A little advice for Dalvin Cook.
When it comes to Warrick Dunn, perhaps he should keep chasing.
Cook surpassed Dunn’s school record at Florida State for rushing Saturday – shattered the record, he did – in a victory over Syracuse. It was even more impressive that it took him less than three seasons to break the marks that Dunn set in four. Cook now has 4,166 yards to Dunn’s 3,959 yards. (Cook has carried the ball 38 more times than Dunn did.
“Anyone who has seen me play knows I am competitive,” Dunn told the Tallahassee Democrat. “Honestly, I just think it’s the different eras. Of course, I am going to say I am the greatest, I am not going to deny that. But I like his style. I like the way he runs, how determined he is. He’s is so powerful. He’s a lot bigger than I am.
“He’s an exceptional talent and deserving of all the praise. To me, Dalvin’s the best running back in college football and he’s going to be a great pro.”
But there are other parts of Dunn that you wish that Cook would reach for.
For instance, Cook is a semifinalist this year for the Walter Camp Award, which symbolizes the best player in the country. Dunn, however, just won the Walter Camp “Man of the Year” award, an award, an award previously won by Roger Staubach (Navy), Gale Sayers (Kansas), Dick Butkus (Illinois), John Elway (Stanford) and Jerome Bettis (Notre Dame).
Then, there is Dunn’s charity work. Dunn just purchased his 150th home for single-parent families.
Of course, there is also his pro career. Playing for Tampa Bay and Atlanta, Dunn rushed for 10,967 yards in the NFL.
Of course, Cook hasn’t had that kind of time yet. But as far as career aspirations, Cook could do a lot worse as far as a role model.
“It has been 20 years, it’s time,” Dunn said. “It was a good run. It is surprising, shocking because there have been so many great runners at Florida State. Dalvin came at a good time in his career and he has been able to shatter all that.”
