Salute to Tulsa World and Eli Lederman for a Story You Need to Read

STILLWATER – Since Wednesday (Jan. 26) both Marshall Levenson and myself have written stories introducing you to Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy’s choice as the Cowboys new defensive coordinator replacing Jim Knowles, who left after the regular season for the same position at Ohio State. Derek Mason is a long-time assistant coach, a defensive coordinator at powerhouse schools like Stanford and Auburn, a former assistant in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, and a seven-year head coach at Vanderbilt. We have talked to people that have worked for and with Mason. I met Mason briefly on Thursday in the Oklahoma State football office and felt his magnetism. However, I always feel that you have to give credit when a colleague does what you’ve been doing and not only outdoes your efforts, but hits a massive home run. Give the Tulsa World’s Oklahoma State beat reporter Eli Lederman as he wrote a feature story in Sunday’s edition of the Tulsa World that says more about Mason than anything I have heard or read.

Vanderbilt University athletics

Turner Cockrell

This is Eli’s story to tell, which is why we have this link here and above. It revolves around one of Mason’s players at Vanderbilt in Ackworth, Ga. native Turner Cockrell. The 6-5 Cockrell was a three-star recruit, high end for Vandy as they struggle to match the recruiting prowess of their SEC rivals. Cockrell was a two-year starter at Allatoona High School, which he helped to a 14-1 season and the 5A state championship in 2015, the first state title in program history. He averaged 25.3 yards on 13 catches as a senior tight end, chipping in three touchdowns. Even with modest statistics he was named first-team All-State.  

His first two seasons at Vanderbilt he helped the scout team for the Commordores. During the final month of his second season at Vanderbilt, doctors discovered melanoma in Cockrell’s lymph nodes. As treatment began the doctors saw that the cancer was spreading rapidly. In the summer before the 2018 season scans showed it had reached the young man’s lungs. Throughout all that time, head coach Derek Mason stayed very engaged with Cockrell and his family. The Vanderbilt team dedicated their season in 2018 to their teammate and his fight.

As we have seen so many times, all of us, as cancer knows no boundaries and has impacted everyone the fight often can’t be won, but is always virtuous.

That is why on the eve of a huge game, Vanderbilt’s final regular season game in 2018 against rival Tennessee, Mason and three other members of the Vandy football staff flew to Atlanta, drove to Ackworth and visited Cockrell and his family.

“Coach Mason just felt that we needed to go down there,” team chaplain Lance Brown told Lederman.

“Turner could barely speak and he didn’t know who many people were at the time,” Noelle, his mother, remembered in telling Lederman of the visit. “But that kid’s eyes lit up when they came to see him. He just loved coach Mason. Immediately. That man had such an impact on him.”

© Mark Zaleski / For The Tennessean

Derek Mason as head coach at Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt defeated Tennessee, Mason becoming one of only two Vanderbilt coaches to accomplish three straight wins over the Vols. Afterwards, Mason saluted Turner Cockrell and his family in his postgame news conference.

The next week Turner passed away and Mason issued this statement about his inspirational player

“My heart is broken for Randy, Noelle and the Cockrell family, for all of Turner’s teammates, and for all who came in contact with Turner,” Mason said in his statement. “Turner had a wonderful spirit and fought an incredible fight. He was a Vanderbilt Man through and through, and he will always be remembered here.”

Eli Lederman’s story truly captures more about Mason and what kind of player’s coach he truly is. It is well worth linking to and reading. Salute to an outstanding story.