Darryl Usher

Darryl Usher (January 3, 1965 – February 24, 1990) moved to Northern California in the 1970s and attended Bowditch Middle School in Foster City, California. He was the youngest of four boys. He showed great promise early on as an outstanding athlete. He attended San Mateo High School (SMHS) in San Mateo, California, where he excelled at both Football and Track and Field.

Darryl was a star wide receive and running back his senior year for the SMHS football team. He was also elected captain of the Boys Track and Field team his senior year (1983) and was a leader all season. That season, he finished 4th place in the State meet in the 200m. According to local news sources, this was quite an accomplishment since he had only the 9th fastest qualifying time. He was highly recruited for both Track and Football at the college level. With offers from several schools, he accepted a Track scholarship to University of Illinois and started in the Fall of 1983.

After college he was drafted to the NFL's New England Patriots and played as an American football wide receiver and on special teams. He played for the San Diego Chargers and Phoenix Cardinals in 1989.[1][2] He was shot and killed in a domestic dispute on February 24, 1990, in Phoenix, Arizona at age 25.[3] He was attempting to protect the life of a woman at risk, but both were tragically killed.

His former high school classmates chose to solidify his memory with a scholarship called the "Darryl Usher Student Athlete Scholarship". This scholarship was created to support student-athletes at San Mateo High School, who share Darryl's quiet leadership, athletic abilities and commitment to academic improvement, as well as who have a financial need. After an initial "pass the hat" fundraiser at a San Mateo High School Class of 1983 reunion held in November 2013, his classmates raised approximately $900. Since then, they have continued to raise over $15,000 and distributed 10 academic scholarships as of 2022. The intent of the scholarship is to create a legacy for the young man who was loved and admired and who was taken from this world much too soon.

To learn more about Darryl, please to follow a special FaceBook page called "Darryl Usher Student Athlete Scholarship" to learn more about Darryl's short, but inspiring life.