Madison grad plays in the Super Bowl, but his memories at NEISD are some of his fondest

“I always tell these kids the journey is more important than the destination.”

That’s solid advice from 2010 Madison High School graduate Nate Askew.

And his journey has been a pretty cool one.

It started at Fox Run Elementary School, and then took him to Wood Middle School and Madison High School.

At Madison, he played for the legendary hall-of-fame football coach Jim Streety.

“I still keep in touch with him. I keep in touch with a lot of my coaches,” said Askew. “Coaches, they just they kind of stick with you. Football is the greatest teacher of life. It teaches you to be accountable. It teaches you to respect others -- to work with different people from all different backgrounds that come together for a common goal.”

While his coaches were vital in his journey, he made sure one of his former teachers got a lot of credit, too -- Brandi Boyd.

“She helped me out a lot. My first year of high school was her first year of teaching. So, we kind of came up together,” said Askew. “She was just so genuine. You ever had somebody that you just met and just like, man, they’re good people, like, you know, they got your best interests? That’s how Mrs. Boyd was with me. At any moment, whatever it was, no matter if it was school-related or not, she had my best interest in mind.”

He also remembers giving her a hard time about being an Aggie on her first day. It’s funny now, because four years later, he signed with Texas A&M and became an Aggie himself.

“I loved A&M. Take football out of it; it was just awesome.”

He played with guys like Johnny Manziel, Von Miller and Mike Evans.

When he graduated in 2014, he went pro.

He played for three NFL teams, ending his career with the Carolina Panthers after Super Bowl 50.

“It was a great experience for me, for my family, opened up a lot of doors,” said Askew. “But it was kind of bittersweet. I worked my whole life to achieve that goal. The NFL was fun, but it’s a business first. I realized the easy part was getting there. It was harder to stay.”

It was the journey, not the destination. And that’s a valuable lesson many student-athletes need to hear. And it’s one Askew constantly imparts on the next generation. Coaches often invite Askew to speak to NEISD teams to encourage them and offer lessons from his journey. He loves this part of the journey. He loves helping kids. He loves what NEISD offered him. 

“Those are the years you take back. But, oh man, I stand and fight for NEISD. I loved it.”

Nate’s journey has brought him back to San Antonio.

He’s a real estate agent now and loving it.

While his journey has been a pretty exciting one, some of his favorite moments are from his time at Madison.

“When I was young, I was saying, 'I can’t wait to graduate.' Now I would come back to Madison in a heartbeat. Just walk the circle with my teammates. A lot of kids get in a hurry to grow up. Enjoy the moment. Don’t take this time, right now, for granted.”

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