Nate Cox, the official DJ of Furman University Athletics, is already a staple of Furman home basketball games, mixing music and bringing the beats to Timmons Arena on a nightly basis.
The man known as “Nate C. the Chief,” or just simply “The Chief” got his start in music as a young 16 year-old making beats on a keyboard. Wanting to take it a step further, he began rapping over his beats, culminating in his first rap album, Chief, released in 2009, from which he adapted his nickname.
The Chief continues to make his own music as well as remixing songs, taking inspiration producers like Pharrell Williams and A-Trak. A regular DJ at Vine Nightclub and City Tavern, known colloquially as “Tassie’s” in Greenville, the Chief can be found at venues across the upstate whenever he is not at Furman.
The Chief began his journey with Furman 4 years ago, becoming an honorary Paladin providing warm-up music for the Furman Men’s Basketball team. His role has progressed and expanded, as he now is the official DJ for Furman football as well as both men’s and women’s basketball.
Playing anything from Migos to Marvin Gaye, the Chief does whatever it takes to get the players motivated. He often gets feedback from the players on their favorite songs, and works them into pregame warmups and timeouts.
At every Furman football and basketball game, you can expect a variety of music at any break in the action. Cox is joined by the Furman band providing music for every game. According to the Chief, the school band plays the biggest role in college athletics, and he sees himself as a “backup to the band” at football and basketball games, and believes together they can “elevate arena entertainment as a whole.”
The students, however, have the biggest impact on the arena environment. The Chief encourages students to keep showing up to games, and to show their support for their classmates on the court and on the field. Cox works every game to make each game the best experience possible experience for both students and athletes, and that’s what makes Nate “The Chief” Cox an Influential Paladin.
