Ryan Flournoy's path to the NFL was a bumpy and certainly unconventional one.
Flournoy did not receive a Division I offer from Homewood-Flossmoor and instead went to NCAA Division II Central Missouri, where he was limited for his first few seasons due to major injuries, including a torn ACL.
Flournoy, who eventually became a star receiver at Southeast Missouri State, reached his dream destination on April 27 when the Dallas Cowboys selected him with the 216th overall pick in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
“It feels great,” Flournoy said after being selected on the Dallas Cowboys' draft show. “Honestly, it's the best feeling of my life. I've been playing football since I was five years old and I've been dreaming of this moment ever since.”
The 6-foot-2 Flournoy, a 2018 HF graduate, had 57 catches, 839 yards and six touchdowns for Southeast Missouri State last fall. He earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl, where he impressed NFL scouts and put himself on the draft radar.
“My shoulder was hurt the whole time,” Flournoy said of the Senior Bowl. “My helmet had a logo on it that no one noticed, so I really had a lot to prove. I think I was able to go out there and prove myself to the world.”
Flournova has long proven herself.
Kellyn Gerenstein, Flournoy's quarterback for much of his time at HF, recalls Flournoy as “the shortest guy on the team.”
“He was a shrimp,” Gerenstein said. “His father is a great guy, but he was mad at me after every game because he thought I should have given Ryan the ball more. There were other guys.
“But lo and behold, he was right to be upset the whole time. Because look where Ryan is now.”
Gerenstein, who now works in football recruiting at Boston University, said it was a great moment to see Flournoy get drafted.
“I'm really proud of him,” Gerenstein said. “He's my friend first and foremost. He's really my brother. We're both 24 years old, so it wasn't that long ago that I was in the weight room at HF when I was 16 or 17. .
“We spent a lot of time together there. We've been playing together since first grade. It's a dream-to-reality moment, so it's surreal. You see things like this a lot in movies, right? ”
Craig Buzea, who coached Flournoy at HF and now heads the program in Crown Point, Indiana, saw potential in the young receiver. But what about future NFL players?
“We knew he had talent,” Buzea said. “I didn't know if he had the talent to be drafted by the Cowboys. But he's a perfect example of perseverance.
“He was a late bloomer. When we got him, we knew he hadn't hit his stride yet. We saw glimpses of that. There's a part of me that regrets that we weren't able to give him as much spotlight because of the circumstances we were in.”
Those circumstances included Gerenstein suffering a season-ending injury a week before his and Flournois' senior seasons, forcing the Vikings to start the sophomore at QB.
HF then became a run-heavy team led by All-State running back Justin Hall, who went on to play at Northern Illinois and Western Illinois.
“Ryan was a victim of us not throwing the ball as much,” Buzea said. “But his tenacity and perseverance is incredible. I couldn't be more proud of him.
“His story is amazing. I think it's an incredible story and I hope I can get him to talk to the staff at Crown Point one day.”
Flournova said he wouldn't change his story despite the challenges.
“God gave me those obstacles to form the person I am today,” he said. “I feel like I can get through anything. Everything I've been through, I didn't really understand why I was going through it at the time, but it's been a blessing.”
