With all the specialization in sports, it’s sometimes hard to pick someone as an “Athlete of the Year.” But when that athlete excels at the highest level in multiple sports, that task becomes a lot easier.
For that reason, Osceola High School three-sport star Nolin Eaddy has been named the Osceola News-Gazette’s Male High School Athlete of the Year.
The recently graduated senior, who will be pursuing an electrical engineering degree at the University of Florida, was simply dominating on the football field, on the wrestling mat and on the weightlifting platform -- earning honors and enormous respect in each sport.
As a football player, Eaddy anchored Osceola’s defense as a starting linebacker. He led the Kowboys in total tackles (91) and was second in tackles for loss (9); while adding five quarterback sacks, recovering two fumbles and causing two others.
With the help of Eaddy, Osceola recorded three shutouts, allowed just 13 points a game; and the team compiled a 9-3 record during the COVID-shortened season to earn a trip to the FHSAA Class 8A State Championship Game, where they lost to powerful Seminole High.
Eaddy earned all-OBC honors, as well as a spot on the Osceola News-Gazette’s All-County Team for his efforts.
“Nolin is a real throwback; he’s an all-substance, no-flash type of guy and the real leader of our defense,” former Osceola coach Doug Nichols said. “He was an over-achiever, only concerned about getting better and helping the team win. In all my years coaching, I always preached the importance of never missing a rep, going 100 percent all the time. Nolin was one of those rare kids that always gave you that effort. He never took a play off in a game or in a practice.”
After the football season ran well into December, Eaddy finally moved on to the wrestling mats in January, and won district and regional championships at the 195-pound weight class during his abbreviated season. Taking an 18-1 record into the state tournament, Eaddy easily dispatched his first three opponents before meeting South Dade’s undefeated Sawyer Bartell in the final. Trailing 1-0 midway through the third period, a desperation move backfired and cost him two points in a disappointing 3-0 loss.
Still, he earned a silver medal for a second consecutive year and marked the end of a sensational wrestling career in which he earned All-State honors and placed on the podium among the top six for four consecutive years.
“I have been wrestling since I have been 6 or 7,” Eaddy said. “It’s one sport where you can’t rely on anyone else to help dictate your result. Whatever happens on the mat is going to be your success or your failure, and it’s that aspect of the sport that I really love. It’s a tough individual sport but there is definitely a team aspect to it. You develop some serious bonds with your teammates as you train.”
That team concept in wrestling was apparent in the State Dual Meet Championships, where Eaddy went undefeated in district and regional events, helping the Kowboys to an eventual tie for fifth place.
Although he has found a high level of success in both football and wrestling, Eaddy was hesitant to name a favorite sport.
“During football season, football was my favorite sport, and during wrestling season, wrestling was my favorite. Football is a team sport, where you all work toward a team goal. My senior season was so much fun, getting to the state championship and playing in a massive stadium. We defeated some really good teams to get there.
“As I said before, wrestling is more of an individual sport. I always loved the challenge of trying to beat the guy you were facing. The loss in the championship didn’t bother me near as much as wondering whether there was something I could have done different to secure a better outcome.”
Jim Bird, Osceola’s wrestling coach and athletic director, said Eaddy’s selection as the top athlete was a no-brainer.
“Nolin loves challenges and sets his goals extremely high,” Bird said. “He was a great leader for our wrestling team. If we had a 7 a.m. practice, he was a guy who would show up at 6 a.m. to get extra work in. Even though he’s graduated, he still shows up to help set up mats and run our offseason tournaments. That’s just the type of person he is. With Nolin, you just know he is going to be successful in everything he does.”
If two state championship appearances were not enough for his resume, Eaddy made it three championship appearances in his senior season by qualifying for the FHSAA State Championship in weightlifting.
Competing in the 183-pound weight class, Eaddy successfully lifted 290 pounds on the bench and 275 in the clean-and-jerk for a 565-pound total that tied for second place. Eaddy’s finish was adjusted to fourth based on a higher body weight, but it earned him a second All-State designation in the same year.
What makes his story even more compelling is the fact that he tackles academics with the same passion, desire and ambition as he has for sports. He graduated with a 4.6-point weighted grade point average and an SAT score north of 1,400.
“His academics are just as important to him as athletics,” Bird added. “This young man never missed a practice or a class in four years. He excelled at three sports while never getting anything worse than an “A” in any class.”
