Growing up in Tupelo, Dietrich “Big Truck” Lockridge had dreams of playing football in the NFL.
On the field at Tupelo High School, Dietrich was named an All American and as a senior the scholarship offers began to roll in. He found himself at Jackson State University where the accolades continued. He was named an All American all four years he played at JSU.
In 1992 the dream he’d been working for all of his life came true. He was drafted in the eighth round by the Denver Broncos. “Going pro” was what he’d dreamed about since he was a kid and now, he had the opportunity to step onto that beautiful field and play before thousands of fans.
“It was great,” he said in a big booming voice. “It was all I ever wanted.”
However, Dietrich suffered a heartbreaking injury when his spinal nerve was bruised in practice. Lockridge made what he called “a rookie mistake” while pass-blocking a linebacker in a scrimmage. “I hit him with my head down,” he said. Dietrich couldn’t get up after taking the hit.
Dietrich sat out a year after his injury and planned to come back the following year.
“The New York Giants were looking at me,” he said, “and I took a physical. The doctors came back and said they wouldn’t take a chance on me because my neck looked bad.”
Lockridge
With that news Dietrich’s dream of playing in the NFL was shattered.
“That was really tough,” he said, “but in 1994 I had the chance to go to Canada to play football. I did that, but eventually came home to Tupelo because I didn’t really like playing up there.”
That’s when Dietrich’s troubles began. He was grieving the loss of his promising football career when he turned to drugs to cope.
“You know, I didn’t make it in pro and depression set in when I came back home because I didn’t have anything. That corner down the street was attractive to me because that’s where
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