Podiatric surgeon: Discipline, sense of community part of ‘solid foundation’ SC State provided

From the football field to the operating room, SC State shaped Dr. Kevin Ray’s path

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Long before he became a podiatric surgeon and business owner, Dr. Kevin L. Ray balanced football practice and biology labs at South Carolina State University, a demanding routine he credits with shaping his career.

Ray graduated from SC State in 1997 with a biology degree and was a member of the 1994 HBCU national championship football team under Head Coach Emeritus Willie Jeffries. 

He later earned degrees from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine and the Taft School of Law and built a career as a podiatric surgeon.

He owns Physicians Footcare, with practices in Orangeburg, Georgia, and New York City. He started the practice in Orangeburg with one location and expanded to meet growing needs in other communities.

With 28 practicing physicians, Physicians Footcare has become the largest Black-owned medical practice in South Carolina. Ray said the foundation for that success was first laid at SC State. 

Balancing two demands, building one mindset

“It provided me a solid foundation. I played football at SC State under Coach Jeffries. I think I kind of defied the old verbiage of dumb jock by being a biology major and playing football,” said Ray, who likened playing football and studying biology to having two full-time jobs.

“But the stress and rigors of being a student-athlete really propelled me for the rigors of medical school. I kind of live by the motto that I’ve been an athlete all my life,” he said. “Football taught me how to play the game and be an athlete at the game, but South Carolina State taught me how to be an athlete in the game of life.”

The surgeon maintains the same kind of regimen he used as a football player more than two decades ago. 

“I woke up early, I exercised, I ate at a certain time, I had a certain discipline. I just maintained that throughout my entire life. All that was laid there at South Carolina State,” Ray said.

A campus network that felt like family

Ray said SC State provided a close-knit community that stretched beyond the classroom.

“There’s a real community across the board. That community is not just defined by me being in Hodge Hall. I knew pretty much everybody who graduated with me, and I know a lot of them to this day, but that community was not just isolated to Hodge Hall,” he said.

“I worked over in Turner Hall for the English department. I’m not an English major or whatever other majors were there, but I still got the same kind of community and expectation that they had for me in Hodge Hall,” he said.

Those expectations for excellence went a long way.

“It’s not just a local expectation for the department in which I’m in, it was an expectation that we had across the board at South Carolina State, at least when I attended,” he said.

Giving back with purpose and perspective

 Ray and his wife, ClaySandra, are part of the university’s Thomas E. Miller Society, which is named for the university’s first president and recognizes donors who have contributed gifts totaling $100,000 or more to the university.

Ray, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, who attended North Charleston High School, said it was important to give back to the university that helped mold him into the accomplished professional he is today.

“I believe that we’ve got to support our own. We can’t stop at the Miller Society. The Miller Society is great, and I’m sure there are people who have given much more than the minimum requirement of the Miller Society, but let’s create for the next level of giving,” he said.

“If we always give our donors an opportunity to go to the next level, I think we’ll keep getting,” said Ray, who also gives back to the university in other ways. 

He recently participated in a Discover Podiatric Medicine seminar at the university, introducing students to the field of podiatry and its benefits. 

“We’ve done things like that on a number of occasions. I also speak to the football team every year, talking about the lifestyle of football. What happens when the lights go out and you’re not playing football? What are you going to do next?” Ray said. 

“That’s very near and dear to my heart. So I spend a lot of time talking to the football players and to biology and other students who aspire to go into health care. I give my time back to South Carolina State,” he said.

Watching growth up close

He hopes to see the university continue to grow and prosper.

“I’m a little bit different because I’m right here in Orangeburg. I live in Orangeburg, so I see what’s going on on campus. I see all the new buildings going up, and I’m excited,” he said.

He said the university’s growth reflects increasing demand from students.

“We’re going to continue to grow. We’ve grown. Just like every other university, we have a housing problem because we have too many students. I think that’s a good thing,” Ray said.

He added that expanded access to higher education is critical. 

“When we have too many students, that means more of our kids are finding college,” he said. “I think it’s important because I went to high school in Charleston, where our motto was, ‘Education is a possession of which no man can be robbed.’ I believe that education is the true generational wealth.”