John David Booty was born on January 3, 1985, and grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, in a family devoted to football. Both his brothers and his father played the game and Booty was quick to join the dynasty. He played throughout his childhood and teen years. Upon entering prep school, he chose to attend the Evangel Christian Academy, where his father worked as the football team's quarterback coach and where his brother previously played quarterback.
During his tenure at Evangel, Booty showed passing yards of 8,474. With a 64.2 percent average, he completed 555 of 864 passing attempts. He scored a total of 88 touchdowns with only 26 interceptions. Both the 2001 and 2002 seasons were highlighted by back-to-back state championships for Evangel Christian Academy held at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. He was named ESPN RISE National High School Sophomore Player of the Year in 2001.
Early College Career
Booty left high school one year early to attend college, making him the first known person in the nation to do so. He joined USC in 2003, putting him in the same graduating class as four other prominent players that would eventually see the NFL, most notably Reggie Bush. Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer left the season before for professional ball, so the team was looking for a new starting quarterback. When Booty tried out for the starting position in his freshman year, he found that the competition was stiff. USC finally decided to start Matt Leinart, but questions arose regarding the possibility of Booty overtaking him in the next season.
In 2004, Booty injured his elbow in August and was forced to redshirt. For the remainder of the year, Booty attended classes and practiced with the team, but did not play in any games. The following year, Booty returned but Leinhardt decided to continue with USC for his senior year rather than moving into the NFL, eventually winning the Heisman Trophy. Booty considered transferring to another school to get a starting position, however decided to stay on and wait for his shot.
Rise to Greatness
At the end of the 2005 season, Booty found himself with a bulging disc in his spine. He had surgery the following March and found himself with enough time to fully recover to play in 2006. Upon tryouts, Booty achieved his goal of gaining the starting position and was nominated for the Maxwell Award for the best college football player. Throughout his season with USC, he was ranked number ten in the country for all quarterbacks and number one for PAC-10 teams. He rounded out his season by starting every game and eventually leading the team to a Rose Bowl victory over the Michigan Wolverines. During the game, Booty threw 391 yards and four touchdowns, one of the best in team history.
His return for the 2007 season was not much of a surprise to most observers. With only one college year under his belt, Booty looked towards the next year with the possibility of his own shot at the Heisman Trophy. Sports Illustrated named him one of the best players before the start of the season. He was also honored by being the pick for best player in college by a number of different news outlets and organizations, including Sporting News.
However, Booty suffered an early setback in the form of a broken finger. He damaged his throwing hand on October 6 in what became a loss against Stanford. He returned three games later and led the team undefeated for the remainder of the year. The Rose Bowl was a rout for the Trojans as the Illinois Fighting Illini collapsed under a 49 to 17 score. Booty set the Rose Bowl record with seven total career touchdowns.
During the 2008 NFL draft, Booty caused a large controversy by stating he wanted to be selected by the Minnesota Vikings over any other team, something that is generally never done by athletes publicly. Eventually, he was drafted by the team in the fifth round and 137th overall. During his first tryouts, he was put in the third spot of the lineup for quarterbacks.
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