VIDEO: Catching Up With Cooper Rush: QB looks back at 1st year in NFL

"There's a few times when you look around and you think, 'you know this is pretty cool, I'm pretty fortunate,'" says Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush.

We've seen first hand the rise of Cooper Rush. The Charlotte native that first turned heads at Lansing Catholic and later in college at Central Michigan, made one heck of a first impression during his rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys.

"It's been quite a year, I have to tell you. It's a good Dad gig," says Matt Rush, Cooper's father.

"It's pretty surreal to look down on that field and see that you know that's our boy down there on the football field, so it's been awesome, lots of emotions, just great feelings, says Fran Rush, Cooper's mother.

"You know for an organization that has such history and to be the next step in that history and it's really cool to be apart of a lot of energy around the place all the time and you know it's something special, " says Cooper Rush.

Rush did not hear his name get drafted during last April's NFL Draft, so he did what he's always done at every level: outwork the competition and perform when the lights go on.

"He has that factor you can't coach, he's just so calm under pressure he does such a good job of that and that's just him," says Jim Ahern, Cooper's head coach at Lansing Catholic.

After a stellar preseason where he threw for six touchdowns, he's now the backup quarterback on one of the NFL's most iconic franchises. His parents always knew he was capable of this.

"Well I think we've always had confidence in Cooper. As a young man he's been a hard worker and he had goals in mind and he had incremental goals so while he kept the big picture in mind, he knew he always had to do something every day to get better. Not just as a football player but as a young man, so we're just very proud and super lucky to have him and to have this opportunity," says Matt Rush.

Rush is looking forward to getting back to Dallas for off-season workouts and instead of wondering where he'll end up, he can now focus on continuing to flourish in his new home with the Cowboys.

"I'm really excited to having a whole off-season with being with the NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys with the offense you know the whole year of working out with the guys, throwing with the guys and who you'll be throwing with and you know you kind of have an understanding of what's going on and you can really dive into the specifics and you know once in awhile you really think about it from the business and all the scheduling and think about it and enjoy it, that you know this is pretty special.

Not bad for a kid from Mid-Michigan. Phil Byrne, News 10 Sports.