Former local standout gets own personal dose of ‘Northern Exposure’

Following a college career littered with peaks and valleys, former Myrtle Beach High standout Everett Golson’s only desire was for someone to give him a chance.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that opportunity to come courtesy of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Golson, whose career at Notre Dame and Florida State offered uneven results, was added to the practice squad of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, announced by the team earlier this week.

“I’ve seen it all, lived in Myrtle Beach, went to Notre Dame and went to Florida State,” the former Seahawks standout said in a video posted to the Tiger-Cats website. “It’s prepared me for things like this, to where I can just go through it and do that type of thing, have faith and continue to get after it.”

Spending last season at Florida State, the 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback completed 147 of 219 pass attempts for 1,749 yards and 11 touchdowns, while throwing only three interceptions. However, he only played in nine games, losing his starting role in the Seminoles’ backfield after suffering a concussion against Georgia Tech last October.

While at Notre Dame, the local product passed for 5,850 yards and 41 touchdowns, while throwing 20 interceptions. He also had 581 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

Though he admits the game is vastly different from the one he came to love stateside, Golson believes the learning curve will not be too steep.

“I think for me, I’ve been through that, even transferring schools from Notre Dame and going to Florida State,” he said. “So it was a learning curve then, just kind of shifting your mindset. So this is just kind of the same process; but I’m glad I have been through that before, so I take what I learned then and apply it now.

“(The Canadian Football League is) a completely different game, you can’t attack it like it’s the American game. You got 12 people on the field, three downs, the field is bigger, wide; all type of different things.”

Just a few months ago, Golson was hoping to be one of the select few to hear his name called at the NFL Draft. But when that dream was not realized, he shifted his focus to opportunities that were in front of him – and the one in Hamilton proved to be just right.

“I’m a real spiritual person,” Golson said. “Everything happens for a reason, I can’t regret it. Whether the NFL happens, that’s its own deal. I’m just trying to enjoy my time here and learn from these great coaches.”

This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 7:36 PM with the headline "Former local standout gets own personal dose of ‘Northern Exposure’."