University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Alumni Profile: Steven Cook
06.25.2015 | Baseball
Opportunity comes in all shapes and sizes.
This is something that small town baseball player, Steven Cook, recognized in UNC Asheville almost immediately.
“I grew up in the small town of Bryson City, N.C., which is even further west than Asheville, hard to believe I know,” said Cook. “I was choosing a school for its educational value and to further my athletic career. UNC Asheville offered me the unique opportunity to be close to family at the Division I level, in a role where I could contribute immediately.”
This unique opportunity not only helped Cook achieve success on the field, but in the classroom as well.
Cook was a three-time All Big South Academic team member. In his senior year, he received a Second-Team Academic All-American Nomination. This nomination in 2004 came just before Cook graduated with his degree in Business Administration & Management. Cook graduated Summa Cum Laude, in four years, with a GPA of 3.6+.
It was his dedication to be the best on and off the field which led to him being drafted in the 25th round by the Washington Nationals following his career in the Blue and White. After making the most of his experience, Cook reminds current student-athletes to embrace all of the opportunities they have at Asheville.
“I would challenge current student-athletes to embrace and to own the situation they are in,” he said.
“Probably the most important thing student-athletes can do is take the academic side with the focus and passion you approach your sport with,” commented Cook. “Do not choose what you want to be good at. Try to be good or great at everything. Academics, friendships, activities, in addition to your sport. This will help you take the same approach in the rest of your life and giving the same effort to family, friends, jobs and opportunities in the real world.”
While Cook was always working hard for his success, he still made it a point to enjoy each milestone.
“There are many moments I remember with friends I made that I still have today. However, the most memorable is during my senior year when we played a top-ranked Florida State team in Tallahassee for a weekend series,” he said. “The team included Stephen Drew and Shane Robinson, who are both still in the Major Leagues today. The opportunity to pitch on Friday and open the series was exciting enough, but to beat them 2-1 in such an exciting game, is something I will remember forever.”
The good memories Cook made at Asheville are some that he will always carry with him. But, it's the challenges he faced as a Bulldog that taught him that success is an attitude.
“I have been in sales and marketing since I got out of professional baseball. One of the things I took from, and try to hang on to today is embracing the idea of being an underdog,” said Cook.
“At Asheville, we never had the best facilities, a competitive amount of funding, or the support that many other places have,” he said. “Too many people see that as an excuse rather than wearing it as a badge of honor. If you approach every game, every job, and life as if 'I will show you what I can do,' you will dig deeper, push harder, and never accept mediocrity or failure. You persevere, learn from mistakes and losses, and move to the next opportunity expecting to win or succeed.”
The underdog in Cook is what allowed him to utilize everything that Asheville had to offer him. It is also what pushes him to take risks in his professional life.
“I recently invested in and helped start up a restaurant in the Raleigh-Durham area which is off to a good start. Much like everything I experienced at Asheville, a start-up restaurant is great example of a tough, underdog situation,” said Cook. “You must have supreme confidence that you will be successful no matter the cost. As everything in life there is risk involved, but if you do your research, and have confidence in yourself, you can have success!”
For Cook, the choice to attend Asheville seemed like everything he wanted in a university, but what he got from it was a lot more than that.
“I am grateful for everything I got from UNC Asheville and learned there. Nothing is ever perfect but that is a perfect metaphor for life. Challenges, frustrations, and hurdles will happen after college for the rest of your life. Asheville is a great starting point to learn how to make the most of every situation, think outside the box, be a problem solver, and always find a way to succeed or win no matter what.”
