The Kid From South Brooksville

BROOKSVILLE – Officially, the doors to Brooksville Central High School opened in 1988.
Unofficially, the school near Ken Austin Parkway and Sunshine Grove Road first appeared on the figurative map two years later when the precocious Tyrone Goodson — filled with athletic ability and uncommon charisma for a teenager– walked through those doors for the first time in the late summer of 1990.

Suddenly, Central’s fledgling athletic program was respectable and it had a trickle-down effect. Suddenly, Central was mainstream and no longer a novelty. Suddenly, young boys all over Hernando County were turning to “The Fade” as their haircut of choice. Suddenly, Hernando County’s high school athletic and social landscapes were altered forever.

“People at Central saw Tyrone as the savior,” said former Central baseball coach Tony Zefiretto, who had Goodson on his team as a freshman.

People at Central weren’t wrong. “Tyrone was Central’s first brush with greatness in a lot of ways,” former Central basketball coach John Sedlack said. “He kind of cleared the way for everything that followed.”

Goodson’s time at Central — and even a year or two before it — was the stuff of legend. It was the first major stop on a path that included a brilliant athletic career at Central, a stellar four years as a wide receiver for the Auburn University football team, a stint in the National Football League, thousands of trips around the golf course repeated good deeds for the next generation and more than a few peaceful tractor rides around an Ocala farm.

Through it all, Goodson may have left Brooksville. But Brooksville never left him. Goodson, now 50, is living in Ocala these days, but he comes back to Brooksville often. Sometimes to visit family, sometimes to run a football camp as part of the Tyrone Goodson Youth and Sports Program, Inc., that he runs with his wife, Krysti, and sometimes to attend football or basketball games at Central. Sometimes, his Brooksville visits check all those boxes. That’s only fitting because Goodson always has been a jack of all trades — in sports and beyond. Heck, as a senior, he was Central’s Homecoming King.

Goodson’s life has many chapters. So, it might be best to go in chronological order. As a star in just about every youth sport, he was long-viewed as the greatest thing to come along in Hernando County since Jerome Brown, unquestionably the best all-around athlete ever from Brooksville. At Parrott Middle School, Hernando High coaches, who once automatically would have had dibs on Goodson, took notice. But Central was in its early stages and boundaries no longer were clear. Central’s coaches also were more than aware of Goodson’s potential. The South Brooksville area near Coney Island where Goodson lived became a battleground of sorts.

“I had lived with my mother in an area that was zoned for Central, but I moved with my grandmother into Hernando territory,” Goodson said. “Basically, I could have gone to either school. Everyone was in my ear. There was a meeting with (then-Central principal) Edd Poore. And I wound up at Central.”
Hernando High coaches and Leopards faithful weren’t happy. At Central, coaches and fans celebrated what was then the biggest win in school history.

For all intents and purposes, that was the start of the basketball and football programs at Central. As a freshman guard in basketball, Goodson averaged more than 14 points a game and led the Bears to a winning record. In football, he made an instant impact as a wide receiver, quarterback and defensive back and that team also started winning. That was just a start. Over the next three years, Goodson carried the Central basketball and football teams as they won — quite often.

“Those were great times at Central,” said Sedlack, who coached the Bears for 18 years and has returned as an assistant coach in recent years. “There’s no doubt Tyrone put our athletic programs ahead of schedule.”

Things appeared smooth on the outside, but there was conflict over Goodson within Central’s athletic program. Football coach Barry Gardner wanted Goodson to focus on the gridiron. Sedlack wanted Goodson to spend all his time on the court. At about the same time, Gardner and Sedlack were named as the school’s co-athletic directors and the situation was a bit awkward.

“There was definitely a battle between them,” Goodson said.

“Away from school, Barry and I had a good relationship,” Sedlack said. “We could go out for a beer or whatever. But, yeah, we definitely had our moments and they were all over Tyrone. But, I think that, deep down, we both realized that the best thing for the school was to let him play both
sports.”

That became increasingly obvious as Goodson led an undermanned Central basketball team to a brutally-close loss to an uber-talented Pasco team (led by future NFL player Darren Hambrick and Issac Johnson, one of the greatest high school athletes ever to come out of the North Suncoast) in the district championship his junior year. As a junior and senior, Goodson scored over 20 points per game and was selected Player of the Year for Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties by The Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times. He finished his career as Hernando County’s leading scorer with more than 2,000 points and also grabbed over 1,000 rebounds. He was the Central basketball team’s first All-State player.

He matched that feat in football as he starred as a receiver, defensive back and quarterback. But, even at the time, a frequent thought ran through Goodson’s mind.

“I had grown up watching Hernando football,” Goodson said. “I often wondered what it would have been like to play for (Hernando) Coach (Mike) Imhoff and what it would have been like to play with Dwayne Mobley, Andrew Timmons and Jermaine Green (Hernando’s biggest stars of the early 1990s and Goodson’s childhood friends). If I had gone to Hernando, we would have beat Pasco (in a landmark 1991 game that many featured the top two teams in state rankings and many observers consider one of the best high school football games ever in Florida).”

Something else gnawed at Goodson — college football and basketball recruiters from around the country. Goodson was viewed as a major college prospect in both sports. There were numerous offers from the likes of Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Florida, Michigan, Michigan State and Kansas State, but most of them wanted Goodson to choose one sport.

Auburn’s offer was different. The Tigers offered Goodson a football scholarship but said he also could play basketball. At least that was the story until soon after Goodson arrived on campus. Goodson wasn’t able to play either sport as a true freshman due to a stress fracture in his foot. As the next year approached, Auburn basketball coach Tommy Joe Eagle lost an expected recruit and told Goodson there was a place for him on the team. But, just like with Sedlack and Gardner, there was a clash over the two-sport concept.

“I got called in by (Auburn football coach Terry) Bowden,” Goodson said. “He said he heard I was going to start playing basketball and that we had agreed on that when I was recruited. But that didn’t really matter anymore. He told me, “If you want to be great at something, put on weight and dedicate yourself to Auburn football.” Basically, he told me I wasn’t good enough to play in the NBA even though he never saw me play basketball.”

That was the end of Goodson’s basketball career, although he said he usually held his own in pickup games with Auburn varsity players and alumni who had played in the NBA. But it also was the start of a great football career. To this day, Goodson remains one of the most productive receivers in Auburn history. In four seasons, he caught 136 passes for 2,283 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was nominated for the Biletnikoff award as a senior in 1997, but injuries — mostly to his knees — put a damper on Goodson’s career stats and his NFL draft status.

Goodson went undrafted but was signed by the St. Louis Rams and spent training camp with them. He didn’t make the roster but was picked up by the Green Bay Packers and placed on the practice squad. Toward the end of the 1999 season, the Packers saw enough potential in Goodson to promote him to the 53-man roster. But more injuries prevented Goodson from the career he wanted.

“I believe I could have had a 10-year NFL career if it wasn’t for the injuries,” Goodson said.
After leaving Green Bay, Goodson had a brief stint with the Washington football team (now known as the Commanders). But injuries continued to weigh him down.

“I couldn’t pass a physical,” Goodson said. “You could say I was a little ticked off having to leave the game because I felt like I had unfinished business.”

Goodson’s athletic career wasn’t finished, although it transitioned to a different level. He moved back to Florida and settled in the Clermont area. Although he had never touched a golf club in his youth, Goodson took up the sport and it didn’t take him long to become a scratch golfer. He dabbled in officiating, scouting and coaching. But there was a hidden benefit to Goodson’s brief NFL career.

After-effects from Goodson’s knee injuries as well as what he says are complications from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE or post-concussion syndrome) have put Goodson on complete and permanent disability. That means the NFL is making him financially comfortable and there aren’t any obvious indications of CTE when you speak to Goodson.

But Goodson’s current comfort level goes beyond money. In recent years, he moved to Ocala and bought a farm. There’s an area to hit golf balls and there are acres upon acres to ride his tractor and tend to the farm’s animals. He’s coaching his 11-year-old son, Tyrone Jr., in multiple sports. Already, there are strong indications that Tyrone Jr. has inherited some of his father’s athletic ability, even before he reaches his teen years.

Basketball has been over for years for Goodson and playing football is nothing more than a distant memory. “The Fade” has given way to dreadlocks and the kid who starred at Central at 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds now goes somewhere around 230. But Goodson, whose only athletic weakness might have been that he never could sit still, isn’t done with sports. Or with Brooksville.

Goodson said Krysti runs the day-to-day operations of Tyrone Goodson Youth and Sports Program, Inc., which also holds camps and charity benefits in the Ocala area. Goodson is involved as much as possible. In his spare time, he coaches Tyrone Jr., hits some golf balls and rides his
tractor.

“I guess you could say the kid from South Brooksville has a pretty good life,” Goodson said.