It’s almost like Terrence Toliver was meant to find his way to the Tiger-Cats; after all, the Tiger has always seemed to be involved in his biggest football moments.
Toliver grew up in Hempstead, Texas, a town of less than 6,000 people, also known as the Watermelon District of Texas; the town is about an hour northwest of Houston, on the way to Austin. The wideout still has a lot of family in Hempstead, which he says is your typical small town, where everybody knows everybody, and high school football means the world.
“Football in Texas, high school football, is another religion,” says Toliver, “everybody gets so amped up to watch high school football on Friday nights.”
Toliver practically lived Friday Night Lights, which he says is a more accurate Hollywood representation of Texas high school football than most people would believe.
As a child, Toliver was unable to afford organized sports, but that didn’t stop him from being involved with them from an early age. He would spend his time playing pick-up basketball, football and any other sport for that matter, with his cousins.
This is where he developed his talent, a talent that became apparent as soon as he reached the high school level, where he began playing organized football.
Toliver began high school football in Huntsville, Texas, a much larger city than Hempstead.
“We moved there when I was in fifth grade, and we kept moving back and forth,” says Toliver.
That was when the big games began; as a freshman, he started the final three games of the season on the varsity team and impressed immediately.
“I got first-team all district and didn’t even know what that was,” laughs Toliver.
In his sophomore season, Toliver moved back to Hempstead, where the team was not as great—they finished with a 1-9 record in 2004—but he continued to prove himself as a standout player.
It was when he reached his junior year that Toliver truly came into his own, nearly leading Hempstead to their first playoff appearance since 1984 in his junior year (2005). The Bobcats narrowly missed the playoffs, but that wasn’t any fault of their all-state junior receiver.
In his junior year, Toliver was the receiver, kicker, and punter of his team, while also handling kickoff and punt return duties. He scored nine total touchdowns (six receiving, three return) that season, but none was more interesting than the one that came late in the October 7, 2005 game.
“We were playing Sealy, Texas,” begins Toliver, “my brother actually played for that team.”
As the clock wound down in the divisional game, with his team trailing late, Toliver kicked the ball off to the opposing returner.
After booting the ball off the tee, he raced downfield, outrunning his teammates to the ball-carrier, laying into him with a big hit.
“I kicked the ball off, ran down and made the tackle,” Toliver continues, “I forced a fumble, recovered the fumble, and scored the touchdown.”
And as if that wasn’t enough, Toliver proceeded to kick the game-winning extra point. The Hempstead Bobcats triumphed 14-13 over the Sealy Tigers that night, the first of Toliver’s big moments as a Tiger.
As a senior, Toliver was the most highly-touted wide receiver recruit in the entire United States, receiving scholarship offers from nearly every school in the country.
Coaches from the top NCAA football programs were lining up to talk to him, showing up at Hempstead athletic offices every single day to meet with him in hopes of securing a commitment for the next season.
“I knew how to handle it, but I was pretty much a shy guy,” says Toliver, “I think right now I’d handle it differently because I’m more mature, but it was a fun process.”
On one day alone, Toliver had visits from the head coaches of LSU (Les Miles), Florida (Urban Meyer), USC (Ken Norton Jr.) and Tennessee (Phillip Fulmer), a day which left him feeling floored.
After countless visits, a lot of thought, and ultimately a good relationship with recruiting coach Larry Porter, Toliver settled on Louisiana State University (LSU). Following his senior season at Hempstead, where he’d make 44 receptions for 869 yards and six touchdowns for the 7-4 Bobcats, Toliver would become an LSU Tiger.
“I think I took two unofficial visits there, and I liked the place,” says Toliver, I liked the facility, never watched a game there but I saw it on TV, that was my decision.”
In Baton Rouge, Toliver lived up to all the high school hype; he started just four games over his first two seasons, but was a solid contributing member on the LSU offence, reeling in 32 passes for 506 yards and four touchdowns. As a true freshman on LSU’s BCS National Championship team, Toliver was named to the SEC all-freshman team.
After two seasons of depth duty, Toliver yet again took over in his junior year, snagging 53 receptions for 735 yards and three touchdowns in his third year at LSU.
It was the bowl game following his 2010 senior season where Toliver finished his Tigers career, and went down in Cotton Bowl history.
LSU played Texas A&M in Toliver’s home state for the 2011 Cotton Bowl, and after a slightly less-productive year, Toliver exploded in his final college game.
“That was fun, playing back at home, I was very motivated,” explains Toliver, “my family was able to come to the game, and we were playing a Texas school, I always wanted to play a Texas school.”
In the Cotton Bowl game, Toliver caught five passes for 112 yards, with three of the receptions going for touchdowns. His three touchdowns tied a Cotton Bowl record, and the performance earned him the game’s MVP award in a 41-24 win.
“That was just a coming out game for me. The coaches said they were going to give me the ball,” says Toliver, “I didn’t have a great season like I had my junior year, but coach said he was going to give me the ball and that’s all you have to tell me…that was great.”
Despite the massive game and successful pedigree, Toliver was not selected in the NFL draft; instead, he signed a contract with his hometown Houston Texans as an underrated free agent.
Injuries kept him off the Texans’ final roster, and five more NFL stints were all unfruitful, which ultimately led to Toliver deciding to take his CFL shot.
“I just saw it as another opportunity. You know, I had my doubts about it, but when I came here everybody just welcomed me with open arms,” says Toliver of his arrival in Hamilton.
Like many American players, he was unsure of what to expect in the Canadian professional league, but what he found when he came here left him pleasantly surprised.
“In the NFL there’s a lot of egos, but here guys put their egos aside to help one another,” explains Toliver, “they’ve all been through the same thing, been cut, haven’t gotten opportunities, so we came up here. Everybody was so cool and I just felt at home.”
Toliver is happy with his decision to come to Hamilton, meeting up with a few LSU alumni when he got here, including his own teammates from college, Michael Ford and Drake Nevis.
“I played with those guys and we had a great relationship, especially with Drake, he’s a funny guy,” says Toliver, “I didn’t know Pete [Dyakowski] before then, but it’s just like family that you’ve never met before. Anytime you say you went to LSU, we’re cousins, I’m going to treat you like family.”
It wasn’t just the players who made Toliver feel at home in Hamilton, though, it was also playing in a city that lives and breathes football. Toliver’s first couple months in Hamilton have quickly acclimated him to the Tiger-Cats fans, and there have already been a few moments that have left him in awe of the dedication.
“It’s kind of like LSU. In Baton Rouge, everybody is like ‘Go Tigers’, here it’s ‘Go Ticats.’”
As for what to expect in his first Tiger-Cats season, the rookie receiver is not willing to share his personal goals for the season, but he’s quick to acknowledge a Grey Cup as the main goal, saying he’s excited for what’s in store for the team.
It should be no surprise if Toliver produces memorable moments in the Black and Gold; after all, the Tiger has always played a part in his biggest games.