For Tyrone Tracy, Plan A is NFL dream. Path from Iowa to Purdue a reminder to have Plan B.

When Tyrone Tracy plays in the Hula Bowl on Saturday in Orlando, Fla., he will wear decals from Iowa and Purdue on his helmet. Those symbols represent six years of Tracy’s journey to his goal of reaching the NFL. But that goal goes back much farther than six years.

If you could rewind the tape on Tyrone Tracy’s life story, you could probably find exactly where that goal was first discussed. It might have been right here in the Tracy home in Camby, where a young Tyrone would tell his mother, Laverna Tracy, of his plans. “You have to have a plan ‘B’,” she would tell him.

And Tyrone would listen, understanding what she meant: Go to school … get your degree … have a plan outside of football. When Tyrone was a senior at Decatur Central, this discussion came up again. Laverna, almost on auto-response, repeated her “Plan B” line. This time, though, Tyrone said he did not need a “Plan B.”

“I’m focused and locked in,” Tyrone told his mother. “I’m going to get my degree.”

Doyel: Decatur Central's Tracy family coaches success on, off field

Laverna decided to pose the question differently. Take money out of it, she said. “If there is anything in the world you could do, what would it be?” she asked. Tyrone told her money had nothing to do with it. “I feel like a totally different person when I get on the field,” he said.

Laverna, a reluctant sports fan before her four sons became involved, finally conceded the “Plan B” argument. Not that she or Tyrone does not believe in the premise of it — they certainly do. But if he is going to go after this dream, he has to attack it like nothing else matters.

“I’m excited for him to go live out his dreams,” Laverna said. “For him, compared to other kids, it’s never changed.”

That young kid with a bright smile and a relentlessly positive outlook is a 24-year-old man now, intent on making that dream a reality.

Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s embarrassing touchdown

One of Tracy’s first touchdowns at Decatur Central was also one of his most embarrassing. He was a freshman, playing against Roncalli. In a rush to get ready for the game, he went against his father’s rule and did not wear a belt. “I couldn’t find one,” he said.

And no one probably would have said anything had he not scored a touchdown. The pants were fine when he was running. But as he was tackled on his touchdown, the pants came loose and ended up around his ankles. Worse yet, the video ended up on the 11 o’clock news.

“My mom will never let that one go,” Tyrone said with a laugh.

Tracy, wearing a belt from that day forward, went on to become one of Decatur Central’s most decorated athletes. He was coached from an early age by his father, Tyrone Tracy Sr., an outstanding athlete himself. Tracy Sr., as he still reminds his sons, still owns the Ben Davis school record with a 96-yard touchdown run in 1985, which also happens to be the family record.

“They haven’t got that one yet,” Tracy Sr. said of his 96-yard run.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. left his mark on the Decatur Central record books, earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Indiana as a senior in the fall of 2017. He finished his career with 6,924 yards of total offense, including a senior season that saw him rush for 1,412 yards and 13 touchdowns and catch 54 passes for 1,132 yards and 16 TDs.

It was his versatility that made Tracy such a valuable prospect coming out of high school. Lamar Conard, who was recruiting Tracy at Illinois State at the time, liked him as a running back. But at 5-11 and 185 pounds out of high school, Tracy thought his better option would be as a slot receiver in college.

“Coming out of high school I saw guys like Ezekiel Elliott and I’m like, ‘I’m not big enough to play running back,’” Tracy said. “That’s not in me.”

Tracy signed with Iowa, where he thrived as a receiver. After playing just two games in 2018, he broke through the following year with 36 catches for 589 yards and three touchdowns and scored another TD on a run.

“I was thinking, ‘This is what I’m supposed to do,’” he said. “I’m going in the right direction. But there were some ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and I hit the wall at Iowa. I don’t blame anybody. I think all that was supposed to happen to build my character and who am I am supposed to be as a man.”

After that breakout year, Tracy did not come close to reaching those numbers again in the next two years at Iowa. He caught 29 passes for 260 yards and rushed for 55 yards in 21 games combined in 2020 (COVID-shortened eight game season) and 2021.

“It was frustrating,” he said. “As a player, you want an opportunity to make plays. I felt like I needed the ball in my hands as much as possible to make as many plays as possible so I can impact the team. … At Iowa, I just wasn’t given opportunities. I kind of lost trust with the coaching staff. Once you lose trust in the coaching staff, it’s kind of hard to play for that coach when you don’t know if he is saying the truth. That’s just my personal experience. I know coach (Kirk Ferentz) is a great person off the field and he goes hard for his players. But I felt like I wasn’t given opportunities, which was frustrating because I knew how I could play and impact the game.”

Tracy Sr. said his son “left Iowa the right way,” which was important. It was also difficult. He had been a captain at Iowa, a place where he called his teammates “my family.” That word means something to the Tracy family, a tight-knit group that includes four boys: Charles Turner, Tyrone, Kenny and Javon.

“He’s a people person,” Laverna Tracy said of Tyrone. “He said it was the hardest thing he had to do in his life (to leave). It was hard for him; we did it together.”

Tracy transferred to Purdue for the 2022 season. It was not exactly what he had envisioned, however. He caught 28 passes for 198 yards and ran for 138 yards (8.1 yards per carry). “It was kind of the same thing (as Iowa),” he said.

Jeff Brohm left Purdue for Louisville and was replaced by Ryan Walters, who asked for Tracy’s trust in their first meeting. “He told me he would never lie to me and I would have my opportunities here,” Tracy said.

Walters hired Conard as his running backs coach. The same Conard who had recruited Tracy as a running back many years ago when he was coaching at Illinois State. Conard, a Purdue graduate, had coached both Kenny and Javon Tracy at Miami (Ohio).

Small world, right?

“The only guy in the world I have a relationship with is my running backs coach,” Tracy said with a laugh. “If it was anybody else, I probably would have gone to a different school. … He understands where I’m coming from because he’s been watching me my whole career.”

Tracy was leery at first of making the position change. But his versatility was always a strength. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the opener against Fresno State and scored on another run. While splitting time with Devin Mockobee, Tracy ran for 716 yards and eight TDs (6.3 yards per carry) and caught 19 passes for 132 yards. He also averaged 25.5 yards on 16 kickoff returns.

“Instead of being just a wide receiver, I’m someone who showed I can do anything on the football field,” Tracy said. “They put faith in me and allowed me to go out there and maximize my opportunities and make plays.”

Family matters

If you want to find the most competitive bowling lane in Indianapolis, check out Western Bowl on W. Washington Street some night. There is an off chance you might find the Tracy family, outfitted with their own bowling balls and shoes (courtesy of Tyrone Tracy Sr.).

“They are all highly competitive,” Tracy Sr. said of his sons. “But I’ll say my wife is better than them.”

These bowling outings, and really any time spent with the whole family together, are treasured memories.

“Family is the No. 1 thing in my life other than God,” Tyrone Jr. said. “They are the reason I do what I do. … I want to make sure my parents are proud, and my brothers are proud.”

NFL or not, they are. Tyrone will have a chance to make an impression on NFL scouts and coaches in the Hula Bowl, a pro day at Purdue and interviews with teams leading up to the draft April 25-27. “I’m just going to be me,” he said. “I only need one team to pick me. I don’t need 32.”

That is “Plan A.” And “Plan B” will be there, too, in large part because of Laverna Tracy’s diligence. When Tyrone was in high school, he had a ‘C’ on his progress report. He was not allowed to play until he got that grade up to a ‘B.’

“We went to the game and paid our $5 and watched,” she said. “I said, ‘You aren’t going to play.’ He sat on the bench and the next game he had (his grade) up. The other boys were watching so they didn’t try anything because they saw what he went through. Sometimes it has to be tough love.”

Quietly, Laverna loved that her son was so driven. He pushed Kenny and Javon to think beyond being the best at Decatur Central and being the best in Indiana and beyond. They did, too, breaking some of his records in the process. When Tyrone Tracy puts his mind to something, there is not much that can stand in his way.

“Always reaching for the stars,” Laverna said.

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue football RB Tyrone Tracy chases NFL dream starting at Hula Bowl