While the Lee student body continues to reflect on Nathan Sutton’s life after his untimely death on April 3, many never had the chance to realize and witness his deep passion for sports.

Sutton came to Lee University out of Heritage Academy in Oakwood, Georgia. Although he lettered in soccer and basketball, his favorite sport was football. Interestingly enough, football was the one sport Sutton never played as a member of Heritage Academy Athletics (given the school had no team). Instead Sutton took his game to rec and intramural leagues, allowing him to broaden his abilities and relationships apart from school.

Upon his arrival at Lee, Sutton joined the Golden Ducks intramural team, playing almost every sport offered. Perhaps no other sport truly showcased his talent like basketball.

“He was a great post player with his main skill being his shooting ability. He was almost always the leading scorer game in and game out,” said teammate, Bairet Bazemore, who played basketball with Sutton both at Heritage Academy and with the Golden Ducks .

“The one thing that characterized Nathan (both on and off the court) was his competitive drive. I’ve never met anyone who was more competitive or wanted to win more than he did. He was relentless, insatiable…never satisfied,” added Bazemore.

Sports also brought out a keen mind in Sutton. His teammates from the Golden Ducks claimed he had a nitch for knowing every statistic of his favorite team and players, especially the Georgia Bulldogs.

Even in pickup basketball games, Sutton would keep track of his own personal numbers.

“At any point in a game he always knew how many point and rebounds he had. One of my favorite moments with Nathan came in a game this past season. We were winning easily in a game that we would end up winning 71-34. At one point late in the game I asked him how many points he had. He replied, ‘36. I gotta get to 40.’ He ended up scoring 44. Keep in mind this was an intramural basketball game. With 16 minute halves and running clocks, to score over 40 point is unreal. Alot of teams don’t score 40 in a game,” said Bazemore.

Beyond his athletic ability and competitive nature, Sutton was a man of real character. He was greatly devoted to his friends and family, and never allowed his medical setbacks to slow him down. Anyone watching him play for the first time would never had suspected he suffered from any internal condition.

“Nathan was always in a great mood. He had an amazing passion for life and sports. He played flag football with us in the fall of 2007 and basketball with us this past winter. He was the best wide receiver we had in football, and a phenomenal basketball player. I recall him being a leader on the sports field, constantly building up his teammates and friends,” said former teammate, Ben Pressley.