The popular idiom “nuts and bolts” is used to define something or someone that is an essential component of something larger. Those who know Cornell senior Danny Nathan would consider him among the “nuts and bolts” of the Big Red men’s lacrosse team.
Nuts and bolts are also an essential part of Nathan’s history, as both his grandfather and father have owned fastener businesses – the elder Nathan building his business out of nothing, collecting scrap metal in the aftermath of World War II and turning it into a useful product.
“My grandfather, who I am extremely close with, is probably one of the most interesting people that I’ve ever met,” said Nathan. “He grew up during the Great Depression, just a blue-collar guy and ended up owning his own business. When my grandfather was seven years old he was making the most money in his family working for a butcher. So he definitely knows the value of hard work. I think his overall work ethic and what he’s been through has given me a good perspective on life.”
Raised in Highland Park, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, Nathan became the first student from his high school to play Division I men’s lacrosse, which was not an easy feat considering Illinois is not considered a traditional hotbed of lacrosse. Still, Nathan went about getting recruited in typical blue-collar fashion. If the coaches wouldn’t come to scout him – he would travel to the coaches.
“I spent my whole junior year summer traveling from recruiting camp to recruiting camp,” explained Nathan. “And there were only so many coaches that were willing to take a chance on me and Cornell was the top school that did take a risk on me. Coach DeLuca was looking for a defensive player that just played hard and had a blue-collar attitude. I think some coaches are attracted to that and some are looking for the finesse superstar out of Long Island or Baltimore, which I clearly am not, so it was difficult getting recruited out of Chicago.”
The recruiting process was also hindered, oddly enough, by the schools that were recruiting him – Notre Dame, Villanova, and St. John’s. All three are fine academic institutions with Division I men’s lacrosse, but all three are affiliated with the Catholic Church and Nathan is Jewish. “It just wasn’t an option for my family or for myself,” said Nathan. “I just don’t think I would have felt comfortable there.”
Once Nathan got on East Hill, his struggles unfortunately continued, as he found himself trying to adapt to life at Cornell. “I had a very tough freshman year,” said Nathan. “I really struggled. I almost quit the team; I almost got kicked off the team; I pretty much collapsed mentally. Then I realized how fortunate I was to be at Cornell and I think that appreciation has allowed me to be successful. It has made me work a lot harder and take advantage of every opportunity here. In a way I think my early struggles have helped me.”
Those sentiments have been echoed by head coach Jeff Tambroni who explained: “From the beginning, we had high expectations of Danny as a competitor and potentially as a future leader of this team, based on the way he competed and his personality. But when he came in as a freshman he fell well short of our expectations and of his own expectations. He came to a realization when he went home over Thanksgiving break that he just wasn’t doing the things that Cornell lacrosse was going to require of him and of what he needed to require of himself. He came back from break and from that moment on he’s worked really extremely hard to be a leader of this team on the field, off the field and in the locker room.”
On the field, Nathan has developed into one of the best short stick defensive midfielders in the country, switching back to the position early in his junior season, after spending his sophomore year with a long pole. “We switched him to long stick and he never batted an eye,” said Tambroni. “He developed into a starter for us at the position and then Coach DeLuca gave him a short stick, just because Nick Gradinger was going to help our defense, and again, he never batted an eye.”
A position that doesn’t get a lot of attention or glory, the short stick defensive midfielders are arguably the most blue-collar of the defensive unit, doing all the little things that don’t show up on the box score.
“I originally switched to the short stick knowing that it wasn’t going to be a glamorous position and knowing that I was going to go from being a starter and having my name called on game day to just being a role player,” said Nathan. “I think the main aspect of it was knowing that it benefited our team because it meant getting Nick Gradinger on the field, which is huge. It meant we had all the best guys on the field, instead of having one of the best guys sitting out.”
An integral part of the Big Red defense for the past three years, he earned a spot on the 2008 Preseason All-American honorable mention team. He has also become one of the best leaders of the program in recent years. He is one of the team’s three captains for the 2008 season and has been compared by the coaching staff to the likes of Joe Boulukos, Sean Greenhalgh, Kyle Georgalas and Mitch Belisle.
Off the field, Nathan has given back to the Ithaca community in a variety of ways, participating in the Big Red Readers, the Save the Day program, and as the sponsorship chairman of the team’s annual 21 Run. “I’m very excited to help host the 21 Run this year and help carry on George Boiardi’s tradition, which I think is extremely important,” said Nathan. “The last couple of years it has been a fantastic event, with the community outreach and the support of all the athletes, it really is a wonderful day and it’s been a wonderful experience to help out with this event.”
In the locker room, Nathan has relied on the struggles of his early days at Cornell as motivation and lessons to teach some of his younger teammate. “Some of the younger guys are coming in and facing some adversity of their own,” said Tambroni. “Danny is able to show them how to get through the tough times. He’s become a real big brother on our lacrosse team.”
Nathan is the nuts and bolts of the Big Red men’s lacrosse team; an outstanding student-athlete; a hard-working, overachieving, selfless type, who doesn’t seek glory but is always ready to give back to his community.
