[NU Sports] Great article about Randy Walker

[John A. DeGroat]

Schooler hit the nail on the head!

John DeGroat

BSchooler at aol.com wrote:

>In a message dated 12/24/2005 12:25:30 AM Central Standard Time, 
>thehaze at earthlink.net writes:
>
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>>A glowing piece on our coach was in Friday's Sun-Times.  I think we have 
>>an outstanding person as our coach.  I'm glad Mark Murphy feels the same 
>>way. -- Jim B.
>>
>>http://www.suntimes.com/output/campus/cst-spt-nu23.html
>>
>>    
>>
>
>I read the article and came away with the opposite conclusion - that maybe 
>Randy Walker isn't such an "outstanding person". I base this conclusion on the 
>following statements:
>
>Walker - "He told his players that being a leader didn't mean being 
>somebody's friend. He told them that being a leader meant telling people what they 
>needed to hear, even if that was uncomfortable."
>
>I disagree with this definition of leadership. Positive reinforcement has 
>just as an important role in successful leadership as does negative 
>reinforcement. Besides, the most successful leaders lead by example; not intimidation. My 
>guess is that this Northwestern team fights for each other; not the coaches. 
>It's the same mentality that motivates a military basic training company; 
>they've have only each other to rely upon after enduring a horrible experience 
>together. I wish Walker had more motivational arrows in his quiver besides fear and 
>intimidation.
>
>Walker - "'I'm always the bad guy',Walker said this week as the Wildcats 
>prepared to face UCLA in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 30 in El Paso, Texas. 'I tell the 
>staff and the leaders of the team, 'It'd be nice if some of you would take a 
>little of that on.' I feel like the Wicked Witch of the West all the time, but 
>I'm not afraid of being unpopular. I worry about trying to do the right 
>thing'.''    
>
>My take on this quote is that Walker is whining because no one else on his 
>staff (since Glowik, Wilson and Kromer were run off) is willing to be the "bad 
>guy" (ie. bully and intimidate players) while, at the same time, justifying 
>this approach by rationalizing that he's just worried "about trying to do the 
>right thing". Of course, this completely ignores the possibility that other 
>coaches on the staff, as well as players, may prefer to motivate through means 
>other than fear and intimidation. Like "being somebody's friend"? Interestingly 
>enough, we've had some folks on this List, including Jim Bendat, who have 
>recently excoriated the late Woody Hayes for being a "bad guy" but don't seem to 
>object to Randy Walker assuming this role. And by the way, it's no coincidence 
>that Randy Walker has held up Woody Hayes as one of his coaching role models.
>
>Walker - "Walker said he comes from a time when the priority was doing what 
>was in the best interest of the student-athlete and the group. It wasn't about 
>just making people feel good. That tough love is hard for his players to 
>accept sometimes, but it is getting results on the field."
>
>Walker has erected a straw man. At Northwestern, and most other schools, I'm 
>sure, there never was a time when the priority hasn't been "doing what was in 
>the best interest of the student-athlete and the group". Walker then destroys 
>the straw man by saying, "It wasn't about just making people feel good." 
>Which, of course, is Walker's justification for his "tough love" approach. If you 
>are stupid enough to buy this sophistry, then I suppose you can come to the 
>conclusion that "tough love" and "making people feel good" are mutually exclusive 
>motivational approaches.
>
>Walker - "'Everyone talks about the Rose Bowl, and that was one of the 
>greatest achievements in this school's history,' Walker said of the 1995 team 
>coached by Gary Barnett. 'But three years later, they didn't win a Big Ten game.'"
>
>I feel this statement is a poor reflection on Walker's character. It shows 
>jealousy and insecurity. Why even bring up Barnett's history at Northwestern? 
>But if you're going to do so, why denigrate it by pointing out the failure to 
>win a Big Ten game in 1998? (While failing to mention Northwestern's shared Big 
>Ten title in 1996). Wouldn't it have been much more gracious for Walker to 
>have said something like, "Coach Barnett laid the foundation for our success with 
>a great break through season in 1995 that led to a Rose Bowl appearance. We 
>feel we're building the consistency at Northwestern which will lead to another 
>Rose Bowl appearance in the not too distant future."
>
>Walker - "'I've made clear my commitment to Northwestern,' Walker said. 'I'm 
>not a 1-800 guy, calling everybody. Does everybody have a price? Sure. But 
>there's a value in the kind of kids I get to coach, the institution I represent, 
>where I live. I don't know if there's a better job.'''   
>
>Walker must be a liberal. He thinks we're so dumb we won't remember that he 
>said something just the opposite a few years ago. Remember? When things were 
>going poorly during the 2002 season, Walker was quoted in one of the Chicago 
>papers boasting about how he gets calls about other jobs. I'm not so sure these 
>job inquiries Walker says he received weren't fabrications; but nevertheless, 
>the purpose of going public about calls about other jobs back in 2002 (an 
>incredibly unprofessional move) was to threaten Northwestern with how he could 
>leave anytime he wanted if he felt Northwestern didn't appreciate his services.
>
>And now for my disclaimer made necessary by the assistant Pop Warner coach in 
>Delaware who refers to himself in the third person as "Coach". This doesn't 
>mean I'm a person from Texas who "hates" Coach Walker. I feel he's done some 
>very good things at Northwestern. He has built some consistency. He has 
>developed teams that never quit. He has produced an outstanding record of graduating 
>his players. But yesterday's article in the Sun Times is worthy of discussion. 
>Some people think it shows that Coach Walker is "an outstanding person" while 
>others, like myself, don't.
>
>Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah!
>
>Bob Schooler
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