BATON ROUGE, La. -- Most 8-year-old boys spend their time away from school playing with friends and enjoying life in their own free-spirited ways.
But not LSU senior safety Danny McCray. When the Houston native was 8, he was forced to assume the role of man of the house when his father, Roger Wayne Harris, died in a car accident May 4, 1996.
McCray has two sisters - Kemberly, 25, and Dannyell, 16, and his mother, LaQuita McCray-Harris, said they look up to him for everything he has done for their family.
"He took on the role of their father and pretty much my dad, too," McCray-Harris said. "He was very humble, and whatever needed to be done, he was always there protecting his sisters even though he was the one in the middle. To this day, they are still afraid to disappoint Danny."
McCray-Harris said she was blessed to raise a son as respectful and caring as Danny.
"If he wasn't my child, I would want my child to see Danny as a role model and mold himself after him," she said. "Even his high school coach said to me if his daughters were old enough, he would want them to date a guy like Danny because of his character."
McCray-Harris said Danny is especially protective of his youngest sister now that she has reached dating age.
"With my baby daughter, Danny still doesn't feel like she needs to have a boyfriend," McCray-Harris said. "If it was up to him, he would probably put a cap on her and seal her up."
Danny McCray received a full scholarship to LSU, both athletic and academic, after finishing high school with a 4.37 GPA, his mother said.
Kemberly McCray said her brother writes a message on each of his wristbands before each game in remembrance of his father.
"On one wrist he writes [the Bible verses] Proverbs 3:5-6 and my dad's name, and he writes my mom's name on the other one," she said.
LSU senior safety Chad Jones said Danny McCray is not only a knowledgeable defensive back whom players and coaches count on to produce on the field, but he is also a model of good character for the team.
"He clowns around a little bit, but mostly he's always serious," Jones said. "He's real mature and leads by example on and off the field. He keeps me in line when I'm at practice goofing around."
Danny McCray said he started playing football when he was about 6 years old, and he said his family sticking together helped him heal after his father's death.
"[My father] got to watch me play for about two years," he said. "It was nice. It was hard [to heal], but my mother had prepared me to be the younger older brother for my big sister and the big brother for my little one."
McCray-Harris said the loss of Danny's father likely didn't hit Danny until he left home for college. But she said she and her children "put our arms around each other" and vowed to stay tight-knit even with Danny away from home.
"We'll always be in [Danny's] life, no matter if he goes to the NFL or the business world," McCray-Harris said. "I was always there to make sure everything was OK and [the family] didn't miss a beat, worked two or three jobs or whatever I needed to do."
LSU sophomore cornerback Brandon Taylor said Danny McCray is "a solid tackler" and "the smartest defender we got," and the playing without his father inspires his performance on the field.
"I'm watching and trying to learn from him," Taylor said. "Before every game, I see him write on his wristband. That shows me who he's playing for."
Danny McCray said he thinks about his father fondly when he gets the opportunity to make plays for LSU.
"I know he's watching," McCray said. "I want to put on a good show for him."
