The Nebraska tradition of producing more Academic All-American athletes than any other institution is well documented. The student-athletes at the College of Business Administration, such as Ben Cotton, continue to achieve excellence on the playing field and in the classroom.
Cotton, a tight end on the Husker football team, is one of the more than 90 Husker athletes at CBA who were honored as medallion recipients this year. They achieved a grade point average between 3.000 and 4.000. Cotton has also been selected as academic all-conference the past two years.
“Balancing academics with athletics is the most difficult part for sure,” Cotton said. “You’re at the stadium lifting weights in the morning, go to classes, eat lunch, go to football meetings, go to practice, go to dinner and by that time it’s 8 p.m., and you have a test to study for the next morning. You study, go to sleep and then wake up and do it all over again.”
Dennis Leblanc, senior associate athletic director of academics, has seen Cotton replicate the success of many student athletes that come to Nebraska.
“Ben has been a role model in carrying on the Nebraska tradition,” Leblanc said. “I admire Ben for maintaining an outstanding GPA while earning a starting position on the football team. Ben was recently rewarded for his efforts being named First Team Academic All-District VII.”
Cotton graduated in December, after three-and-a-half years, with a degree in business administration. His current academic plans are to possibly pursue an MBA at UNL.
“You can never have too many options with the job market these days,” Cotton said.
Cotton’s first priority is to play football for as long as he can, and then perhaps coach alongside his father, Barney Cotton, who is the offensive line coach on the Husker football team. Cotton’s younger brother, Jake, is a redshirt freshman on the football team, and next year his brother, Sam, is planning to compete on the team as well.
To have four members of a family participating on the same Nebraska team at the same time is a rare feat -- and it almost never happened.
Cotton graduated from high school in Ames, Ia., where his dad was coaching at Iowa State University at the time. He was on his way to take an official recruitment visit to another school and got snowed in at the airport. During the long lay over at the airport, his dad fielded phone calls from various coaches on the Husker staff, including Athletic Director Tom Osborne.
“By the time we got back home, my dad was offered the offensive line job at Nebraska. A couple hours later, I was offered to play here and it didn’t take more than an hour to make my decision. I grew up wanting to be a Husker because my dad played here and I wanted to be just like him.”
An aspect of Cotton’s story beyond athletics that is not well known is that he has Type 1 diabetes. He spoke at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Annual Gala in Omaha last winter and enjoys being able to tell his story to other young people who are in a similar position.
“I believe being able to excel in the classroom and on the field gives me the opportunity to make a difference with young Type 1 diabetics. Doctors never told me that I couldn’t participate in things like football. I just have to monitor my blood sugars. I want to give kids that same message to make sure they know they can do the same type of things I’ve done.”
Cotton has had the rare opportunity to play in two major conferences, the Big 12 and the Big Ten.
“Overall the guys on the team have loved competing in the Big Ten, and getting to play in all these other venues against these other great teams. Academically, the Big Ten is a strong conference, and now that I can say I’ll be graduating from a Big Ten school and that means a little bit more too.”
Published: December 19, 2011