Getting To Know: Nick Florence
7/16/2018 11:08:00 AM | General
The former Baylor quarterback transitioned to University Development 4 ½ years ago.
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Whether it's being a husband to Rachel, a daddy to his 2 ½-year-old daughter, Ella Kate, or working his job as Director of Development in Baylor Athletics, Nick Florence wants "to be the best that I can be."
"If all we do is go in and leave and get a paycheck, and it's mundane and there's no purpose to it, we're wasting our lives," said Florence, the former Baylor quarterback (2009-12) who transitioned to University Development 4 ½ years ago after finishing his MBA. "So, I want to be excellent. There's a drive to be better. I can be better. Now, how do I get better? It starts with me as a person. The self-awareness and growing as a person and who I am is going to affect the way I work."
Nick carries that same passion and drive he showed playing football at South Garland High School and during his career at Baylor into his job and every area of his life.
"Nick is a tireless worker who truly embodies the mission and spirit of Baylor University," said Mitch Mann, Associate AD for Resource Development. "His enthusiasm and work ethic are contagious, and we are lucky to have him on our team. Just as he did as a student-athlete, Nick brings out the best in his teammates day in and day out."
Quoting Psalm 139, Nick says, "We are all created in His image. He knitted and formed us. We all represent Him. I believe we are all created in His image. So, I want to treat people with respect and have an impact. Do my job, do it well, but then help them make a difference."
Five years later, after passing up a chance to make a run at an NFL career, Nick says he has no regrets. But, after a senior season that saw him throw for a school-record 4,309 yards and lead the Bears to a Holiday Bowl victory over 17th-ranked UCLA, he admits "It was not an easy decision."
"There was a lot of back and forth on what to do, praying about it, what I feel like God is calling me to do," he said. "Ultimately, I just felt like it was time to move on. Sure, it would be nice to have a little more money in the bank, but money's not everything."
A month and a half into an internship with University Development in the summer of 2013, Nick said, "I actually hated it. I felt like I was just shaking hands and kissing babies. I just didn't see the purpose in it."
That attitude changed, though, as he saw the opportunity to "meet a lot of great people . . . and help people give and make a big difference."
"There's nothing more meaningful than that," Nick said. "To be able to tell them, and for them to believe and see that they're not just giving money to higher education, they're giving money to the Kingdom of God and impacting young people's lives. And a lot of times, it's because their life was impacted when they were here. Maybe a professor took them under their wing and taught them what it means to love God and to do your work with excellence."
As a "people person," Nick enjoys going out and connecting with donors and hearing their stories. One thing he's learned over the past 4 ½ years is how to become a better listener.
"It's easy as a fundraiser to lump people as a number. And if you can't give me the money I want, then I'm moving on," he said. "But, at the end of the day, they're people. I have an opportunity to sit down one-on-one with different individuals (180 times over the last year) and make them feel like they're the most important person in the world.
"Everyone wants to be loved. So, it's learning to listen, learning to hear their stories, what makes them tick, what's their passion. And then, giving them an opportunity to give back."
Nick's own story began on June 21, 1989, in Dallas, Texas, when he and his twin brother, Luke, were born to Joe and Tina Florence as the youngest of five sons. "I'm a minute older," Nick says. "That's my trump card."
As fraternal (not identical) twins, "if I were to tell you my twin was standing next me, you probably wouldn't believe me."
Although he also played basketball and baseball growing up, and "they forced me to run track because I was slow," Nick knew by the end of his sophomore year at South Garland High School that football was his ticket to a college scholarship.
Scholarship offers started coming in after he threw for 2,295 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore. Nick set Garland ISD records as a senior in 2007, when he completed 212-of-357 passes for 3,047 yards and 30 touchdowns with only four interceptions.
Originally committing to Baylor in March 2007, when Guy Morriss was the head football coach, Nick stuck with his pledge after Art Briles was hired and got eventual Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III to switch his commitment. It was humbling when he was asked to gray shirt and not enroll in college until January 2009.
"As a kid, you think the world revolves around you, so it was definitely hard to swallow," he said. "You pray about it, and I felt like God was saying you're supposed to continue to come here. At the end of the day, I wanted to come to Baylor for more than football. It's bigger than football, and it always has been."
With all the swagger and confidence of an 18-year-old quarterback, Nick said he watched film of RG3, "and I was like, 'He's going to be my receiver. I'm going to throw the ball to him.' That's what you want to think, right?"
Their careers intertwined, Florence ended up starting seven games as a true freshman in 2009 when both RG3 and Blake Szymanski were injured. And then in 2011, Nick burned a redshirt 10 games into the season when he came off the bench in the second half of a win over Texas Tech after Griffin III suffered an apparent concussion.
"God created me to play football, and I'm going to go out and give it my best," he said. "If He didn't create me to play football, I wouldn't be here with this opportunity."
As a senior in 2012, Nick broke Griffin's single-game passing record by throwing for 581 yards in a 70-63 shootout loss at West Virginia; threw for 238 yards and two TDs in a 52-24 upset of then-No. 1 Kansas State; and set the school single-season record by throwing for 4,309 yards, earning honorable mention All-America and first-team Academic All-America honors.
"I was a scrappy little player," he said. "Ephesians 2:10 was something I quoted a ton, especially my senior year. 'We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do the good works which He prepared in advance for us to do.' We're all created differently, with different abilities, different passions. At the end of the day, we are called to use those things He has given us to the best of our ability and give Him all the glory."
After meeting during his freshman year at Baylor, Nick and Rachel were married in May 2011. "Best thing that ever happened to me," Nick says.
Because of their core values, being married while he was still playing "was actually way easier," he said, "not to have to say good night at 10 o'clock and go home and not see here again until 8 o'clock the next night. . . . For me, it was an escape, too. I could come home and take my mind off of everything else. And if there was going to be somebody in my corner, I always knew it was her. No matter what was going on, she's got my back."
The couple had to lean on each other 2 ½ years ago, when Ella Kate was born 11 weeks premature, weighing just 2 pounds, 2 ounces.
"She's the biggest bundle of joy there is, the cutest thing in the world," the proud papa now says of his daughter. "She's a little fighter. They prepared us for her to come out not breathing at that point, because your lungs are not developed until 32 weeks. And she came out crying. It was unbelievable! All I could tell her was, 'You're brave and you're strong! You're brave and you're strong!' And today, she's not scared of anything."
After 8 ½ weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, Ella Kate came home on Dec. 22, 2015, "the best Christmas present ever."
"Looking at her now, you'd never know she had any problems," Nick says "She's our little miracle baby."
Never one to focus on goals, Nick says he's not sure where he will be in five to 10 years.
"I just want to work really hard and see what doors open," he said. At some point, though, there will be a split in the road where he has to decide which path to take – development or athletics administration.
Greg Davis, a former basketball student-athlete who now serves as Baylor's Associate Vice President for Development, said Nick "continues to excel with a team-first attitude that places Baylor's donors as his top priority."
"It is always outstanding when one of Baylor Athletics' own decides to stay with Baylor after graduation in order to give back to a place that gave he and Rachel so much."
Baylor Bear Insider
Whether it's being a husband to Rachel, a daddy to his 2 ½-year-old daughter, Ella Kate, or working his job as Director of Development in Baylor Athletics, Nick Florence wants "to be the best that I can be."
"If all we do is go in and leave and get a paycheck, and it's mundane and there's no purpose to it, we're wasting our lives," said Florence, the former Baylor quarterback (2009-12) who transitioned to University Development 4 ½ years ago after finishing his MBA. "So, I want to be excellent. There's a drive to be better. I can be better. Now, how do I get better? It starts with me as a person. The self-awareness and growing as a person and who I am is going to affect the way I work."
Nick carries that same passion and drive he showed playing football at South Garland High School and during his career at Baylor into his job and every area of his life.
"Nick is a tireless worker who truly embodies the mission and spirit of Baylor University," said Mitch Mann, Associate AD for Resource Development. "His enthusiasm and work ethic are contagious, and we are lucky to have him on our team. Just as he did as a student-athlete, Nick brings out the best in his teammates day in and day out."
Quoting Psalm 139, Nick says, "We are all created in His image. He knitted and formed us. We all represent Him. I believe we are all created in His image. So, I want to treat people with respect and have an impact. Do my job, do it well, but then help them make a difference."
Five years later, after passing up a chance to make a run at an NFL career, Nick says he has no regrets. But, after a senior season that saw him throw for a school-record 4,309 yards and lead the Bears to a Holiday Bowl victory over 17th-ranked UCLA, he admits "It was not an easy decision."
"There was a lot of back and forth on what to do, praying about it, what I feel like God is calling me to do," he said. "Ultimately, I just felt like it was time to move on. Sure, it would be nice to have a little more money in the bank, but money's not everything."
A month and a half into an internship with University Development in the summer of 2013, Nick said, "I actually hated it. I felt like I was just shaking hands and kissing babies. I just didn't see the purpose in it."
That attitude changed, though, as he saw the opportunity to "meet a lot of great people . . . and help people give and make a big difference."
"There's nothing more meaningful than that," Nick said. "To be able to tell them, and for them to believe and see that they're not just giving money to higher education, they're giving money to the Kingdom of God and impacting young people's lives. And a lot of times, it's because their life was impacted when they were here. Maybe a professor took them under their wing and taught them what it means to love God and to do your work with excellence."
As a "people person," Nick enjoys going out and connecting with donors and hearing their stories. One thing he's learned over the past 4 ½ years is how to become a better listener.
"It's easy as a fundraiser to lump people as a number. And if you can't give me the money I want, then I'm moving on," he said. "But, at the end of the day, they're people. I have an opportunity to sit down one-on-one with different individuals (180 times over the last year) and make them feel like they're the most important person in the world.
"Everyone wants to be loved. So, it's learning to listen, learning to hear their stories, what makes them tick, what's their passion. And then, giving them an opportunity to give back."
Nick's own story began on June 21, 1989, in Dallas, Texas, when he and his twin brother, Luke, were born to Joe and Tina Florence as the youngest of five sons. "I'm a minute older," Nick says. "That's my trump card."
As fraternal (not identical) twins, "if I were to tell you my twin was standing next me, you probably wouldn't believe me."
Although he also played basketball and baseball growing up, and "they forced me to run track because I was slow," Nick knew by the end of his sophomore year at South Garland High School that football was his ticket to a college scholarship.
Scholarship offers started coming in after he threw for 2,295 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore. Nick set Garland ISD records as a senior in 2007, when he completed 212-of-357 passes for 3,047 yards and 30 touchdowns with only four interceptions.
Originally committing to Baylor in March 2007, when Guy Morriss was the head football coach, Nick stuck with his pledge after Art Briles was hired and got eventual Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III to switch his commitment. It was humbling when he was asked to gray shirt and not enroll in college until January 2009.
"As a kid, you think the world revolves around you, so it was definitely hard to swallow," he said. "You pray about it, and I felt like God was saying you're supposed to continue to come here. At the end of the day, I wanted to come to Baylor for more than football. It's bigger than football, and it always has been."
With all the swagger and confidence of an 18-year-old quarterback, Nick said he watched film of RG3, "and I was like, 'He's going to be my receiver. I'm going to throw the ball to him.' That's what you want to think, right?"
Their careers intertwined, Florence ended up starting seven games as a true freshman in 2009 when both RG3 and Blake Szymanski were injured. And then in 2011, Nick burned a redshirt 10 games into the season when he came off the bench in the second half of a win over Texas Tech after Griffin III suffered an apparent concussion.
"God created me to play football, and I'm going to go out and give it my best," he said. "If He didn't create me to play football, I wouldn't be here with this opportunity."
As a senior in 2012, Nick broke Griffin's single-game passing record by throwing for 581 yards in a 70-63 shootout loss at West Virginia; threw for 238 yards and two TDs in a 52-24 upset of then-No. 1 Kansas State; and set the school single-season record by throwing for 4,309 yards, earning honorable mention All-America and first-team Academic All-America honors.
"I was a scrappy little player," he said. "Ephesians 2:10 was something I quoted a ton, especially my senior year. 'We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do the good works which He prepared in advance for us to do.' We're all created differently, with different abilities, different passions. At the end of the day, we are called to use those things He has given us to the best of our ability and give Him all the glory."
After meeting during his freshman year at Baylor, Nick and Rachel were married in May 2011. "Best thing that ever happened to me," Nick says.
Because of their core values, being married while he was still playing "was actually way easier," he said, "not to have to say good night at 10 o'clock and go home and not see here again until 8 o'clock the next night. . . . For me, it was an escape, too. I could come home and take my mind off of everything else. And if there was going to be somebody in my corner, I always knew it was her. No matter what was going on, she's got my back."
The couple had to lean on each other 2 ½ years ago, when Ella Kate was born 11 weeks premature, weighing just 2 pounds, 2 ounces.
"She's the biggest bundle of joy there is, the cutest thing in the world," the proud papa now says of his daughter. "She's a little fighter. They prepared us for her to come out not breathing at that point, because your lungs are not developed until 32 weeks. And she came out crying. It was unbelievable! All I could tell her was, 'You're brave and you're strong! You're brave and you're strong!' And today, she's not scared of anything."
After 8 ½ weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, Ella Kate came home on Dec. 22, 2015, "the best Christmas present ever."
"Looking at her now, you'd never know she had any problems," Nick says "She's our little miracle baby."
Never one to focus on goals, Nick says he's not sure where he will be in five to 10 years.
"I just want to work really hard and see what doors open," he said. At some point, though, there will be a split in the road where he has to decide which path to take – development or athletics administration.
Greg Davis, a former basketball student-athlete who now serves as Baylor's Associate Vice President for Development, said Nick "continues to excel with a team-first attitude that places Baylor's donors as his top priority."
"It is always outstanding when one of Baylor Athletics' own decides to stay with Baylor after graduation in order to give back to a place that gave he and Rachel so much."
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