Stackhouse known for creating smiles

Nazir Stackhouse may be easygoing, but he is no slouch.

Last season, Stackhouse led the Bulldogs’ defensive line with 24 tackles, including three for losses. And in the tight game against Missouri, the 6-foot-3, 320-pound Stackhouse helped clinch a Bulldog victory with a fourth-quarter interception.

So how did the productive lineman get tagged with the nickname Sleepy from friends and teammates?

It started as a youngster when Stackhouse had a hard time staying awake throughout the day, sometimes nodding off in class or at a team meeting.

There was a good reason for that. It turned out that Stackhouse has narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder that can cause intense daytime sleepiness.

It’s not quite like the way narcolepsy is portrayed in film and TV—active one minute and then zonking out with no warning the next. But it can be a struggle. And the grueling schedule of a student-athlete (classes, study time, practice, team meetings, travel, and games) doesn’t make it any easier.

“Night games away are the worst,” says Stackhouse. He spends all afternoon in a hotel room fighting the urge to nap all day. Then, suddenly, it’s time to take the field. “I have to find a way to wake my body up because I’ve got to play.”

Still, Stackhouse has found what works to manage the condition. On the field and in the classroom, it’s all about showing up prepared.

“How I handle it is knowing my craft and knowing my plays,” he says.

He’s also learned that it helps to be involved in activities that interest him.

For his major, Stackhouse studies housing in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. He sees real estate and property management as a practical career path when his football career comes to an end.

“Mom always says, ‘People need somewhere to live.’ So you learn how to sell where people live and learn how to manage properties.”

Plus, he says, the classes are really interesting. He’s especially fond of Kimberly Skobba’s courses. He has taken three of the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor’s classes on housing, demographics, and society. He might take a fourth.

The big man also enjoys the opportunities to interact with the community. He looks forward to the annual meetup with Extra Special People (ESP), an Athens-area organization that serves people with disabilities and their families. Stackhouse, who mentions that his older brother is deaf, enjoys learning about and embracing other people’s differences. Plus, the enthusiasm for that event is always heartwarming.

“It definitely gives me the opportunity to just be a kid again,” he says. “I can see that they’re excited, always having a smile on their faces.”

Creating smiles is also what he’s going for in his social media activities. On his Instagram account (@i_am_naz), Stackhouse produces a cooking series he calls Dawgs Demo Kitchen. In them, he shows his followers how to prepare a meal. So far, he’s cooked venison, mahi mahi, and ribs.

“I try to give everyone a glimpse of my life, a little percentage,” he says. “It’s something that keeps me on my feet. Something I look forward to after my 9 to 5 (his term for his duties as a student-athlete).”

Call him Sleepy all you want, but don’t sleep on Stackhouse. From the field to the class, from the community to social media, Stackhouse gets things done.