‘Class act’ Fox hits home

Vernon Fox could have done just about anything during a week off from work.

The Washington Redskins safety, though, wanted to come home and share some of his good fortune and knowledge with his old high school team.

A 1997 Cimarron-Memorial graduate, Fox watched his alma mater play from the sidelines Friday and spoke with the Spartans' players and coaches, inspiring them to possibly follow in his footsteps.

"I still bleed the Cimarron maroon," said Fox, in his second season with the Redskins and sixth in the NFL. "I really try to stay attached to this school and the guys here. They've been good to me and I try to return that."

With the Redskins on their bye week during Week 4 of the NFL season, coach Joe Gibbs gave his team a week off to rest and relax.

"It's always good to get your mind off football for a moment, reflect on other things and just really relax," said Fox, who has yet to play this season while recovering from a groin injury. "The next three or four months of my life is completely dedicated to football. My wife (Tai) and I come home during the bye week every year."

Fox, who will turn 28 next Tuesday, rarely misses an opportunity to talk with students and share his experiences. His talks focus on perseverance, reminding young people to believe in themselves and focus on achieving their goals.

"He's a class act," Cimarron coach Ron Smeltzer said. "He's always been that way.

"He's been through it and is playing at the next level and there's a lot of respect for him. The kids really understand what he's saying. He's not too far removed from them."

Fox's career has been all about persevering. He didn't let his lack of height -- 5 feet 8 inches -- stop him from having a terrific career in football and track at Cimarron. But it somewhat limited his collegiate athletic options.

"I wasn't given a lot of opportunities and a lot of people told me I should try the smaller schools," Fox said. "I just reached beyond that. Every school I sent my recruiting tape to offered me a scholarship. I just wanted to play on Saturdays. That was my largest goal at the time. I was a college football fanatic."

Fox chose Fresno State, where he graduated with a degree in sociology in four years. He was twice named to the All-Western Athletic Conference first team.

He was contacted by NFL scouts and agents but wasn't selected in the 2002 draft.

"I was thinking I had opportunities, but didn't get drafted," Fox said. "I could have hung it up and gone out to get a job, but like I told the guys here, if you have something you want to achieve, you have to go after it."

Fox signed with the San Diego Chargers and played two seasons before moving on to the Detroit Lions, where he was a special teams captain in 2005. He signed with the Redskins before the 2006 season and played all 16 games last season, including six starts, making 42 tackles and one interception.

Fox has played in 72 NFL games, compiling 118 tackles and two interceptions.

"It's a real motivator for us to know where he is," Cimarron sophomore Stephen Nixon said. "It lets you know you have a chance to be there, too."

Fox spends nearly four months of the year in Las Vegas. He'll return after the season and take a month to relax before beginning workouts. He heads to the Redskins training facilities in April and generally gets about a six-week break before the start of training camp.

When he signed with the Chargers, Fox's goal was to play six years in the NFL. He has a three-year contract with the Redskins that will get him closer to his new goal of a 10-year career.

He's also hoping to finally get to the playoffs this season.

'I've never been on a team that has had so much talent," Fox said. "I'm feeling like things are really coming together.

"I tell kids all the time, just imagine your wildest dreams, the thing that you say, 'One day, I want to do that.' To have the opportunity to accomplish it, nothing in the world compares to that. I wake up every day thinking this is just awesome."