Jennifer Cooper
Contributing writer
Nathan Cox (far right) was recently recognized with the high school Heisman award. Cox, a senior was named Radford High School’s honoree. Also pictured is his brother, Ben (left) and his football coach, Matthew Saunders.
For an athlete who is being recruited to play football at the collegiate level, Nathan Cox’s life would logically revolve around the sport. But the Radford High School senior also excels in academics and participates in the life of his community.
As a result, Cox was named as the 2017 Wendy’s High School Heisman School winner for Radford High School.
The Wendy’s High School Heisman Scholarship was created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas in 1994. Inspired by his desire to celebrate the outstanding achievements of youth in America, he launched the Wendy’s High School Heisman program. The honor is awarded to a high achieving senior athlete who excels in the classroom, on the field, and in the community. An award winner must maintain a 3.0 or better GPA, and must be a proven leader within their school and community.
Cox keeps this balance. In school, he maintains a 4.13 grade point average and a rigorous schedule of Advanced Placement classes. In sports, he has been committed to football throughout his school career. In the community, he has helped with vacation Bible school at his church and worked with kids at McHarg and Belle Heth Elementary Schools with activities such as fall fun days through service organizations such as the National Honor Society.
“Nathan played for us four years. He is a very intelligent student athlete,” affirmed his football coach Matthew Saunders.
Cox feels that the key to his success has been managing his time among all of his pursuits. “I’ve had to learn how to get it all done,” he said.
Cox began playing football in elementary school, with his dad as a coach. His father had played college football at the University of North Carolina, so it was natural for Cox to follow in his footsteps. He cites his father as his inspiration for sticking with football, as he hoped to live up to his dad’s reputation on the field.
Cox loves about football the “great sense of teamwork” and “everyone doing their part to contribute to a goal.” Close bonds with teammates also rank high on the list of what has kept Cox involved in the sport for so many years.
One of his biggest challenges, in fact, occurred this past season when that bond was threatened as teammate Eric Burdette was diagnosed with cancer. Burdette is doing well, Cox said, but it was a tough thing for the team to overcome. It was a trial on a personal level, as well, since the two players had known one another since elementary school.
An offensive lineman, Cox will attend Washington & Lee next year and play football there. He considers admission to W&L his biggest accomplishment. He attended a summer football camp there where, he said, he had a “good showing” which contributed to his being recruited. “I’m also a big guy for a DIII (Division III) school,” Cox said. And, he had the right grades to be considered by the elite college.
“It was a good combination,” he said.
Cox is undecided at this point about what he wants to study. “Washington & Lee has a good variety of different fields,” he said, so he plans to try out various classes in order to decide what direction he wants to take.
He has no illusions of playing football at a level higher than college, as such a small percentage of collegiate athletes make it to the NFL, but is optimistic about his future given that the “school to job pipeline is great at W&L,” Cox said.
Representing his school in the Wendy’s High School Heisman program was an honor for which he received recognition at the Bobcats’ sports banquet, and “it looked good on college applications,” said Cox. It will no doubt continue to pay dividends on future résumés.
Radford High School Athletic Director Greg Wade said, “Nathan is a fine young man. He works very hard and will be successful in whatever he does.”