Damien Nash mourned by family and fans
Inside Sports
With Earl Austin Jr.
I still find it hard to believe that Damien Nash is no longer with us.
The young man known to everyone who knew him as “D.D.” was one of the best high school football players that I’ve seen in 20 years of covering prep sports.
Nash had realized his ultimate dream on so many levels when he died last Saturday evening, just about an hour after playing in a charity basketball game to support his brother Darris’ foundation. The prelimiary autopsy could not determine the cause of death.
Nash had participated in a charity basketball game at Riverview Gardens High, where he was a prep star for three years. The event was to support the Darris Nash Find A Heart Foundation. Darris Nash, 25, was the recipient of a heart transplant a year ago.
Young Damien was just starting to make his mark in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos. As well as fulfilling a lifelong dream of making it to the NFL, Nash was living another dream: that of being a family man. Less than a year ago, he and his wife Judy became the proud parents of a baby girl, Phaith. Damien was just as proud of being a daddy to a beautiful little girl as he was of himself when he took the field as a starting running back for the Broncos on Monday Night Football against the San Diego Chargers this past season.
The real tragedy of all of this is that young Phaith will grow up without knowing her father and what a special young man he was during his 24 years on earth. She will get a good sense of what kind of person Damien was from what will be told to her by her mother, grandmother, family members and legions of friends and supporters who knew and loved D.D. for the man he was. They will have many stories to tell about this young man.
Count me among those people who were honored to know him.
As an athlete, I want her to know that Damien Nash was one of the best that I’ve ever seen on the football field. There was nothing that he could not do as an athlete. He could run, throw, block, tackle, anything you want. His talent and versatility were surpassed only by his toughness and competitiveness, qualities which enabled him to play football at the highest level. He had his share of trials and tribulations along the way, but he had successfully cleared each hurdle to put himself in a position to play the game he loved and take care of his family.
D.D. was special from day one. I witnessed his first varsity home football game as a 14-year old freshman at Riverview Gardens back in 1997. I was actually in the house to see this hotshot junior quarterback named Christian Morton and this talented young brother patrolling the sidelines in head coach Darren Sunkett. Morton showed a lot of promise as a raw, but talented sophomore quarterback in 1996 under the first-year guidance of Sunkett, who was barely in his 30’s, but full of spunk and ideas. I was eager to see these two young men open a new season with a year under their belts.
What I did not count on seeing was that they had brought a little friend along with them for the sequel. Damien Nash entertained the home crowd all night with one jaw-dropping run after another against an overmatched Fox team. I still remember my exact words at the time. “Who in the hell is this?” Nash finished the game with well over 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a 60-6 Rams’ victory. As I left the field on the way to my car (still shaking my head), more than one Riverview fan came up to me and asked, “How did you like our new freshman, Mr. Austin?” What? You mean to tell me that this kid is just 14? I thought he was a transfer from somewhere. Nope. He was the latest Mathews-Dickey phenom that everyone was waiting for.
Needless to say, I was impressed. It was also evident that a new star was born. The legend of Damien Nash was just beginning.
For the next two seasons, the team of Nash, Morton and Sunkett would make some beautiful music at “The View.” They would win a district championship in 1997. The following year, they would lead Riverview to the Class 5A state title, knocking off perennial kingpin Jefferson City 41-34 in the championship game at the Edward Jones Dome. In the state semifinals against Kirkwood, Nash showed his versatility by throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Morton on a trick play in the game’s closing seconds to give Riverview a 21-14 victory.
Nash displayed great toughness and heart in the championship game by rushing for 160 yards on 24 carries and scoring three touchdowns. He had a great game despite playing on a severely sprained ankle that was taped heavily. In just two years, Nash had moved to the head of the class amongst running backs in the Show-Me State. When Morton graduated, Nash moved to quarterback for his junior year and he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in both passing and rushing before a shoulder injury cut his season short. Nash had one memorable half of football against Pattonville when he dominated the action and singlehandedly led The View to a 20-0 halftime lead. He was injured late in the half and did not return and Pattonville came back to win 21-20. That was Nash’s impact to a team.
Nash spent his senior year at East St. Louis after transferring across the water to play for Sunkett, who was named the new coach. Although he spent only one year at East Side, he showed enough that he had the locals comparing him to some of the great ones who have played for the Flyers over the decades. At the end of the day, Nash finished his high school career nearly 6,000 yards of total offense and 95 touchdowns.
After high school, Nash went on to have a nice career at the University of Missouri and he eventually became a NFL player with the Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos. What I remember most about Nash’s post-high school career was his decision to attend Mizzou. The school had just hired Gary Pinkel as its new head coach and he was looking to make some noise in St. Louis on the recruiting front.
At the time, Nash was being courted by the heavyweights of NCAA Division I football, including the likes of Miami (Fla.) and Nebraska, which had recently won national championships. Most people pushed for Nash to go in that direction because it wasn’t considered cool for a local kid to go to Mizzou at the time because the program was in a shambles – especially, when he had the top programs in the country with offers on the table.
However, Nash went against the grain and gave Pinkel his commitment to attend Mizzou. It proved to be a big boost for Pinkel, who was just on the job for a short time, yet he was able to land the top player in St. Louis. Everyone around the state took notice. Pinkel now had instant credibility around the state because Damien Nash was going to be a Tiger. Other Missouri kids started to commit to Mizzou while a few others changed their commitments from other schools to come to Mizzou. Nash’s path to Mizzou got delayed for two years as he attended junior college to get his academics in order. A serious knee injury put his football career on hold as well. However, he stayed the course and got his career back on track.
Although Nash attended Coffeyville Junior College for two years before coming to Mizzou, his impact on recruiting around the state was immeasurable. Top kids from Missouri were starting to come to Columbia once again. As Pinkel continues to post winning seasons and take the Tigers to bowl games, more in-state recruiting continues to flourish as it did this year. Much of that success can be traced back to the decision of one young man who made the tough choice to stay home.
And it was at home where Damien Nash spent his last moments of all-too-short life. He was at home with his family, friends, old college and high school teammates and loved ones. After overcoming his obstacles to fulfill his lifelong dream, he was back home to give something back and help others overcome their struggles.
Damien Nash was a special young talent, on and off the football field. He will be missed by all of us.
Rest in peace, young brother. You were one of the best.
