Greenwood High School senior offensive lineman Nate Fox finished his football career on the first Saturday in December last fall when the Bulldogs fell to Russellville in the 6A championship game, and as baseball great Yogi Berra once quipped, it was like déjà vu all over again.
Just 12 months earlier, Fox and his teammates endured a similar situation after losing the state title game to Pine Bluff. While most high school football players never get the chance to play for a championship, doing so in consecutive years and losing both times carries with it a special sense of loss. But after a suitable period of mourning, Fox and his fellow gridiron warriors have handled the disappointment well.
"It was a big deal," he said during a recent interview. "It took me a little while to realize that it's just a game. It was a painful pill to swallow at first, especially going twice, having that experience, and the way it ended. But ultimately there's more to life than football."
Those comments are emblematic of the many ways the soon-to-be 18-year-old demonstrates his maturity and character, the same traits stressed throughout the GHS football program under the leadership of Head Coach Rick Jones and his outstanding staff of assistant coaches.
Those qualities are also part of the formula used to select the winners of the Brandon Burlsworth Championship Award at each of the state title games. Recipients are chosen both for their play on the field and their conduct off the field. A senior lineman from each team receives the prestigious award, and last fall Greenwood's Nate Fox was so honored.
Admittedly, Fox didn't fully appreciate the magnitude of the award at first. In the immediate aftermath of their loss, the Bulldogs were hurting. But with time Fox has come to understand the significance of the honor bestowed upon him by the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation. Coincidentally, Fox was just three months old when Brandon Burlsworth died in April of 1999.
"I just thought it was another plaque at the time," said Fox. "But I really appreciated it later on. I would get congratulations from other people, and I realized that it was a cool thing. It only happens once. It was a total surprise. I didn't really expect it, but I'm glad I received it.
"I left what I had on the field, and I don't come out of football with any regrets," he continued. "I see it as kind of a testament to what I was able to do. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with ending my football career the way I did, and not [holding] anything back."
Thanks to the release of the film "Greater", Fox also now knows more about the life and legacy of the former Harrison Goblin and Arkansas Razorback lineman, whose life and death inspired a book, the movie, and the charitable foundation that's helped thousands of underprivileged kids.
Years in the making, "Greater" first appeared in theaters last August, corresponding to the start of football season, and was well received by viewers and critics alike. The movie was lauded by the likes of conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh on his popular national radio program. The Bulldogs and Jr. Bulldogs watched the movie together last September.
The mission statement of the Christian charity, led by Marty Burlsworth, reads in part, "...the foundation encourages a strong faith, character and sportsmanship, developing positive values, and a life pattern that would exemplify 'Doing It The Burls Way'." Those same themes were echoed in the film.
"I had no idea what it was about," admitted Fox concerning the movie. "[But] it was a great thing for us to see. It was a good depiction of what a football player should be. He takes care of his stuff off the field. He tries not to get in trouble, and he's also taking care of stuff on the field. Looking at what he was able to accomplish, why should we not be able to put our noses down and grind? We just saw it as a way to improve. You could see it honestly as another practice, watching that movie."
Asked to describe in what way he most resembled Brandon Burlsworth, Fox replied, "I would say the work ethic. I wasn't [physically] blessed like some players. I had to work my way into being able to do what I do." His refreshing humility aside, his coaches were more generous in their remarks.
"He did a nice job," said Coach Jones of his senior guard. "He was a good player for us. We're going to miss him. He's a great kid. A hard worker. He's always ready to play. He had a great attitude about things. He has sort of a serious demeanor. But he seems mature and I think he'll do well."
Jones agreed that Fox epitomizes all of the best qualities of the Bulldogs program. "There's no doubt about it," he said. "He's a guy that never did anything to embarrass us. He always worked hard. We always talk about ability, and two huge abilities are coach-ability and reliability, and he had both."
Offensive line coach Brian Sims probably knows Fox better than any other member of the staff, and he was quick to praise the departing senior. "As a young man, he's an outstanding kid," said Sims. "The kind of kid you'd want to date your daughter. He has great morals. He does great in the classroom. He's just a great person altogether. He's going to have a great future.
"He was a second stringer as a sophomore and started for us on JV," added Sims. "He was real young and a little raw. But he worked into it and got better and better. He really blossomed between his junior and senior years. He was good for us as a junior, but he was outstanding as a senior.
"He's about 5-11 and weighed about 260 pounds, but he could move. He's athletic. He can move his feet and he has really long arms, so that helped him. He's real smart [too]. He's a quiet guy and a nice kid, but he played with a little "attitude" as a senior, and liked to throw people around and finish blocks off. He had a great year for us and he had a great state championship game.
"He could have started on any line I've had here," Sims continued. "He could play any position – tackle, guard, or center. He [played] with great technique. We were physical this year, and he was our best one. [And] if you want to go off the field and off-season, and what Burlsworth was about, [Nate] would be the guy you would pick around here. It worked out well that he was [chosen]."
"I think the coaching staff at Greenwood is one of the best around," said Fox. "You couldn't ask for much more. Probably the coach I've learn the most from is Coach Sims, because I [was] around him the most. Besides learning drills, I believe he has a strong Christian background too, and the stuff he teaches off the field will be beneficial to me."
Asked about the most important thing he learned from playing football, Fox didn't hesitate to answer. "I would probably say perseverance. There's nothing like going through team camp during summer when it's 105 degrees."
While his playing days are behind him, Nathaniel Hampton Fox fully expects to continue benefiting from his GHS football experience in the future. "Probably 90% of the things that you do that are tough and difficult – it's a mental thing. I think it's going to help me later on in life.
"In football you fight for every yard, and you have to fight in life too," said Fox with a wisdom seemingly beyond his years. "For things that are worth anything, you're going to have to put every bit of your strength and endurance into it. I appreciate the obstacles [the coaches] put in front of me. They've changed my character for the good, and I appreciate that."
But that's only part of the story. This humble, well-mannered, soft-spoken, articulate young man owes an even greater debt of gratitude to his family, and especially to his mother, Shanna, a single mom raising two sons who both happened to start for the Bulldogs last season.
Besides Nate, brother Noah started at right guard as a sophomore. According to Nate, the two siblings get along pretty well at home and on the field. "Sometimes we'll have our bouts and we'll fight a little bit, but that's normal. It comes with being brothers. We tried to keep off-the-field stuff off the field."
As for his mother, who works at the local revenue office, Nate says, "She's always been there for me in whatever I needed, to the best of her ability. She [made] things easy for me if they were hard, and put the load on her back." Jerry Fox, Nate's dad, works in maintenance at the Fort Smith Library.
The Fox brothers also have extended family members for support. "I have an uncle (Shawn Lamont) that's real close to me. He's stepped up and been there whenever I've needed him," said Nate. Elizabeth Lamont, his maternal grandmother, has also played an important role in his life.
"My grandma lives right next to us and I'm pretty close to her," he said. "She's helped out with a lot of stuff. She's always been there, like my mom has."
The GHS coaches and his developing Christian faith have also had a positive impact on his growth as a person. "The coaching staff has definitely been there. I see them as father figures, and that's helped me through," said Fox.
Members of First Baptist Church in Greenwood, the Fox family also tries to practice a strong faith. "I grew up in the church," said Nate. "It's a part of me now. I feel like I get a lot out of going there. It's really developed my character."
Looking ahead, Fox is still coming to terms with the transition from student-athlete to just being a student about to graduate and enter adulthood. He turns 18 the first week of February.
"It feels a little strange, because I get off [from school] around 2:15 and I'm free to do whatever," he said. "It's a different [kind of] freedom. It's hard to wrap my head around. [Graduation] is just a few months away and I'm an adult. But the upbringing I've had and the involvement I've had in [football] and my church, I think they've really helped me and will keep me on the [right] path."
In August Fox plans to enter college and seek a degree in either business or psychology. "I like math, and I think that would help in business, and I'm interested in how the mind works," he said. He's also still deciding which college to attend, though he seems to be leaning toward staying close to home at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. His other choice is UCA in Conway.
One thing seems clear. Given his temperament, upbringing, Christian faith, and strength of character, Nate Fox will likely succeed at whatever task he pursues, regardless of the path he follows or the obstacles he may encounter. Whether at home or in football, over the years he's been encouraged to make good decisions and employ self-discipline and perseverance in all things.
"I know I [still] need to improve," he said. "But right now I think as long as I keep going on the path I'm [on], I'm going to turn out just fine." Surely such faith and confidence will be rewarded.