NEWS - Texas Southern University

Southwestern Conference all-conference firstteam honors for a phenomenal senior year.Hankton finished his TSU career with 175receptions for 3,400 yards and 30 touchdowns.He sits atop the TSU record books for mostreceiving yards; consequently, Hankton is regularlymentioned in the same breath with TSUlegends Donald Narcisseand Darrell Colbert as arguablythe greatest receiver inthe history of TSU football.With all of the attentionand accolades Hanktongarnered as a TSU standout,his name went uncalled duringthe 2003 NFL draft. “Ireally thought that I had anopportunity to get drafted,but it didn’t turn out thatway,” Hankton said. “SinceI wasn’t drafted, I had togo the free agent route. Itworked out great though,because I was able to look atthe teams and actually pick where I wanted togo.”Hankton selected the Jacksonville Jaguars,who offered him the opportunity to earn a spoton their 2003 roster. While most rookie freeagents have a slim chance at making a NFLteam, Hankton once again proved his abilityto defy the odds. With Jacksonville’s topreceiver Jimmy Smith serving a four-game suspension,the TSU alum seized the moment andworked his way onto the playing field. Aftera consistent performance during the preseason,Hankton earned a spot on Jacksonville’s openingday roster.“Nobody was really expecting me to makethe team, but I got out there and turned someheads,” Hankton recounted. “People reallydidn’t pay me much attention at first becausethey weren’t expecting me to be around. [But]the more plays I made, the more people begantalking to me and telling me that I was prettygood.”While Hankton adjusted to life inJacksonville and worked hard to learn fromevery encounter his rookieseason, the 6’0, 204 poundwide receiver often allowed histhoughts to wander back to hisdays as a college athlete at TexasSouthern. “I wouldn’t tradein my college experience forthe world,” he said. “Playingblack college football, hearingthose bands, and things likeHomecoming Week are reallysomething special. You can’tfind that at every university.”Since embarking on the pathCortez Hankton greets the crowd as marshal of of professional sports, surelyTSU’s 2003 Homecoming Parade.an innumerable number ofthings have changed for CortezHankton. He’d be hard pressed, however, toforget his Houston roots. He returned to ThirdWard and TSU’s campus last fall, riding high asmarshal of the University’s 2003 Homecomingparade. Hankton also generously donated a$1,000 scholarship to TSU Athletics, to rewardstudent-athletes who are also successful in theclassroom.“People tend forget where they came fromand the struggles they had to go through,” heexplained. “For me, it just came down to givingback. TSU gave me an opportunity… andwith that opportunity, I was able to accomplishmany things. I felt that creating a scholarshipwould help the next student-athlete to do thesame thing.”GENERATIONS OF PRIDE • Summer 2004 15