Nick Bolton Of Frisco Lone Star Overcomes Adversity To Get Drafted By Kansas City Chiefs
FRISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - When Nick Bolton was taken with pick #58 in the NFL Draft, which was Kansas City's first pick, his loved ones in Frisco and his former coach at Lone Star High School could rejoice because they knew who the Chiefs are getting.
Frisco Lone Star Head Coach Jeff Rayburn says, "The same thing I'm gonna say now is the same thing I told recruiters. If he doesn't play a down for your college program, or he doesn't play a down for Kansas City, he's going to make your organization better."
Nick's younger brother, Jayden, says, "He's done a lot for our family. He's like another father in the family. He's taken care of us."
Before he was the hard hitting linebacker at Missouri and way before he was a play making machine at Frisco Lone Star, Nick Bolton was mature beyond his years.
He had to be, as a kid, when it was discovered that his older sister, Jazmin, had a 3-inch tumor in her brain. The tumor required an 11-hour surgery.
Jayden explains, "When it first happened, it kind of put a few setbacks in the family but Nick just came out strong with it. It left another reason for Nick to play the game and do great things."
And just when Jazmin was getting better and the Bolton family was turning the corner, Nick's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Rayburn promises, "Adversity reveals true character and anytime adversity has hit Nick Bolton, all he's done is use that as motivation."
With motivation like that, it's no wonder Bolton has been able to run circles around opposing offenses -- never losing sight of those who come behind him.
Case and point, at Mizzou, taking on a leadership role in the battle against racial injustice. After a peaceful protest march last year, Nick was quoted as saying, "It's important for me as an African American. I got three younger siblings at home, trying to make a correct example for them, knowing one day they're gonna be 18 to 20. I want them to feel safe. So, I'm just trying to find the best way to create an environment for the younger generation."
When it comes to what he represents to the younger generation in DFW, his brother, a wide receiver at Lone Star High School, says, "Another idol for other people to keep working no matter what the situation is."
Rayburn says, "He's a special young man and a special leader. He's going to do big things in the NFL and probably further than that."