Oregon State’s Anthony Gould, raised by an Army mother and toughened by wrestling, thrives at receiver - oregonlive.com

2022-09-24 00:10:07 By : Mr. Yan LIU

Oregon State’s Anthony Gould carries the ball as the Beavers take on the Montana State Bobcats in a college football game at Providence Park in Portland on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Oregon State won 68-28.Howard Lao for The Oregonian/OregonLive

Anthony Gould’s current home is Oregon, where the fourth-year junior has evolved as one of Oregon State’s top receivers.

Four years ago, Gould graduated from West Salem High.

But his heart? That’s in Leavenworth, Kansas.

The town of some 37,000 people was his childhood home. It means so much to Gould that he lists Leavenworth as the hometown in his Oregon State football bio, not Salem.

Gould is son of Stacy Johnson, a retired Army master sergeant who served for 20 years as a military police officer working in military prisons. They were stationed in Leavenworth, though Johnson did tours in Iraq and Cuba.

When OSU coach Jonathan Smith describes the 5-foot-8, 165-pound Gould as “tough,” there’s a reason.

As a military kid, there’s no other way. Johnson said she was careful to have “age-appropriate” conversations with Anthony and his older sister Mahogani about military life and prisons.

“They saw the razor wire,” she said. “As they got older, they understood more and more about what I did and the bad guys that I had to watch.”

Gould, who grew up without a father, said the father figure in his life was his mother.

“Having her in the military instilled some good characteristics in me. Helped me appreciate what I had,” Gould said. “Having a single mom in the military isn’t the easiest. She was tough on me, but she’s kind of relaxed now.”

Anthony Gould (second from left), his sister Mahogani and mother Stacy Johnson at Johnson's 2015 Army retirement ceremony. (Courtesy of Stacy Johnson)

Johnson likes to say a village raised Gould. She was gone a fair amount with Army duties. At times, Gould lived with grandparents Sonny and Karen Leen, in Milton, Washington. Other times, Johnson said friends in Leavenworth, or “people that I consider family in the military” watched Gould and his older sister, Mahogani.

Johnson said Gould’s father, Charles Gould, wasn’t involved in raising Anthony. She said Charles is trying to repair his relationship with Anthony, as he communicates with him, and occasionally attends a game.

Johnson was a little surprised to hear Anthony said he doesn’t have a father, but “the answer he gave was an honest one. Anthony’s not one that’s going to sugarcoat something.”

Other men involved in Gould’s life were coaches, particularly in youth wrestling. That sport, in fact, was where Johnson thought Gould’s future was headed. Gould gave it up after his sophomore year in high school in Leavenworth. But he’s thankful for the experience because Gould said it taught him mental and physical toughness. Johnson admitted she was disappointed because “he was a natural” at wrestling.

It was football that had Gould’s attention. Which led him to Salem, and eventually Oregon State.

Gould finished his sophomore year at Leavenworth High, and said he put up good stats. No one noticed, not even when it came to all-league honors. Leavenworth didn’t have much of a football program, and Gould was disappointed.

Gould knew of a good football program at West Salem, where his aunt, Nikki Binnie-Anderson, was a math teacher. Conversations with his mother and aunt took place, and Gould headed to Salem to live with Binnie-Anderson.

“I was shocked because it wasn’t what I expected. He’s a mama’s boy,” Johnson said. “I just didn’t expect at 15, a sophomore in high school, to say, yeah I’m willing to up and leave for a better future and leave his mother.”

Once Johnson was convinced Gould wanted to move, she said she supported him wholeheartedly. Johnson, who retired from the Army in 2015, eventually joined Gould when she found a job with the Army Corps of Engineers in Portland.

The move paid off. West Salem, one of Oregon’s top football programs, showcased Gould. He connected with Houston Lillard, a Portland-area youth football coach. Colleges noticed. Gould had plenty of interest, except for one thing: most schools wanted him as a defensive back. Oregon State was the only school to offer Gould a scholarship as a receiver.

It was an easy choice.

“I like scoring. I like having the ball in my hands,” Gould said.

Since arriving at Oregon State in 2019, Gould’s journey has been a grind. He didn’t play much the first two years. In 2021, opportunities opened, and Gould had his best season with 13 receptions for 185 yards and a touchdown.

This season has been Gould’s most prolific. He’s coming off a three-touchdown performance in a 68-28 win over Montana State. Through three games, Gould has eight receptions for 188 yards.

“The guy is tough, he’s smart. He works it and it means something to him,” Smith said. “He’s done it over a long period of time with that approach. He’s earned himself to become a good player.”

Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said Gould boosted his stock this season by improving his route running.

“He’s always had that speed to be able to separate down the field. But to be able to understand the route spacing, and create some separation on some of the underneath throws, that’s where he’s elevated,” Lindgren said.

Gould said there’s a simple reason why his time is now, and not his early years at Oregon State.

“Everyone wants to play when they first get into college, but honestly, I wasn’t ready for it,” Gould said.

Instead, Gould said he leaned on veterans like Trevon Bradford, Isaiah Hodgins and Champ Flemings to learn the position.

Johnson isn’t far away from Gould. With her current job, she’s able to attend all his games, home and away. Johnson, who lives in Milton near her parents, is particularly looking forward to the Beavers’ Nov. 4 game at Washington. Some 40 friends and family will attend that game.

“I’m so happy for him,” Johnson said. “The resiliency, the discipline, the patience, the hard work. It all worked out. I’m excited to see him on the field and get his opportunity to show what he can do.”

-- Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel

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