Fleming died when the Beechcraft King Air 200 carrying members of the Oklahoma State University basketball team crashed on Saturday, Jan. 27 outside Byers, Colo.
He walked onto the Cowboy basketball team in 1999, despite being brought up as a Sooner.
Fleming’s cousin, Kyle Keller, is an assistant coach for the OSU basketball team.
“Our relationship went beyond the usual player-coach relationship, obviously,” Keller said.
“I would hope to have a son just like him.”
Keller said Fleming was a positive influence on everyone he was around, but his real goal was to be in the starting rotation for the Cowboys.
“He didn’t like it when people would chant his name at the games,” Keller said. “He was driven to be a starter on the team, and the chanting was something that separated them.”
“He had a special relationship with his family. He used to call home every day,” Keller said. “It’s a tragic loss. Our family will miss him, just like the other nine families will miss the other victims.
“His and Dan’s spirit will live with us forever. We will all dedicate this season to them and carry them with us forever.”
Keller says he will “take (Fleming’s) drive and energy” and try to instill it in everyone he coaches.
“His faith in Christ was first, always first, but he gave his all for academics, family and basketball,” Keller said.
OSU is not the only school affected by Fleming’s death. The accident left students and faculty at Fleming’s alma mater Edmond North High School shocked.
Gene Chase, a government teacher and Fleming’s assistant tennis coach for four years, remembers Fleming as “first class.”
“He was very popular at North,” Chase said. “It’s put a lot of them (students and faculty) in shock.”
Chase said Fleming was “good at everything.”
“If I had a son, I wish he could be like (Nate). He wasn’t always the best at everything he did, but he was always first class,” Chase said. “When he won he was gracious, and when he lost he was more gracious. He was just first class.”
One student’s life was specially touched by Fleming. Josh Brasher, a senior at North, was singled out by Fleming when he was a sophomore.
“I don’t know why, but he made me feel welcome and we became really close,” Brasher said. “He was so energetic, no matter what time it was.”
Brasher, who has two younger brothers, said Fleming was very much like an older brother to him.
“He was an example to me. No matter how busy his life was, he was always interested in me, even who I was trying to date,” Brasher said. “But what I remember the most was how excited he was to make the team and that he had scored in a game.”
Basketball was an important part of Fleming’s life, leading him to OSU, away from the family alma mater. It was his passion, said former North basketball assistant Matt Peters.
“He loved (basketball),” Peters said, “If we made a substitution in the game, Nate wouldn’t be out more than 10 seconds before he’d start giving me this look that said ‘I am ready.’ He wanted to be in the mix all the time.”
The staff at North is in a state of “real disbelief,” Peters said.
“He was a big practical joker,” Peters said, “But the thing I’ll always remember is watching him play at OSU. Nate was one of those who you knew was going to succeed at whatever he tried.”
Fleming could always be found on Coach Eddie Sutton’s left during timeouts, “soaking things up.”
“Being on the inside was a huge thrill for him,” Peters said. “Just hearing the basketball.”
Lourdes Carroll, his counselor for four years of high school, said some athletes were “impact players,” but Fleming was an “impact person.”
“He was an eternal optimist,” Carroll said. “He was very motivated, knew what he wanted out of life and always diligent in achieving his goals — but he never lost his sense of humor.
“I will always remember his generosity and consideration toward others,” Carroll said.
Fleming is survived by his parents, Zane and Ann Fleming, and his sisters, Sarah and Drue.
Edmond North High School will hold a memorial service for Nate Fleming at 8 p.m. today at the school and another memorial will take place at 3 p.m. Thursday at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City.
In lieu of flowers, memorials should be sent to The Nate Fleming Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Oklahoma State University Foundation, Stillwater, OK 74074.
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