Once an RB for the Jets and Redskins, George Nock is now a world renowned artist. His bronze sculptures reside in the collections of Joe Namath, Venus Williams, and Evander Holyfield. George recently talked with ProPlayerInsiders host Dave Zirin about how a kid who liked to draw became a running back for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. He also talks about how a knee injury at 26 ended his pro-career, and launched him on the path to being a self taught bronze sculpture artist.
First, a little background: George had inauspicious beginnings in football. He says the first time he ever put on a jersey was in 9th grade at Ben Franklin HS in Philadelphia– and he put it on backwards. He played his first game at defensive tackle in “straight up left hook shoes” (think no lace Keds), and didn’t own a pair of cleats until halfway through the season.
Then, in 1964, George went to Morgan State University, “one of the powerhouses of Black Schools at the time…the creme of the crop.” He says that, back in the day, more players from this team went to the pros than from Grambling State or Notre Dame.
George played in the inaugural game of the storied series between Morgan State and Grambling State Universities. That series played to sold out crowds at Yankee Stadium, and later saw the likes of Bill Rhoden, sports columnist for The New York Times and ’73 Morgan State grad.
When the Jets drafted Nock in 1969, they had just won the Super Bowl. George says that his pick in the 16th round served as motivation – “if they don’t think that much of me, I’ll make my mark. Creme will rise to the top.” And it did. He played actively for 4 years, until a freak accident on bad turf left him with a bad knee.
George said that after his knee operation, he didn’t regain the type of control and strength over his body movements necessary to play at his peak, “and why bother if you can’t do it the way you want to.”
This perfectionism is evident in his artwork, which he never stopped doing while playing in the NFL. When asked if the macho guys of the NFL accepted his being an artist, George says that after his teammates were introduced to his work, they respected it, and enjoyed watching him mold clay.
It’s easy to respect and admire George Nock’s work. Amazingly, he taught himself anatomy and studied the forms of humans and animals throughout his life.
On his webpage www.georgenock.com, a slideshow of his work (with Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck playing in the background) reveals the beauty of the human form, the beauty of horses, and incredible bronze sculptures of jockeys, saxophone players, and a football player that puts the Heisman Trophy to shame.
The interview with George also reveals how he came to use bronze as his medium: he saw his life pass before his eyes while on the top floor of a hotel in LA at a NFLPA convention. As the earthquake tremor shook the bronze railing he held, George decided that he really needed to leave a legacy in something other than paper and canvas, “I’m gonna make something out of bronze so people would know I was here.”
Photo from www.GeorgeNock.com
