It’s only a matter of days now before Dalvin Cook is paid handsomely to run a football, but Cook took one final side-step on his path to the NFL to say goodbye to Florida State. In a letter posted on Florida State’s official website, Cook took time to thank his coaches, the Seminoles’ support staff and, of course, the fans.
In his three seasons on campus, Cook rushed 687 times for 4,464 yards and 46 touchdowns while catching 79 passes for 935 yards and two scores. He leaves school as Florida State’s all-time leading rusher.
See an abridged version of Cook’s letter below:My time at FSU is over, but, man, I had a blast. All three years I spent at FSU, I enjoyed – especially the bonds and relationships that I built in the locker room.
Coming in, when you’re a younger guy, you never really know what to expect. Especially me, leaving my home in Miami. But I can say that coming to Tallahassee was one of the best decisions I have ever made. And being coached by Coach Graham and Coach Jimbo, and being around some of the teammates that I have been around, I feel like I have grown a lot on and off the field.
As I prepare to move on to the next level, I want to be sure to thank the people around Florida State and in Tallahassee who helped me get to where I am now:
To Coach Fisher: We have a father-son relationship, a brother relationship, a friend relationship. My freshman year, it was real tough because I was just a player relying on my talent. But you taught me to match hard work with talent. A lot of things you would say would kind of tick a nerve, but it made me think to myself, “I don’t ever want to hear him say that again, so I’m going to do everything right.”
You pushed me and got my best out of me.
To Coach Graham: You don’t get the credit you deserve. You’re kind of the man behind the scenes, getting the job done. You definitely helped me grow as a man, and with the things I was doing on the field. You pushed me to create good habits. You’re a father figure to me, and I look forward to texting and talking with you as I take these next steps. I know you’ll help me make sure I’m always on the same mission that I was on in Tallahassee.
To the FSU academic support staff: Shanika, Toya, Ashton – all of you helped me stay grounded and helped me to be in the situation I’m in now to help my family be in a better place. Thank you for pushing me and helping me become all I can be off the field. Coach Fisher took care of me on the field, and you helped me off the field.
Finally, to the fans: I said earlier that coming to Florida State was one of the best decisions I ever made, and you proved it. You’re the best fans in America. Years from now, when you think about me, I hope you think about a guy that left a legacy on the program at Florida State. When you pull up my film, or look at the off-the-field things I did, I hope you see a well-grounded guy. A “team” guy that loved the fans, that loved to play in Doak and just wanted to give you all a show.
I hope you think of me in a positive way. I hope I left my stamp on the program. And I hope that you remember me forever.
Forever a Nole,Dalvin Cook
