Mature Fox moves into leadership role

COLUMBUS -- Dustin Fox became a husband this summer. This fall the senior cornerback also becomes a father -- presiding over a young but talented brood in the Ohio State secondary.

It's a responsibility Fox won't take lightly. His brother, Derek, was a game day captain for Penn State and was invited back as a honorary captain by his alma mater. Uncles Tim Fox, , Kenny Kuhn, Dick Kuhn and Mark Stier were starters at OSU, with Ken and Tim -- a first-team All-American -- serving as captains.

And Fox started alongside safeties and co-captains Mike Doss and Donnie Nickey on the 2002 national championship team as sort of a leader-in-training.

"He's the same type of kid," secondary coach and co-defensive coordinator Mel Tucker said, comparing Fox to Doss and Nickey. "Football is important to him, he was raised in a football family, he knows what it's all about and he wants to be a leader.

"He's been in the wars, he's had his ups and downs, and we've won a lot of games with him in there. He has enough confidence in himself to step up for us."

If stepping up means speaking up, Fox is ready to do that, too.

"In the past I wouldn't be vocal, but the guys who know me know that I'll get on your butt," he said. "I didn't feel comfortable in the past because who wants to stand up to a Doss, Nickey or Will Smith? I sat back and let them do their job.

"I think we have guys in the same category of being leaders. I think we can step up and be as good at leading, maybe better. Who knows? The sky's the limit. We learned a lot from last year's seniors and hopefully we'll do the best job of leading this team by example."

Playing the boundary -- or short-side -- corner comes with unenviable responsibilities. Because there's less field to work with on the boundary side, plays develop faster. Fox must have split-second reactions to defend the quicker, high-percentage throws, and he invariably finds himself defending the run more than the wide-side -- or field -- corner.

"I play a position where it's tough to make all the plays," said Fox, responding to the bum rap he's gotten from critics in the past. "I think I've been successful ... not always, just like anybody else. But at a place like Ohio State, fans want perfection at all times. They treat you like a pro athlete; that's fine. That makes you want to go out and play your best.

"You've got to have broad shoulders to play the position. You've got to have a short memory and you've got to be able to handle the criticism. When you play at a place like Ohio State, where there's been so many All-American defensive backs, the bar is set so high you have to play well."

Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton offered unsolicited praise of Fox this summer at the Big Ten meetings in Chicago when asked his impressions of the OSU defense.

"I'm sure they're going to be able to replace people," Orton said of the seven departed starters from that unit. "They've got great linebackers, I've been real impressed with their safety play and Fox has turned into a great cornerback. I remember we tried to attack him and it didn't really work."

Fox started at corner for the injured Derek Ross in the 2001 Outback Bowl and has been a fixture in the defensive backfield ever since. He was second on the team in solo tackles in 2002 and first last year, making three interceptions both seasons and earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2003.

Fox and hard-hitting junior free safety Nate Salley are the returning starters in what may be, from top to bottom, the most athletic OSU secondary in recent memory. Sophomore safeties Donte Whitner, Tyler Everett and Brandon Mitchell and corners E.J. Underwood and Ashton Youboty, with three starts between them, hope to offset the loss of safety Will Allen and corner Chris Gamble to the NFL.

Coach Jim Tressel, who took Fox with him to the Big Ten meetings as the team's defensive representative, is confident the Canton GlenOak product will take the rest of the secondary under his wing.

"If you asked every kid on our team, they would tell you that Dustin Fox does what he's supposed to do," Tressel said. "He carries himself off the field with humility and excellence. On the field he plays what I consider the toughest position on defense. He's a leader without even saying a word."

Ohio State will lean on Fox the way he leans on his football-passionate family -- a family that has grown by one member with his marriage to high school sweetheart Nicole Troyer. She works in the OSU football office, so she'll fit right in with the Fox clan.

"Married life is very relaxing," said Fox, a communications major. "I'm the type of guy who doesn't need to be out enjoying college (nightlife). Those days are over. I'm in bed by 11 p.m. -- and you can print that."