Courtney grew up in the Beecher area and attended Zink Elementary, Dolan Jr. High and Flint Beecher High. In high school Courtney played football and ran track. Under football coach Moses Lacy, Courtney made All-State in 1987 and played on two state championship teams 1985 and 1987 and was runner-up in 1986. Courtney made All Conference three years in a row from 1986-1988. Coach Lacy said, “Courtney worked well with his teammates, which is the mark of a champion.”
Courtney ran track under coach Marty Crane. Coach Crane said, “Being the champion he is, he ran on four state championship teams for the Beecher Bucks “Coach Crane also said, “Courtney was a sprinter, but he specialized in running the relay teams, which helped him to win four state championships.”
In college Courtney received the Outstanding Underclassman Award in football in 1987 at MSU. In 1989 and 1991 Courtney made the All-Big Ten team and was presented with the Governor of Michigan award. This award has been given annually since 1931 to the player who is voted the most valuable by his teammates. Courtney is tenth in touchdown receptions in the record books at MSU. He was #2 in receiving yards with 1,080 and #2 in kickoff returns with 65 returns in for 1,571 yards. Courtney was#3 in receptions with a total of 60 and 3,946 all-purpose yards.
Courtney was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 1992 draft, 44th overall. He played five years with Tampa Bay and was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers played five years as a wide receiver. Courtney also coached at Flint Beecher, as head Coach did a tremendous job of turning that program around.
