Nick Bolton’s next honor came with a little help from a familiar voice.
During training camp on Monday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid pulled off the surprise, telling the former Missouri star that he’s headed into the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame.
“You guys know I’m a Missouri Tiger at heart,” Reid said. “I had a chance to coach there, for (those of) you that didn’t know, before I got in the NFL. And we’ve got a couple Missouri Tigers here, but we’ve got one that’s real, real famous.
“And not only for his play here with the Chiefs, but also what he did at the University of Missouri. Great things.
He did great things there. And we know him as kind of a team guy.
He’s Nick Bolton, right? We know him as a team guy, the ultimate team guy.
“But today, today, you’re going to get an individual award, bud. Today, you’re going into the University of Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame.”
Bolton, who was a 2020 first-team All-SEC selection, put together a strong three-year run at Mizzou. He played in 35 games and started 22 of them, piling up 224 tackles.
He also posted back-to-back seasons with 7.5 tackles for loss in 2019 and 2020, and 15 of his 16 career TFLs came in that stretch. Bolton finished his college career with 15 passes defended and two interceptions.
Asked to react on the spot, Bolton pointed to the people and places that shaped him.
“The state, the city, from Columbia all the way to Kansas City, man. It’s kind of been my home and my peace,” Bolton said, put on the spot.
“Yeah, a lot of friends, a lot of memories. Hope to continue to make them, man.
So proud of y’all guys. Man, y’all helped me get to this and helped me be who I am as well.”
The Chiefs took Bolton in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and he has since become a key piece of two Super Bowl-winning teams. In his pro career, he has 612 tackles and 6 sacks.
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