Whenever Todd Doxey would get into a high-pressure situation, those around him would marvel at his cool.
“I remember when things weren't going right and I was getting excited, Todd would say, 'Coach, we got this,' and he made sure we did,” Hoover High basketball coach Ollie Goulston said.
It became the theme of yesterday's funeral services for the 19-year-old former Hoover Cardinal and University of Oregon sophomore-to-be attended by 2,500 at The Rock Church in Point Loma.
The two-hour service included eulogies, music and a video about the football-basketball standout. Last week, a crowd estimated at more than 2,000 attended a Celebration of Life at Hoover following Doxey's death July 13 in a swimming accident on the McKenzie River near the Oregon campus.
John Neal, the defensive backs coach for Oregon, recalled the day he went on the Hoover High campus after Doxey had made his scholarship decision, but had told no one. Doxey was expected to play backup DB this year, preparing him to start next season.
“We walked into his classroom,” Neal recalled, “and Todd . . . told everyone he had made up his mind, that he was going to the University of Oregon.
“The whole class got up and clapped for Todd.”
To Neal, it showed in how high esteem the 6-foot-2 Doxey was held, not just by his teammates, but his academic peers.
Neal could have asked some of the attendees who started arriving at The Rock 90 minutes before the service.
“He was a good athlete, a good person and I'm sure a good friend,” said September Trisby, mother of Hoover quarterback Corey Trisby who directed most of his passes to Doxey two years ago.
“Corey and Todd were like a machine – they just didn't work well without each other.”
One didn't have to be part of the Hoover program or have a child who had played on a team with Doxey to recognize his impact.
“He was just an overall good person,” said Monica Hill, who lives in the community surrounding the school and saw the impact Doxey made. “He had respect for adults, he was humble and he valued education. He wanted to succeed.
“Athletically, people would see him walking down the street and say, 'That's Todd Doxey. He's going to be the next one to make it in the NFL, the next Reggie Bush.' And you knew it was going to happen.”
Doxey's prowess on the football field and court are well-documented.
As Goulston read off his accomplishments, which included leading Hoover to two league football titles while grabbing passes worth 2,669 yards – just seven shy of the San Diego Section record – and being a four-year starter in basketball during which time he helped lead the Cardinals to their first section title in 44 years, the crowd voiced its appreciation.
“Todd would always compete,” said USD basketball standout Gyno Pomare, who discovered just how tenacious Doxey was during pickup games at Jenny Craig Pavilion. “He never backed down, never.”
Eric Ford, a North County resident who attended the memorial and funeral, agreed.
“Where you saw his greatness was in the (Alex Spanos) All-Star football game,” Ford said. “He was two steps ahead of everyone. He was clearly the best of the best.”
You'd have a tough time finding anyone in the crowd yesterday who would argue.
Steve Brand: (619) 293-1854; steve.brand@uniontrib.com
