool; NFL.com predicted it as “a good backup with the possibility of improvement to the [starting] line-up.”
In his senior year, McLaurin was recruited by Buddy Baker, an NFL agent primarily based in Indianapolis. Baker represented various potential clients from the surrounding area, including Joe Reitz and Jack Doyle, and he once told McLaurin that he, unlike other agents, was used to living in an area that McLaurin loved.
Since Washington drafted McLaurin in 2019, the mentality and work ethic he attributes to his upbringing have proved essential to his team. His leadership and impeccable popularity were especially important in times of upheaval for the organization. This summer, Washington signed him to a three-year contract worth $69.6 million.
Main Sources: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/10/29/terry-mclaurin-indianapolis/
