Saskatchewan Roughriders' Tad Kornegay at practice on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010.
Photograph by: Roy Antal, Leader-Post
REGINA — Tad Kornegay's smile is as genuine as the emotion he exhibits while discussing a turbulent off-season.
The versatile Kornegay, a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders' defence, was rocked by four deaths in March and April. The first involved a 24-year-old man, whom Kornegay referred to as a little brother. He was killed in a car accident.
Then a close family friend committed suicide. That was followed by an aunt passing away after complications from surgery. Kornegay then lost a great-aunt to natural causes. Those feelings reached a peak when he attended three of their funerals during one emotional week in April at his home in Trenton, N.J.
"It was tough,'' Kornegay said in advance of Thursday's CFL game (7 p.m., TSN, CKRM) against the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium. "You can't control deaths in the family. My family is big and very religious and they are very big on celebrating someone's life rather than mourning it.''
They rallied around Kornegay, who was a West Division all-star in 2009 as a linebacker . He expected to make his second consecutive start at his natural position of cornerback Thursday against the Lions.
"I'm the one with the positive energy in my family,'' said Kornegay, who is a personal trainer at the Tests Sports Club during the off-season. "I'm also the saviour of keeping everyone together. Everybody loves it because I'm playing professional football. They all watched me play football, even the ones who passed away. The best thing for me was to keep everyone out there in high spirits.''
That's not a tough task for Kornegay.
"Everyone looks at me to make them laugh,'' Kornegay said. "It's not like I'm trying to do it. It's just me being me. I'm a high-spirited guy and I try to keep everyone smiling.''
That good spirit includes the Roughriders, who are Kornegay's extended family during the football season. The players appreciate his multitude of football talents and his inherent good nature.
"Tad doesn't share what happened with us because he's always in a great mood,'' said Riders defensive halfback Lance Frazier. "He's always happy and it takes a lot to get under his skin. He's a delight in the locker room and he's a guy that you can't lose in there. When he's a free agent, he's one of the guys that you get nervous about. He's the type of guy that you always remember and makes the game so special.''
Kornegay had dreamed of being a professional football player. That dream may not have been realistic because in Grade 9 he was 5-foot-0 and 118 pounds. He underwent a growth spurt in his junior year of high school and was large enough to earn a scholarship to play with the Fordham University Rams.
It was also there that Kornegay's family and followers earned their share of recognition.
"I always called them my cheerleaders because they would get everyone pumped up,'' Kornegay said with a laugh. "I would have a great game and they would be all be getting interviewed after it.''
A number of Kornegay's cheerleaders were in Montreal on Friday for the Riders' 30-24 loss to the Alouettes.
"You can tell who they are because they all look alike,'' Kornegay added with another laugh.
Kornegay grew up Trenton within the embrace of his large family. Both of his parents — mother Linda and father Thaddeus — retired recently after careers with General Motors.
"Trenton is pretty tough but it's a good city,'' Tad Kornegay said. "I've seen a lot of crazy things growing up but I had a lot of family support, which kept me out of trouble. My family worked, they kept me in school and I had a lot of positive energy.''
Kornegay made his way to the CFL as a cornerback with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He spent two seasons with the Tiger-Cats before being traded to the Roughriders in 2007.
Kornegay was a defensive back for two seasons with the Riders before being switched to a weak-side linebacker in 2009. He started 18 regular-season and two playoff games while being named a West Division all-star.
He began the 2010 season as a linebacker but was moved to cornerback after injuries to starter Donovan Alexander (hamstring) and backup Leron Mitchell (knee). Kornegay had two defensive tackles against the Alouettes, who rarely tested him.
"He never misses a beat and he's always prepared,'' Frazier said. "He's really upbeat but when he's on the field, he's very serious about football.''
The 28-year-old Kornegay is also tough. He showed that after an interception by defensive end Luc Mullinder against the Tiger-Cats on July 31. Shortly after Mullinder started to run, Kornegay blocked offensive tackle Belton Johnson. It was quite the mismatch considering Kornegay is 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds and Johnson, a former Rider, is 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds.
"He regularly takes on offensive linemen when he's in the box,'' said defensive back coach Nelson Martin. "He's a DB that is really tough. He hasn't had any problems making the conversion to the corner because that's where he's the most comfortable.''
Kornegay has continued to excel this season despite the off-season distractions. He has 10 defensive tackles, four pass knockdowns, one tackle on special teams and a fumble recovery. He uses what took place during his off-season as motivation during the regular season.
"I think about it all of the time because it makes me stronger,'' Kornegay said. "I always take negative energy and turn into a positive. That's what has kept me going in football as well as life.''
mmccormick@leaderpost.canwest.comRead more: http://www.leaderpost.com/sports/Riders+Kornegay+positive+force+field/3387128/story.html#ixzz0wMBECRnH
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