It was a sad day when Checotah heard of the passing of one of their own, Tracy Scroggins, whose name lives on at the field house and playground in his hometown. Scroggins passed away at the age of 56 in Hollywood, FL, on Feb. 6, 2026. He was born in Checotah on Sept. 11, 1969 to Sonny Scroggins and Angeline Carter.

At five years old, Scroggins believed he would play professional football and even while growing up he was known for his speed and agility. After graduating from Checotah, he went to Coffeyville, KS and then to Tulsa University before being drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1992. Scroggins played for the Lions for ten years but also earned his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Detroit.

After retiring he obtained his real estate license in Florida. He always believed no matter what – you never give up.

The community took another hit when Scroggins’ mother, Angeline Carter Brooks, passed away Feb. 22, just sixteen days after her beloved son died.

Local pastors led the celebration service and read scriptures from the Old and New Testament and Scroggins’ son, Trace Scroggins, thanked everyone for coming to celebrate the lives of his father and grandmother.

Dr. DeLois McGee read several resolutions from local churches as well offering their condolences.

Eunice Warrior also spoke at her cousins’ joint funeral bringing up great memories of years gone by.

“I’m here to celebrate Tracy but Angeline first, because she’s the mom,” Warrior said. “Angeline and I were first cousins. I’m grateful to be part of this family and the granddaughter of Rev. Sam Woodfork Sr. and Lena Woodfork that moved to Checotah, founded the Morning Star Baptist Church in Pierce and started their families here. We were taught to love the Lord. We were taught to seek him. We were taught that God loved us. And that if we just confess our sins and acknowledge Jesus as our Savior, and repent. Oh my God! You still have time to repent. I don’t know what they’re going to say up there, but I’m saying you still got time. As long as there’s some breath in your body, you’ve still got time. Hallelujah. He’s worthy to be praised. And if we came to celebrate a homegoing, we just all need to celebrate these lives.”

She then explained how close she was to Angeline because she didn’t have a sister but Angeline was like a sister to her and she was so glad that she lived a life well pleasing to the Lord but was also grateful for Tracy and everything he did for her over the years.

“I remember, of course, when Tracy was born. But I remember Tracy was in my Sunday school class, and I’d like to just tell a little bit about that. I was trying to convince him that you need to come to Sunday School every Sunday and he told me he would, but there was one condition. He liked my Mississippi Mud cake. And at the end of the month, he would come to Sunday School if I made him a Mississippi Mud cake. So he came to Sunday School and I made the cake. I don’t know how many Sundays he came after that, but I know that he came for one whole month without missing. He was something else.”

Later in Scroggins’ life he helped his cousin and sponsored one of her child development programs. She also said that she received a text from him on the 16th of January and he had told her that all was well.

And she texted him back and said that God had His merciful hand on him and would work things out for his good.

Other friends and family describe Scroggins “as a gentle giant, always close with everyone” and taking up for the underdog. “He didn’t like when people were taken advantage of and he would always speak up and defend them. He also celebrated other people and was genuinely happy hearing about the success of other people. Even teammates from the Detroit Lions talked about how surreal everything was the day Scroggins got drafted and they heard his name announced on television. They all thought he was a celebrity for a moment.

However, Scroggins never let running with the NFL change him. He always remained faithful to his family, his friends and his hometown.

Classmate Melissa Meyer spoke about Scroggins and “The Circle” of friends he never forgot from high school.

“Tracy was big,” Myers said. “He was bighearted. He was authentic and sincere. When he gave you a hug or a handshake, you felt it. You felt his warmth, his love, his friendship. It was reflected in his eyes, his smile and his laugh. Tracy loved to crack jokes – like jokes he made up on things he saw on TV. In high school, Tracy and Curtis were big fans of the show, Sanford and Sons. We would all be hanging out and without warning, the two of them would look at each other and say, ‘Did you see that?’ And the other would say ‘Yeah, dog.’ The rest of us heard the jumbling words through their laughter, and we heard the names like Fred and Lamont, and tears streamed down their faces. They were off in their own world so happy, and they carried on so long we would finally crack up as well. Tracy was such a fan of the show, the summer of 1988, he sent me a letter from Coffeyville on a notepad that said, ‘From the desk of Fred G. Sample.’

“As much as Tracy liked to joke and make up new sayings, he excelled on the football field. He also liked to have deep, thoughtful conversations. The topic of these conversations was mostly our friends, our classmates, or family.

“We’ve all had the privilege over the years to watch Tracy perform magic on the field. As we are gathered here today, let’s remember that before Tracy was a Detroit Lion, before he was a Tulsa Hurricane, before he was a Coffeyville Raven, Tracy LeDon Scroggins was a Checotah Wildcat!

“Welcome home, Tracy, and thank you for allowing us all to be part of your beautiful journey.”