MURFREESBORO, N.C. - For Courtney Massingill, faith, football, family and friends are not just "things" in his life. They are "the things" that make Courtney who he is. They are his why, his North Star, his life's biggest motivating factors, his pillars in life. Courtney is an honor student at Chowan. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing in December of 2024. He is enrolled in the Organizational Leadership Masters Degree program at Chowan, where he currently boasts a 4.0 grade point average. It's safe to say that academics have also played an important role in Courtney's life. Academics are the reason Courtney gets to pursue his passion for football every day.
One night in May of 2024, one of those defining pillars was nearly stripped away forever, sending Courtney's life barreling down a path he could have never seen for himself.
Courtney, a Texas native, was home near Jefferson picking his brother up after work. After a night of catching up, Courtney and his brother set out for home not knowing what lay ahead in the dark Texas night. As the young men traversed a trek that they had taken many times before, they saw headlights veer into their lane. With no time to react, Courtney and his brother took the impact from the car head on, turning what should have been a routine drive home into the biggest challenge of Courtney's young life.
Courtney was airlifted from the scene of the accident and spent nearly two weeks in sedation while his body recovered from severe traumatic injuries. The driver that crashed into Courtney and his brother was charged with drunk driving.
"I broke my fibula, femur, and tibia. I suffered an axonal brain injury, suffered a contusion of my left kidney ,a transverse colon injury, and a liver laceration," said Courtney. "I was in a coma for almost two weeks. I was basically in a state of delirium (in the hospital)."
Football at Chowan in the fall of 2024 seemed far off after the car accident. Keenly aware, but also sighted in on what needed to be done to get back to where he once was, Courtney set about on his healing journey always with the goal in mind to suit back up in the CU blue and white in the Fall of 2024.
Courtney made a fast recovery, after several months of rest and physical therapy, and help from his family, Courtney's healing journey had begun.
"My family was in my corner all the way," said Courtney.
The challenge of getting Courtney's health back was not just his own. It came with obstacles for others as well. "That summer my mom had to quit her job to be with me and take me to treatment hours away from home. My granny would stay the night with me since she worked in downtown Dallas."
Courtney needed around the clock care. His family was there to ensure that Courtney got what he needed both physically and emotionally.
"Literally there were battles of needing help getting in the shower," continued Courtney. "I had a hard time sleeping because I couldn't sleep on my broken leg side." These every day chores that required hardly any effort on Courtney's part prior to the accident, now became laborious.
Each week Courtney progressed. He went from a wheelchair to walking with support to walking alone and eventually to some light workouts in just three months time. Staying focused was easy for Courtney because he relied heavily on his faith and the ultimate goal of returning to the football field.
"At home, I would workout alone a lot," said Courtney. "I would watch my old football videos to know where I was and where I needed to be. I just kept telling myself that God has my back through this storm."
Early August rolled around and although Courtney had made marked progress, his doctors couldn't yet release him to play football for the Hawks in 2024. With Chowan's football camp just weeks away, it was time for Courtney to accept the role of sideline supporter for the Hawks for the 2024 season.
"I had to be encouraging and supportive because I knew I couldn't play," said Courtney. "I had to help out the team in a different way than what I was used to. Working with the Hawks coaching staff gave me a different perspective at helping the team get better week by week. A year ago mentally I was drained just watching people practice and physically I had no chance of being out there but I just accepted my role and stayed consistent."
Courtney came back to Chowan in August of 2024 when the football team checked in for preseason camp. On August 15th of 2024, Courtney was on the sideline, supporting his teammates during two-a-day sessions. A flock of Hawks piled up during an on-field drill and Courtney couldn't escape the path of tacklers from his position on the sideline. Without much time to react, Courtney got caught up in the pile of defenders, rolling his recently repaired leg backwards. While the pile of Hawks popped up, Courtney stayed down.
Almost three months to the day, Courtney saw all of his progress to that point slip away. His healing leg bones, once again, were damaged. Courtney was faced with yet another surgery and a longer recovery. The disappointment was a tidal wave, drowning the hope he had carefully rebuilt with each painful physical therapy session. He now had to face not only the long road back to health, but the crushing mental toll of starting from the beginning all over again.
Most people would crumble at the thought of going through another surgery and erasing three months of progress. But Courtney is not most people. Instead of questioning why this was happening to him, Courtney found a resilience in himself that allowed him to maintain his focus. "My first thought was I was not going to let this stop me from pursuing my future goals," said Courtney. "I will persevere through all of this madness and the grass will be greener on the other side."
"I stayed committed to knowing that I was going to play football again. I stayed committed to a growth mindset , and also stayed committed to making my family and coaches proud," continued Courtney.
Courtney's recovery has come with peaks and valleys.
Instead of allowing despair to consume him, Courtney dedicated himself to rehabilitation, embracing the process with the same tenacity he once brought to the football field. His journey is not about a miraculous recovery, but about the hard, daily work of finding strength and redefining success on his own terms. Ultimately, the story of Courtney Massingill is a powerful testament to the human spirit's ability to transform pain into purpose, proving that catastrophic events do not have to define the story.
The story of Courtney Massingill is not one that focuses on a car accident that nearly took his life or re-breaking his leg in a freak sideline accident. Courtney's story is about how he used his pain to drive his purpose. Rather than being defeated by his new circumstances, he viewed the events as a catalyst for realigning with the pillars that define his life.
Courtney's hard work to get back on the field was realized this fall when he checked in for preseason camp. He suited up for two-days and once again got to wear the Hawks jersey on Saturdays. Sure, there have been doubts in the process to get to where he is. "I get thoughts like 'will I be as good as I was' or 'will I move as fast as I used to'," said Courtney. "I just have to block that out and continue to move forward."
Moving forward is exactly what Courtney is doing. He is active on Chowan's campus with Campus Ministries.God is at the forefront of everything that Courtney does. He also works with the Chowan Admissions staff as a graduate student. He is involved with just about anything that the campus has to offer.
"There will be many storms in our lifetime, from deaths to crazy accidents. But God has your back. Believe in Him and never turn your back on him no matter how much you want to give up. You have to persevere through all the challenges the Lord has set up," finished Courtney.
And that sums up the kind of person Courtney Massingill is: a young man of strong faith and resilience who, after facing unimaginable hardships, finds purpose in giving back to his campus community and setting an example for others in how to deal with the setbacks that life brings.
Courtney and the Chowan football team will host North Greenville University on Saturday, October 4th, 2025 at 1:00pm in Garrison Stadium for Homecoming. Fans can find Courtney on the sidelines, in uniform, a place that a year ago he always imagined he would be. A Hawk always rises.
