Bo Nix and his Oregon Ducks are having an excellent season this year. Nix has been playing at a potential Heisman Trophy-winning pace, and with a date against the Washington Huskies tonight in the Pac-12 Championship, Nix has at least one more chance to prove why he should take home the prestigious award.
However, before Nix ever took a college football snap, he wasn’t the first Nix to do so. That would be his father, Patrick Nix, an Auburn Tigers legend in his own right. Let’s take a closer look at Mr. Nix and his legendary career.
Who Is Bo Nix’s Father?
Before Bo suited up for Oregon, he did so for the Auburn Tigers — a school that meant a lot to him and his family, a school where his father Patrick made himself a legend. In 2019, Bo made history when he became the first true freshman to start as Auburn’s season-opening quarterback since 1946.
But before that, it was his father Patrick who was making big-time plays for the school. Patrick attended and played football for the school from 1992 to 1995. During his time as the quarterback, the Tigers went on to have a perfect 11-0 season in 1993. He came in for injured quarterback Stan White against hated rival, the Alabama Crimson Tide — and the rest, they say, is history.
MORE: PFN Life — Off-the-Field Content
He helped guide the Tigers to a remarkable comeback victory, sealing an undefeated 11-0 season for Auburn. In 1995, he was named the captain and was the leader of a team that finished 8-4. He’d go on to win the team’s Pat Sullivan Award for Offensive Player of the Year as well as the Cliff Hare Award for Student-Athlete of the Year.
His junior and senior seasons are when the team became his (and also when he saw most of his playing time during his collegiate career). In total, Patrick played in 32 games during his time at Auburn, with 22 of those games coming in his final two seasons, tallying 4,957 passing yards and 31 touchdowns.
Auburn Is a Family Affair
Despite Bo now manning the offense in Oregon, his following his father’s footsteps to Auburn was a special moment for the Nix family. Bo was able to be a true-freshman starter for a historic Auburn program and dawn the same jersey his proud father once wore.
No matter what he does in Oregon or what his NFL journey may look like going forward, his time in Auburn may be the most sacred of all the memories the Nix family holds.