Hickory resident Lance Cook played football in college. So did his brother. And his dad.
“It’s just kind of what we do,” Cook said.
Now his children carry on the legacy.
Cook played linebacker for The Citadel from 1988-1991. He was a three-year starter and still ranks third all-time in career tackles for loss (31) and seventh all-time in sacks (8). After college, he spent three years playing defensive end for Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League.
“My claim to fame up there was that I sacked Doug Flutie three times,” Cook said. Doug Flutie played in the CFL and NFL after winning the Heisman trophy at Boston College in 1984.
Another highlight came just this month. Cook was one of six cadets inducted into the Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 6.
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Lance Cook is inducted into the Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame. Cook played football at the school from 1988-1991.
“There are a lot of great athletes that have gone through there and have played sports there, and to be spoken of with those people is just a real honor,” Cook said. “I didn’t even know I was up for the hall of fame. The guy called me and told me I had been inducted and received the votes to go in. … It was a feeling I can’t explain.”
All in the family
These days, Cook has transitioned from football to business. He is a State Farm Insurance agent, a job which brought him to Hickory from Knoxville in 2005. He worked in Knoxville until he was ready to open up his own office. When that time came, the first opportunity was in Hickory.
Now his middle son, Andy, is learning the business from him.
Lance is also heavily invested in the athletic success of his children. He said it’s an opportunity his job flexibility has given him.
“I work a lot, but the days I want to go to a game, I just tell them to block my calendar off,” Lance said. “I have been able to be there and be involved.”
It’s also a big reason his middle son, Andy, is following in his father’s footsteps.
Andy Cook throws a pitch against Limestone during the 2024 Lenoir-Rhyne baseball season.
“You grow up and dad can always be at your games,” Andy said. “You take it for granted then because it’s just normal, but then you grow up and look around and not everybody has had that opportunity. … I want to have that same opportunity he had and support my kids the same way he supported me.”
Meet the Cooks
Lance’s two oldest children, Lance Jr. and Andy, played sports in college. His youngest daughter, MaryElla, is a junior at Hickory Christian Academy. She is already drawing attention from college volleyball coaches.
“She’s already getting a lot of letters,” said Lance. “She’ll get some opportunities to play somewhere.”
MaryElla also plays travel volleyball for Carolina Union Volleyball Club in Charlotte.
MaryElla Cook serves to University Christian High School during a game on Sept. 9.
Cook’s oldest son, Lance Jr., played football for Campbell University and Birmingham Southern College. He is now a third-year law student at the University of Mississippi. Lance Jr. already has a position waiting for him when he graduates.
“He’ll be working this time next year for sure,” Lance Sr. said.
Andy stayed closer to home. He played baseball at Lenoir-Rhyne University after graduating from Hickory Christian Academy. At LR, Andy pitched 60.2 innings for the Bears over three seasons. He also took advantage of his fifth COVID year and earned an MBA.
Sports didn’t just open up educational opportunities for Andy. He said it also helped instill in him the discipline he’ll need to be successful in the insurance business and taught him how to fill his role as part of a team.
“I know I have to ask people questions here,” he said. “I have to go ask, ‘How do we do this? How do we, not just as State Farm, but as Lance Cook State Farm, do this?’”
The benefits of sports is something Lance has also seen in his own life. He said it taught him the importance hard work and self-control.
“Not everybody is talented, not everybody is a five-star, but you can always work hard,” Lance said. “I can’t always control whether or not they buy, but I can control me. … That’s something I can do.”
Jason Koon is the Sports Editor for the Hickory Record and can be reached at jason.koon@lee.net.
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