Cornelius Clifford Floyd (December 5, 1972 in
Chicago, Illinois) is a designated hitter and
outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Floyd was born to parents Cornelius Clifford Floyd,
Sr. and Olivia Floyd. After spending 13 years as an
only child, Floyd was joined by brother Julius.
Sister Shanta was later adopted when the Floyds
noticed her as a six-year old classmate of Julius'
who had been troublesome for her then adoptive
parents. The three siblings were raised in Markham,
Illinois, a smaller city outside Chicago. Floyd's
father, a former Marine, worked double shifts at a
U.S. Steel plant in Chicago to allow the family to
live in a safe and stable neighborhood.
At Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois,
Floyd was a three-sport star in baseball, football,
and basketball. In basketball, he led his high
school to the Class AA Sectional Playoffs. In
leading his team to the Illinois state baseball
championship as a senior, he hit .508 with 130 runs
batted in during the final two years of his high
school prep career. James Schutzius, a Tinley Park
High School pitcher, was one of the few to actually
strike Floyd out. He was heavily recruited by
Arizona State University, Stanford, and Creighton
University but when the Montreal Expos drafted him
as the 14th pick in the 1st round of the 1991
amateur draft, Floyd made no hesitation and chose to
go to the minor leagues.
