BLOGGING WITH HAWK
“Wica.” A Lakota word meaning, “complete man.”
One of the great joys of coaching is being around, and helping develop great young men. This weekend was an example of that.
Terrence Wheatley was awarded the national defensive player of the week award for his three interception performance against the high octane offense of Texas Tech.
Jordon Dizon had a big interception he returned for a touchdown.
The Green Bay Packers came to town with two former Boise State Broncos, left guard Daryn Colledge and fullback Korey Hall, and former Buff kicker Mason Crosby.
For those of us who get to be around them on a daily basis, it is not surprising to see their successes. They are indeed “Wica.” Great players are almost always great people. You can’t flip a switch and instantly become something you are not just because you put on a uniform. The same characteristics that define excellence in life will be displayed in front of thousands on game day.
T-Wheat and Jordon are two of our best players, and two of the top players at their positions in the country. Daryn and Korey were four year starters for us at Boise State. Mason of course is the all-time scoring leader at CU. More importantly they are also a great example of several important traits vital to success as a person and athlete.
Consistency. These guys show up EVERY day. They take no meetings, practices, lifts, or activities off. It is easy to bust it once in a while, but they BRING IT every day. Win or lose, you can COUNT on these guys being ALL IN, ALL THE TIME. Win, lose, rain, snow or shine.
Toughness. Certainly having the fortitude to be consistent is part of toughness. These guys get dinged, nicked, and banged like everyone else. But you’d never know it by the way the act. They play right through it, they expect it, they demand it of themselves. The bigger the challenge the more they rise up. I think that having the ability to embrace adversity is one of the greatest skills we need to succeed, and these guys have it.
Humility. They don’t let the glitz and glimmer get to them, they have the fortitude to keep their feet on the ground and not succumb to the trappings of success. They are well aware of the fact that it is a team game and that no one is above the team.
Work Ethic. All great things take hard work. There are no short cuts to success. These guys are some of the hardest working people I have been around. They pour it out everyday. Coach Pitman will tell you who the REAL players are by how hard they work in the weight room. There is NO PLACE TO HIDE.
Leadership. Too many times guys think that leading by example is leadership. While that has to happen with good leaders, there are other components to great leaders as well. Having the courage to say something to those who need it, having the compassion to reach out to those struggling, the ability to take the heat, carrying the responsibility for the acts of all. When these guys finish playing, I suggest you hire them to manage your company. They are GREAT LEADERS.
High Standards. I have always said there are two types of class, “First” and “No.” These guys have high standards across the board. They conduct themselves accordingly. They act classy, they look classy, they have the highest degree of standards for all that they do. These guys expect, demand, and get high standards of performance in all that they do.
Balance. All these guys are solid students, solid people, and solid athletes. They understand the balance of excellence and quality of life that it brings. They come from great loving families who have great priorities in life and have passed them on to their children. All these guys you would love to marry your daughter, live in your neighborhood, and work with you.
Their successes surprise no one. We are blessed for being able to be a part of their lives. We are fortunate that they are part of our program.
They are all examples of guys who were not necessarily big time recruits coming out of high school. But they are proving they are BIG TIME ATHLETES because more importantly they are BIG TIME PEOPLE. Congrats T-Wheat, Jordon, Daryn, Korey and Mason. Thanks for being a great example for all of us on and off the field!
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Music? I am going to go with a couple this time (with a little local connection). A couple of guys called The Trampolines (heard ‘em at Nissi’s, a cool spot in Lafayette), and Glenn Roth (brother of our Training Table guru, Marc Roth). Both can do some amazing things with an acoustic guitar.
Movie? Ok have you seen The Red Violin? Great multi-dimensional story with great passion.
Book? I am just finishing “Ultra Marathon Man, Confessions of an all Night Runner” by Dean Karnazes. Given to me by my daughter Ashley, it is an amazing tale of what you can do if you get your mind right!
Oh ya Missouri! Just Like Terrence, Jordon, Daryn, Korey, and Mason, we have to bring our best every day because Life demands it of us.
#4 Arizona State
#6 Oklahoma
#8 Kansas
#9 Missouri
#33 Kansas State
#37 Texas Tech
#41 Florida State
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