The Big Believer

We were lucky enough to have Wesleyan’s new head football coach Mike Whalen in to speak to the class. When I ask these guest speakers to come in I tell them that it’s an open forum; to come in and speak on whatever you’d like, whatever you view leadership is. It’s amazing how people define it differently and the varying methods they employ. Everyone is different and people have their own values, morals, and convictions, but most importantly they’ve been influenced by leaders in their own lives. Where did they learn their mode of leadership from and how did they become the leaders they are today?

This is what Coach Whalen offered to class when he spoke before Spring break. He talked about where he came from, how he got into coaching, and the way he fell in love with the profession. What was so inspiring about the talk was his love for coaching in the NESCAC. As he moved through the college coaching carousel from Wesleyan to Springfield to UPenn to Lafayette to Colgate, he thought he would eventually be the head football coach at a Division I institution. Things diverge and plans change, families develop and the light speeds at which changes happen now slow down for what is more important in life. This is what makes Coach Whalen such a great person, not just a football coach. He’s down to earth and loves the fact that he is able to have the opportunity to coach at the Division III level in the NESCAC where he is viewed not only as a coach but also a faculty member. In fact, speaking to a group of students is a perfect example of that. Coach stated that some of the best teaching goes on between 4:30 and 6:30 PM out on the practice field. Sports allow people to be in the moment during overwhelming victories and succumb to a knee during crushing defeats. He quoted former Williams football coach Dick Farley and how Farley put this idea in perspective after a loss: “If something today is one of the worst things in your life, you’re going to live a very long life.” Sports teaches people that defeats are not the end of the world, how these negative experiences can become a positive in a person’s life, and how being a student-athlete is such a unique experience. Coaching in Division III has allowed Coach Whalen to be around his family while influencing the lives of thousands of student-athletes. He didn’t chase the millions of dollars to be the head coach at Notre Dame and instead put what is more important ahead of his personal goals. Many times in life you don’t hear about these types of people, because everybody wants to hear about the larger than life stories out there. Luckily, as a member of the football team I did have the chance.

Coach Whalen brought in an article from Jeff Janssen, a guest speaker who came to Williams a few years ago. Coach Whalen mentioned various anecdotes from his experiences as a coach that touched on what Janssen wrote about in The Team Captain's Leadership Manuel. Coach explained that leadership is a responsibility. Leadership isn’t about you the individual but instead the group. What Coach Whalen said drives him as a coach and teacher is the satisfaction from helping others succeed – and that goes for the All-Conference player and the person who sat the bench but who he helped get his first job.

Coach mentioned that there is risk in being a team leader. This means that leaders are constantly watched and that it’s a 24 hour job. He talked about a former player who was selected as a captain, was a great player on the field, but not necessarily the best individual off of it. Coach could not let this person be a captain unless he cleaned up his act. The player in fact did not take on the responsibility of captainship at first because he did not even believe in himself. However, the person did end up cleaning himself up because of the way Coach influenced him when the opportunity to lead the team arose.

Finally, what I was most interested in was the method Coach Whalen employed with the rest of the coaching staff to revolutionize the Wesleyan football program. Wesleyan has a long standing tradition of football, but in recent years the program has fell behind the rest. Coach Whalen and President Roth’s ultimate goal is to take the football program from mediocre to great. It’s this Pursuit of Excellence idea that both Whalen and Roth had in mind. Whalen emphasized that Wesleyan can’t expect to have excellence in the sciences but then get their butts beat on Saturdays. There needs to be excellence in everything Wesleyan does. This is their vision and the man to carry that out is Coach Whalen. It means finding the right people and surrounding the football program with individuals who share the same values and beliefs as you do. It also means having 75 players where football and school is important to them – almost equally.

Coach Whalen left a pretty good situation at Williams to revive a moribund program in Middletown. He even acknowledges the people who call him crazy, but a few of the characteristics that make great leaders are the people who are willing to take risk and who aren’t afraid of failure. Coach has done just that.

Beautiful things for the Tech.