May, 2015 | Coach Pat Sullivan

Mentors Often a Success Factor

I recently read an article addressing high school basketball players in Philadelphia. It stated that the mainstream media concentrates only on the players who don’t qualify for college academically. It then went on to talk about four recent college basketball players from Philly high schools who earned their college degrees and asked why doesn’t the mainstream media concentrate on them?

I know nothing about the mainstream media except that it definitely concentrates more on the negative that the positive. Although I do not remember the exact results of the study, a Georgetown University group studied the nightly news for one hundred straight nights counting the negative news coverage versus the positive things covered. The results were something like for every 100 negative examples there were only 5, or even less, positive stories.

There seemed to be one recurrent theme among the four college graduates. They had mentors who believed in them and pushed them academically. They didn’t coddle them; they served them with tough-love.

I know a number of coaches both at the high school and college levels who care about their players beyond the narrow confines of a basketball court. Unfortunately, there are also some who only care if their players can help them win so they can enhance their winning legend.

I will always believe that the coaches who are concerned about the eventual careers of their athletes after graduation are the mentors who make a difference in the lives of their players. They are the real mentors.

I remember reading years ago about Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. He constantly talked to his players about what they were going to do when their football playing days ended. The longer he stayed at Green Bay, the more he could cite Packer alumni who were doing well, especially in the business arena.

I know athletes really appreciate mentors who are interested in their lives after sport and it is those coaches who become life-long friends of their players.

Is it any different for leaders in any field?

I have worked for educational and business leaders who genuinely cared about me and my family. They took the time to mentor me, most especially during my difficult times. They mentored me both professionally and personally. The end result – we have been life-long friends.

Leaders may want to think about how important their mentoring is and how it can result in life-long friendships.

Gordie’s Legacy

On April 14th, 1926 God gave us a gift — and what an incredible gift it was.

Other than our parents, Coach Gordie Gillespie may have been the most important and the most influential person in the lives of the 4 to 5,000 athletes who played for him. No one will ever figure out how he made so many athletes feel like he was their second father.
Three quotes seem to be pertinent to Gordie:

“It’s not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.” (Helen Walton)
“Preach the gospel; if necessary, use words.” (St. Francis of Assisi)
“There is no such thing as an ending; only a place where you leave the story.” (Maggie Smith)

Gordie was not interested in what he might gather. He was interested in the goodness, the love, and the values he scattered to all those who crossed his path.

After his passing, I could not believe the number of people who approached me to tell me of the kindness Gordie had shown them. And many of them had met him only once. I had no idea of the impact he had on those who hardly knew him.

Gordie coached college baseball, basketball, and high school and college football. He coached 110 seasons. For those of us who have coached, it is incredible to think about that accomplishment only. One season can take a great deal of energy! 110 seasons is unimaginable. He coached college baseball for 59 years, retiring at age 85. His teams won 2,402 games and he was inducted into 18 Halls of Fame.

As remarkable as those numbers are, they mean nothing when compared to the impact he had on the lives of the athletes he coached. Ed Spiezio, an All-American baseball player for Gordie at Lewis University, went on to play in the Major Leagues for the Cardinals, the Padres, and the White Sox. Throughout his professional career, he played for a number of outstanding coaches. But he only called one coach, “Coach.” That title was reserved strictly for Gordie.

A common refrain among those whom he coached when they were confronted with various problems throughout their lives was, “What would Gordie do in this situation?” That is the respect that his players had for him.

When St. Francis wrote, “Preach the gospel; if necessary, use words,” he could have been writing about Gordie. His impact did not come from his words; it came from who he was, the values he stood for, and the daily example he set.

His athletic values and his life values were one and the same. He wanted to win, not for himself, but for the kids he was coaching. It was never about him; it was about us. Winning was important, but winning the right way was more important. Any kind of cheating, taunting, or embarrassing your opponent was never acceptable.

He valued all-out effort and anything short of that was not tolerated. One of his favorite sayings was, “You’re not tired, you just think you are.” Fatigue had no place in his vocabulary. There was no excuse for not giving all you had, on and off the playing field.

When you made the last play of the game that led to a loss, the first person at your side was Gordie. He was there at the game’s end and he was there when you experienced tough times in your life.

It was never what he said; it was what he did.

On March 20th, the Gillespie children organized a celebration of his life. Some of the children and men who played for Gordie shared his “stories.” It was not an ending because most of us will continue to tell his story until the day we pass.

Three of us who played for Gord have met for breakfast once a week for the last decade. It is truly amazing how often a story of Gordie enters the conversation. I cannot see that ever ending. His teaching was that powerful and enduring.

The most poignant comment at this celebration came from Gordie’s wife, Joan. Despite all the accolades and accomplishments, Joan said, “It was never about him; it was about you.”

The only regret I personally have is that we have not been able to get ESPN to tell his story. Young coaches need to hear his story. They need to hear that your teams can win and you can love the kids you are coaching and be with them for the rest of their lives. It is precisely that care, concern, and love that lasts. Most of the wins will be forgotten.

In the movie, The Natural, Roy Hobbs is asked how would you like to be remembered and his answer is something to the effect that when he walks down the street that people would say, there goes Roy Hobbs, the best player ever to play the game.

People, especially those of us who played for Gordie, would without hesitation say, “There goes Gordie Gillespie, the best coach who ever lived.”