Isaac Bruce's Signing Day wasn't at all like the wild ceremonies you see today
Bruce didn't have an elaborate ceremony when signing his letter of intent
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1 min read
Signing Day ceremonies have gotten more and more elaborate over the years. Some play magician-like games with hats from their potential schools. Some produce videos. Some even jump out of airplanes.
But the Signing Day of former NFL All-Pro receiver Isaac Bruce wasn't anything like that.
"As you see now a lot of these high school students, they have these big parties and have their families all around while they're signing their scholarships -- everyone's taking pictures. That wasn't my case," Bruce said.
Bruce, an All-County selection from Dillard High School in the class of 1990, led his team to the 1989 Florida 4A state championship. His performance earned him an offer from Purdue University, and he accepted -- but with much less fanfare than recruits these days.
"I was sitting in a room, probably with another recruit," Bruce said. "I just had my scholarship right on my desk. I signed it off, sealed it, dropped it in the mail. I gave thanks, and that was it, man. That was my story."
But his dream was put on hold, as Bruce was unable to qualify for Purdue academically. He spent two years in junior college before transferring to Memphis (then called Memphis State) in 1992.
"It was a dream come true because I always wanted to play Division I football," he said. "I wanted to play against the best competition, and in my mindset all of the best athletes attended a Division I university. So anything underneath that was beneath my standards and beneath my dreams."
He found a home at Memphis, where he finished his career with 113 catches for 1,586 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was selected in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Rams, where he later became the star receiver for "the greatest show on turf," winning a Super Bowl in the process.
"Just being able to have an alma mater," Bruce said. "I have a school I can always turn back to, I can always be welcome and go to a football game, basketball game. You know, NCAA [tournament] time I have a T-shirt I can put on and a school that I can truly root for and be proud of."
