MOUNT ULLA — Nick Maddox says the first time he was asked to speak in public things didn’t go so well.

It was 1995 and Maddox was a freshman at A.L. Brown High. Football coach Bruce Hardin requested that Maddox, already one of the team’s stars, say grace at the school’s annual sports banquet.

Maddox looked around, saw dozens of his buddies from the football, basketball and track teams — and panicked.

“Ma told me to just say what I say at home,” Maddox remembers. “But it didn’t come out right. Guess I cracked up under the pressure.”

But frightened boys grow up to be confident men, and Maddox, now a polished college junior at Florida State University, no longer cracks when he sees an audience. In fact, he’s become pretty good at cracking up others.

Maddox is quick with a joke, fast with an amusing anecdote and as smooth in his public speaking delivery as he is running a toss sweep.

That’s why Maddox was near the top of the list when West Rowan head coach Scott Young started making up the roster for speakers for his summer camp.

“We wanted him here because Nick’s a great guy,” said Young. “And he’s great with the kids.”

You might think that the sleek ex-Wonder back and the burly Falcon coach would form one of the all-time odd couples, but they don’t look out of place at all sitting in the same huddle under a shade tree on the West campus.

Of course, there is just a little trash talk.

Young says he’d like to see how his fierce 2000 defense would have matched up against Maddox and the Wonders’ 1998 offense.

Maddox, who rushed for a phenomenal 2,569 yards and 36 TDs that season, just grins.

In ’98, Maddox was in his last year at Brown and Young was in his first at West. Maddox burned up most of Mount Ulla when the Wonders came to call, scoring four TDs in a 54-6 romp.

Jared Barnette, the West QB who’s also a fixture at Young’s camp, remembers that night like it was yesterday.

“Nick ran to this side of the field and then he ran to the other side of the field. And then he’d run down the field. I hated to get beat, but, you know, it was sort of fun to watch.”

“Hey, no hard feelings, I hope,” says Maddox, smiling innocently at Young.

Young gets in the last word, though, reminding his celebrity guest that a Raymondo Brady-to-Justin Davis pass play burned a defensive back named Maddox for West’s only points of the night.

“Justin was a real humble guy,” said Maddox, “but I think he did come up and mention that play to me after the game.”

When Young introduces Maddox to a flock of eager campers, he informs them the back once gained 180 yards against West. Eyes widen and each camper offers the guy in the Florida State attire his undivided attention. And this time, Maddox doesn’t choke.

His message isn’t original, but it’s from the heart. He tells the campers to stay in school, do their homework and listen to their parents. Basically, he tells them to follow their dreams and be the best they can be. He asks them to be “field rats” who play and practice at every opportunity.

Most importantly, he reminds kids that being an athlete, doesn’t rule out being a top student.

“Some people say football players can’t learn,” he says. “But if you can learn playbooks and cadence, you can definitely learn science, math and English.”

Maddox is living proof of what he preaches. Along with his stats, Young reads off to the campers a mile-long list of Maddox’s accomplishments in the classroom, service clubs and church that have nothing at all to do with toting a football.

“You probably know who put that list together,” Maddox says sheepishly. “Ma.”

After his chat, Maddox autographs everything in sight, mostly the backs of happy campers’ T-shirts. Tons of kids rush up against him like waves crashing against rocks, but he doesn’t seem to mind at all.

“Did you see? Some of those kids had a little sparkle in their eyes when I was talking to them,” smiles a satisfied Maddox. “Really, this is the most fun part of being me — getting a chance to do things like this.”

Before he leaves, Maddox, who will return to Tallahassee later this week, gazes out at those cavorting campers, yelling and whooping and having a ball with last year’s Rowan County Defensive Player of the Year — lethal West linebacker James Francis.

“This is so great,” Maddox says. “You see these kids doing the things you used to do. They’re not quite there yet, but you know it’s going to come for them.”

The muscular Francis and Maddox spent considerable time checking each other out yesterday from a respectful distance — Maddox, who murdered West so often, and Francis, one of the key figures when the Falcons finally beat the Wonders for the first time last October during their finest season in history.

“I thought Nick would be bigger,” said a chuckling Francis. “I’d heard so much about him. I just wish I’d got the chance to play against him.”

Better be careful what you wish for, James. Coach Young’s still got the video from Nick’s last visit.

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