On April 3, Eric Mills, a senior wide receiver on the Timber Creek football team, was recognized as an area scholar/athlete by the National Football Foundation’s (NFF) Dallas Chapter.  Mills was a captain of the team, two time All-District wide receiver, 1st team Academic All State, and in the top 15-percent of his class.

“It feels nice to get recognized for my hard work,” explained Mills. “Coach Golden nominated me which means that he saw how many hours and days I spent getting better on and off the field. The award is for academics as well as athletics, so it’s nice to see praise for keeping high grades while competing at a high level.”

Selected from a pool of candidates that covers the entire region, 81 high school players across the Metroplex earned NFF chapter scholar-athlete recognition in 2017 after a rigorous review. The selection committee, comprised of coaches, teachers, administrators and business leaders from North Texas, evaluated the candidates based on their athletic accomplishments, academic performance and leadership in the community. Many the high school honorees will enroll in the fall at a prestigious list of institutions, including Ivy League schools, state universities and service academies.

The National Football Foundation, commonly known as the NFF, at the Gridiron Club of Dallas is one of 120 nationwide chapters of the NFF and the College Hall of Fame, and awarded scholarships totaling more than $1.3 million for high school and college school scholar-athletes.

As stated on their website, “The NFF is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in students.”

Mills is in the top of his class, and considers academics to be a high priority on his list.

“We are Student-Athletes, which means that school comes first.” said Mills. “It is important to keep your grades up because at some point in your life, your career is over and all you are left with is your education. I make sure all my school work is done and show up for all of my classes. I will even miss practice to go to tutorials if I’m ever struggling. Never let sports come before your academic career.”

It is understandable that balancing school and athletics could be challenging, but Mills has successfully proved that it is possible, and that grades should always come first.

“My advice for anyone concerned about finding a good balance is to always put school first. You need to keep your grades high in order to get into a good college.” explained Mills. “It doesn’t matter how great you are at a sport, if your grades aren’t good enough then you won’t get accepted into the school even if they offer you a sports scholarship.”

Mills is set to attend Texas A&M University in the fall, and although he does not plan to play football for A&M, he does plan to play outside of school.

“I don’t plan to walk on to the college team at TAMU but I will definitely play intramural football and other sports as well.” said Mills. “I still love the game but I think I am at a time in my life where I really need to focus on my degree and career, however sports will always be a big part of my life, even after college.”

As Mills’ journey at Timber Creek comes to a close, he reflects on the time that he has spent here and how it has shaped him to become a successful student-athlete.

My journey at Timber Creek has been very enjoyable. I have met a lot of genuine people who want me to succeed and strive. Some of my highest points are in athletics, such as when we won the first football playoff game in school history, or getting the chance to go to the playoffs with our basketball team my sophomore year.” explained Mills. “There are a lot of fantastic teachers who I will never forget.”