Raider football player signs with ECSU Vikings

Richmond Raider football guard, Joey Cook, a 17-year-old senior, signed a scholarship to play at Elizabeth City State University during a ceremony held Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in front of his mother, Amber Wall, and his friends, players, and coaches at the high school.

The ECSU Vikings are an HBCU that plays in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference.

“This is a great opportunity for me to continue playing football and get a great education,” Cook said before the ceremony. “It’s a win for me, my family, and everyone who supported me.”

As Raider head football coach Bryan Till talked to the students and staff in attendance, Cook’s mother sat in the front row smiling ear-to-ear, surrounded by her son’s friends. Neither of the two could stop looking at each other as if saying they were ready for the next chapter together.

“I am beyond proud,” his mother said after he signed the paperwork. “He’s been through a lot in his life, and to see him today brings tears to my eyes. The coaches have taught him how to navigate life and get through it.”

Wall said her son has had a football in his hands since he was six years old, and playing college football has always been a life-long dream.

“Once he realized that he could do the hard work in the classroom and on the field, he pushed himself to be the best person he could be,” she said. “I always had conversations with him about respecting teachers, adults, and his friends. He’s always smiling, and today is all about him. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments to get to this day.”

Richmond Senior High School Raider guard Joey Cook signs the scholarship paperwork to play football for the Elizabeth City State University Vikings during a ceremony held Wednesday, May 31, 2023, with his mother, Amber Wall, at his side. (Photo by Mark Bell)

Till said Cook is the textbook definition of a team player.

“He’s a kid who just embodies a lot of what’s right about this program,” Till said about Cook’s attitude off and on the field. “He’s always put in the work and always has been a great teammate.”

The long hours at practices and taking advantage of game-day opportunities have created a path to him playing college football, according to Till.  During his junior year, Cook wasn’t a starter but gave 100 percent every time he stepped onto the field. That effort didn’t go unnoticed by coaches and earned him a starting job his senior year.

“This opportunity just speaks volumes of his determination to do right in all aspects of a Raider student-athlete,” Till said. “We are all proud of him today to see him fulfill his dream to play football at the next level.”

Till said that when his players graduate and do great things, it makes him proud.

“Not all of our players get to play at the college level like Joey, but that’s ok,” Till said. “We have players that have gone on to join the military or done great things like graduate from the lineman program at the local community college. These young men are taking their gifts and making a difference in our community.”

Cook said football had taught him many life lessons throughout the years.

“It taught me that I can do anything in life if I put the time and effort into it,” he said. “Today, I get to continue my education while playing football. I am living my dream.”

That dream will become a reality in four years when he graduates college, making a difference in the world.

“Oh, I cannot wait for that day,” Wall said about her son walking across the stage and receiving his college diploma. “Nothing can make a mother prouder than watching her child achieve something big and amazing like graduating college. Today we begin that journey together. I am one happy momma.”