COLLINSVILLE — Nathan Coker will enter Birmingham Southern College as a pre-med candidate this fall. He has also committed to play football for Panthers, who compete in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC).

For Coker, receiving the opportunity to play at the next level is nothing short of a miracle.

Prior to the start of the 2009 football season, Collinsville was scheduled to play in a jamboree game at Sand Rock. The game was a rainout so Coker and a few friends drove to Fort Payne. Returning to Collinsville, the car Coker was a passenger in hydroplaned and crashed on Interstate 59. Two truck drivers helped pull Coker from the accident. Nathan underwent surgery to repair fractured vertebrae.

Collinsville head football coach Alan Beckett couldn't imagine today's events unfolding only a couple of years ago.

“To see this day, after the wreck, is amazing,” Beckett said. “At the time, doctors questioned whether he would play but he would have none of that. Nathan is very dogged in what he sets out to accomplish.”

After missing his entire sophomore season, Coker's inspirational story began in his junior year. Overcoming long odds, the elusive signal caller guided Collinsville to back-to-back Class 1A Region 7 championships. As a senior, the Panthers reached the quarterfinals of the Class 1A playoffs. Coker's many accolades included a spot on the 1A All-State team.

At Birmingham Southern, Coker is expected to play either receiver or cornerback. Either way, Beckett knows Coker will be an asset to the Panthers.

“Nathan is an electrifying playmaker on offense with his dynamic run and pass ability,” Beckett said. “He gave defenses fits because he could do both so well. On defense he was a lockdown corner that offenses stayed away from."

While Coker's athletic accomplishments are impressive, his classroom achievements also deserve merit. Earlier this year Nathan was awarded the prestigious Dr. Lawrence Lemak Scholarship at the Alabama Football Coaches Association banquet. The Lemak Scholarship is given on a statewide basis with grades, activities, and the character of the student athlete determining the winner.

For Coker the next step is bittersweet.
“I can't thank my coaches and teammates enough,” he said. “It's tough to leave all your friends but I'm excited about moving on to a new challenge.”

Beckett is proud that Coker will be at BSC.

“Birmingham Southern is one of the most prestigious schools in the state,” Beckett said. “Nathan will tackle it with the same determination he does everything else.”