Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: Turning the Page: Miles Fox Motivates On and Off The Field
8/27/2021 12:28:00 PM | Football
“There are more people out there dealing with the same things he is dealing with. So if I could shine a light in that particular area, I'm going to do that.” - Miles Fox
There is no doubt Wake Forest senior defensive tackle Miles Fox is one of the top defensive linemen in the country.
Whether it is earning a 2020 First Team All-ACC honors from the Associated Press or recently being named to the 2021 Preseason Second-Team All-ACC from Athlon Sports and Lindy's Sports.
What is it that pushes him to be great?
Of course, his love for the game is one source of inspiration, but it's not a 'what' that pushes him, it's who.
Fox has a younger brother named Jamal, and like his older brother, he wanted to play football too.
However, that dream unfortunately was cut short after he was diagnosed with autism.
"We wanted to put him in football early on, and once he got diagnosed with autism, we were not sure what a concussion could do," Fox said.
From that point, whenever Miles Fox is out there on the field he is always thinking of his brother.
"I've always kind of had that in the back of my head," Fox said. "I'm doing this for him. He struggled throughout his life. I kind of get upset with myself because I'm not as grateful as I should be. This game really helps me drive me on the field."
While Jamal serves as an inspiration for Fox, he also had an idea that maybe what Jamal is going through, could also be an inspiration to others.
It all started when Miles Fox was 11-years old.
He and his mom would have a little journal where they kept short fun stories or moments that Jamal would have done and as Fox got older stories increased and that helped Fox come up with an idea.
"The stories kept piling up and I saw him struggling on some days. I see everything he has to go through. I thought I could really make a book about this."
That is exactly what he did.
For his Capstone Project at Wake Forest, Fox started a series called "Joyful Jamal!" which took a look at some of the struggles Jamal goes through while also incorporating some of the fun stories and moments that he and his mom had written down while growing up.
Fox credits Dr. Jenny Pyke for helping him get started and really push forward with his series.
"She helped me develop it, and put me in contact with an author and tried to find out about publishing and she really helped me get the groundwork done," Fox said.
After finishing his Capstone Project and with the help of Dr. Pyke, Fox is looking to hopefully get his first book in the series, "Hi My Name is Jamal!" published later this December.
Along with his brother, the motivation for this book is simple.
"There is someone, there are more people out there dealing with the same things he is dealing with," Fox said. "So if I could shine a light in that particular area, I'm going to do that."
Whether it is earning a 2020 First Team All-ACC honors from the Associated Press or recently being named to the 2021 Preseason Second-Team All-ACC from Athlon Sports and Lindy's Sports.
What is it that pushes him to be great?
Of course, his love for the game is one source of inspiration, but it's not a 'what' that pushes him, it's who.
Fox has a younger brother named Jamal, and like his older brother, he wanted to play football too.
However, that dream unfortunately was cut short after he was diagnosed with autism.
"We wanted to put him in football early on, and once he got diagnosed with autism, we were not sure what a concussion could do," Fox said.
From that point, whenever Miles Fox is out there on the field he is always thinking of his brother.
"I've always kind of had that in the back of my head," Fox said. "I'm doing this for him. He struggled throughout his life. I kind of get upset with myself because I'm not as grateful as I should be. This game really helps me drive me on the field."
While Jamal serves as an inspiration for Fox, he also had an idea that maybe what Jamal is going through, could also be an inspiration to others.
It all started when Miles Fox was 11-years old.
He and his mom would have a little journal where they kept short fun stories or moments that Jamal would have done and as Fox got older stories increased and that helped Fox come up with an idea.
"The stories kept piling up and I saw him struggling on some days. I see everything he has to go through. I thought I could really make a book about this."
That is exactly what he did.
For his Capstone Project at Wake Forest, Fox started a series called "Joyful Jamal!" which took a look at some of the struggles Jamal goes through while also incorporating some of the fun stories and moments that he and his mom had written down while growing up.
Fox credits Dr. Jenny Pyke for helping him get started and really push forward with his series.
"She helped me develop it, and put me in contact with an author and tried to find out about publishing and she really helped me get the groundwork done," Fox said.
After finishing his Capstone Project and with the help of Dr. Pyke, Fox is looking to hopefully get his first book in the series, "Hi My Name is Jamal!" published later this December.
Along with his brother, the motivation for this book is simple.
"There is someone, there are more people out there dealing with the same things he is dealing with," Fox said. "So if I could shine a light in that particular area, I'm going to do that."
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