HAMILTON

When well-meaning people take pizzas or other food to homeless camps, theyre often inadvertently providing financial support for prostitution and sex trafficking, says Felix Russo, pastor and director of the New Life Mission in Hamilton.

The non-profit organization he runs on Henry Street has been helping the poor since 1969, and in recent months has raised its aspirations.

Residents need options, so Russo wants his organization to be a hub of resources that aid the poor, the homeless and the addicted, helping connect them to mental-health therapy, and organizations like Butler County Job and Family Services and veterans agencies that can help them with jobs, health-care coverage, food assistance and life coaching.

In the past year, the issue of homelessness has risen in Hamilton and elsewhere across the county, with officials working to contain homeless camps while informing residents about how to find help. Along the way, police and social-service agencies have been frustrated by people who take things to the homeless camps, saying that only encourages people to keep living in tents near railroad tracks, in woods or in fields.

Russo agrees such help is a bad idea.

As well-meaning as they are, wanting to help people on the street and Ive seen an explosion of groups the last couple of years, going out on the street and just giving things to people, he said. They feel like thats helping people, and its really not.

Number 1, it takes away any initiative. Why should I make a change in my life if people are going to be bringing me everything I need whatever food I want, anything I need, clothes, whatever, directly to me in my homeless camp, that takes away the initiative to want to move out of that life situation.

Russo said he has seen a rise in millennials and senior citizens on the streets, and human trafficking is part of the problem.

And these groups that are just going out and inundating people with stuff and theyre enabling do they really step back and go, You know what? Im enabling traffickers, he said. Some guys using a girl because shes high all the time, and using her to get money, thats trafficking.

Youre enabling him to traffic her out on the street.

Hes familiar with such issues, because his wife, the Rev. Kim Russo, operates Juliettes Hope in Lockland, a two-year program that helps women, mostly from Butler County, break away from addiction and prostitution.

RELATED: Juliettes Hope helping Butler County women recover from vices

Hamilton police and Butler County United Way earlier this year teamed in an effort that encourages people wanting to help the needy do so through United Way agencies.

RELATED: How to help the homeless through local agencies

Most people who know about New Life Mission believe it is only a soup kitchen, and maybe a food pantry. Its a place that people who use it have come to trust.

Russo wants the organization to become a hub for helping the poor, the homeless and the addicted, helping connect them to mental-health therapy, and organizations like Butler County Job and Family Services that can help them with jobs, health-care coverage and food assistance.

The mission, located in a single-story building, has a new strategic plan calling for it to become a hub of resources, for those in need, Russo said.

This is a good location, he said. People are already coming here for lunch. Well get 20 to 50 families come through the food pantry, daily.

Its already becoming a hub, helping connect people with Butler County Job and Family Services, and people who provide mental-health assessments.

Of the 81 people served at the JFS onsite visits in October, 61 were assisted at New Life Mission, the agency told him.

I think that is the right place, for such a place to help people, said county Commissioner Cindy Carpenter. Weve been so successful in putting a JFS staff person in the community meal center, and that person is qualifying individuals for Medicaid and Food Stamps, which are first steps to coming out of chronic homelessness. A big part of it is to get on medication.

He is the boots-on-the-ground person who probably serves this population more than anyone else, because the people he serves are the neediest of the neediest, and with the most complicated mental health and addiction problems.

RELATED: Officials argue for treatment and homeless housing in Butler County

Russo wants to convert part of the missions building to private showers for men and women.

People deserve to be treated with dignity, he said. Something thats needed right now are showers. Just the basic health, it goes with dignity, and it goes to employability.

Hed love to help some people find their way to religion, he said.

But first and foremost is about loving people, he said. Show people love, then as that relationship builds, people will begin trusting you to where you can start going, Hey, these are your options. Theyre here if you want them.

MORE: Commissioners debate funds for crisis center

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How Hamiltons New Life Mission is growing its help for the poor - Hamilton Journal News

WTA Insider: How did you get into tennis?Beltz: I started when I was seven years old. I played a lot of tennis in Germany. I played all the leagues in Germany and Bundesliga and everything.

When I was 16-years-old I already got my first trainer license in Germany. We have to do a license. It's called a C License, B License, and A License. So I knew pretty early that I'd like to coach a bit.

So I started when I was 16 to do my first license, but I was also playing a lot. I had more the goal to be a professional tennis player. I played prize money tournaments, futures, and then I played college tennis, which was really good for me in America.

I went to Anderson College, Clemson University, practiced there a lot. So I played there for two years, which also helps my game a lot. After the two years, I went back because I tried to play futures, ATP events for myself. Then I started to hurt my shoulder a little bit. I stopped playing and I went to coaching.

"It's nice to be able to work with the top athletes together and try to make them better every day."

I had a Bundesliga team which I coached. Pretty funny, my first team, Wahlstedt, all the girls we are talking about now, like Goerges and Barthel, they were all playing. So I was kind of the head coach and all the girls were on the team. It was a good team.

Then I started with Angie [Kerber] when she was 16. They were looking for a coach who could help her with the first steps on the tour, play 25Ks, and the junior Grand Slams. So I started with her when she was 16. That was my start of it.

WTA Insider: What drew you to tennis? Beltz: What attracted me? For sure it was my parents. Both of my parents are playing tennis as well. So I started to hit against the wall at the tennis club. My parents played at the court. I play against the wall. So I guess that's how many players pick it up.

I started to love it. And then I played a lot of junior tournaments and I liked it so much. I played a lot when I was young and I'm still loving it, so it's fun.

WTA Insider: What do you like about it? Beltz: The challenge, the competing, one against one. I really like it.

I just loved the sport because you can just go with friends and just go out and play. Also in Germany, the club scene is pretty big. It's not that big anymore, but when I was young a long time ago, it was still big. We had a lot of club matches, a lot of practice together. It was a good system and I had many friends playing tennis so it was fun.

WTA Insider: Do you have a coaching philosophy?Beltz: When I was sixteen, it was just a thing on the side, because I was still playing. It was just good at the club to teach a little bit some kids, make some small money on the side.

When it got more serious I really liked the challenge. It's nice to be able to work with the top athletes together and try to make them better every day. I think that's really the thing I like to do right now and which really fulfills my life, I would say. Try to make them better every day and to work with young players. I think it's a great job and it's a great challenge for me.

I think the philosophy kind of changes. If you play with the club level players it's more about having some fun. That was also the goal at the time to get more kids into tennis. Let's make it fun and really try to show them how much fun is the sport.

Now with the top, top players, I don't have to sell because they know how nice it is. So it's really about trying to get out of the players the best they can do every day, and especially to get them ready for the big tournaments like Zhuhai and the Masters and really try to get them ready for the big stage to play their best tennis.

"I think it's really important to stay positive. In tennis, every week is a new challenge and a new possibility to play good."

WTA Insider: What's the most important thing you've learned coaching at the top level?Beltz: I think it's really important to stay positive. In tennis, every week is a new challenge and a new possibility to play good. Even if it's sometimes not going your way, it's not about going up.

So I think for me as a coach, we're trying to stay positive and we're trying to see the process to try to get better. I think we're trying to do this. I think this is also what's most important for me as a coach, to try to stay positive and to stay focused, trying to have an intense practice all the time, even if the player is not feeling that great.

WTA Insider: How do you get players to trust the process and not get too attached to being results-orientated?Beltz: It's a combination. The player has to trust the coach, believe in the coach, believe in what I'm saying and doing with her. So I think it's a combination.

I'm trying every day also to give my player the feeling that I am there for her and that I have my thoughts and that I really try to prepare the practice good. I try to educate myself, to evolve positively as a coach, to try to educate myself to get better at coaching. I think if the player sees this, I think also she believes more in my work.

WTA Insider: What does a day in the life of a WTA coach look like? Beltz: It depends on the time, if it's offseason or at a tournament. We have a new platform now where I can watch the matches so I'm trying from the hotel to watch the matches and to see what my player is doing good and bad and really trying to get this right. Also trying to prepare some videos to show my player so she can see what she's doing good or bad. At night, I try to prepare the practice for the next days.

And then in the day we have breakfast together, then we have practice in the morning together, we have lunch together, we have practice in the afternoon and then fitness. The whole day is pretty planned and pretty packed. We're trying to have a good day every day and to be positive.

WTA Insider: Do you have a lot of free time as a coach?Beltz: I have free time. I like to play some golf sometimes.

It's also a good challenge because on tour you have a lot of free time actually. For sure we are coaching on the court and we are preparing, but we also have to handle the free time. But I like to be alone sometimes. I like to play golf if I can. The good thing is we are always at the sunshine so we can play golf a lot.

WTA Insider: What is the vibe like among the WTA coaches?Beltz: I think it's really good. I have no problem with anybody. I have many good friends on the coaching tour. It is really fun. We all see each other every week. So it's good to see each other. I think if we have a good time together, sometimes we go play golf together, we have a drink somewhere. I think we all get along pretty well.

WTA Insider: Do the coaches talk a lot with each other about their own players and experiences?Beltz: I think it's more easy with the coaches to get along better than the players. We talk about tennis for sure because it's all we love, tennis.

But I think I will not tell any secrets and I think all the other coaches will not tell me any secrets. I think we get along pretty good and we have some good guys on tour.

WTA Insider: What's a bad day for you as a coach?Beltz: I think also the coaches are results orientated. For sure it's tougher when the player is losing. I think that sucks. Everybody can agree to that. That is a tougher day, if the player is losing a tough match, maybe three sets or something.

I think for me the toughest is if my player is playing good and she's losing and she's feeling hurt. For me it hurts a little bit also. We as coaches have some tough days.

But it's the same as a player. We don't let it get to us and get too much down. It's trying to stay positive and see the next day and then we can work the next day and in tennis, we have the chance to do it the next week and do it better.

More here:
Coaching Dossier: Torben Beltz is the King of Positivity - 'Every week is a new challenge' - WTA Tennis

A trail runner finds sage advice in a virtual-coaching program from iFit. It changed his view of what a session on a treadmill screen can do.

Its 3 miles to the Beagle Channel. Im running in Patagonia, near the tip of South America, a few steps behind a virtual trainer on a screen.

The machine hums under my feet. A treadmill, the Commercial 2950 model from NordicTrack, speeds up and then tilts, a dynamic simulacrum of the terrain ahead.

I came to this review with some skepticism. As a serious runner, I train mainly outdoors. However, treadmills have played a significant role in my fitness regimen for years. But a virtual coach training me from a screen? It seemed like too much.

My coach was Tommy Rivers Puzey. Hes a real person, an accomplished ultrarunner, and one of more than a dozen trainers available via the iFit program on my treadmills 22-inch screen. Throughout a recent 30-minute workout, Puzey earned my trust.

After testing iFit for weeks, I had several ah-ha moments during one particular session in the virtual forest with Puzey on the outskirts of a remote Patagonian town.

SinceiFits inception in 1999, the company has made it a goal to improve the experience of working out on an exercise machine.

Built-in screens and connectivity changed the paradigm for treadmill companies. iFit hopped into that with its lush visual scenes, onscreen workout classes, and, later, virtual coaches. These coaches focus on fitness during sessions that you can watch once or view as a series, building toward achievable goals.

Its a library of content in constant evolution, with new sessions added every week. Over the years, the iFit project has included a partnership with Google Maps (which is ongoing), the formation of a massive studio space for filming in Utah, and video shoots around the world.

You can now jog through European capitals, run along tropical beaches in Hawaii and Thailand, and even trek up the flank of Mount Kilimanjaro. A multiday program lets iFit users virtually summit the 19,341-foot African peak.

There are thousands of workouts in the library, and the company has produced on-location shoots from all seven continents and more than 40 countries. iFit touts itself as more convenient than a gym, more affordable than a personal trainer.

Pricing starts at $15/month, and iFit works with a range of NordicTrack and other ICONexercise equipment. (If you have multiple devices, a single subscription works across a range of NordicTrack devices, from incline trainers, rowers, cycle machines, and a strength towerupdated this year.)

I ran several sessions over the summer, and then last week I picked Puzeys course in Patagonia. I wanted to relive a region I knew well after an expedition to Tierra del Fuego years ago.

The scenery was sublime, as expected, with misty forests and ocean views. But what surprised me was Puzeys dialogue, which meandered from fitness tips to a historical tutorial on the areas scourge of invasive beavers.

Theyd come from Canada as a failed experiment in habitat relocation. I knew those beavers too well from my time in Patagonia. One day, after more than a week in the wilds in 2010, we encountered a decimated forest stretching for miles. It was the result of seemingly innumerable beaver dams.

Puzey pointed at an effected area like that off the trail. The talk and the scenery on the screen were a positive distraction as I ran. Initially, thats what I envisioned iFit would be: an alternative to staring at a TV or zoning out to a podcast as treadmill minutes and miles ticked away underfoot.

But Puzey proved me wrong and it wasnt just the beavers. From the start of the session, he gave legitimate tips on running technique. He talked about cell physiology and V02 max in an uncomplicated way. The conversation throughout the 31-minute run, which is titled Gable Island, Argentina in the iFit library, was stacked with invaluable information if you listened close.

For example, at one point near the beginning of the session, Puzey talks about upper body considerations and form. He notes a runner should avoid twisting the body or swinging the arms too much from side to side. Instead, runners should direct all motion (arms included) linearly ahead in the direction of their run.

This sounds basic. But it took a long time for me to ever hear that advice as a beginner runner years ago. I changed my arm movement and focused on posture and gait. It was a significant step toward increasing my efficiency and speed, and I wish Id known this sooner.

Another example from iFit: Right at the start of the Gable Island run, Puzey talks about the importance of warming up before a hard run. I was feeling impatient at the time and almost sped the treadmill pace ahead of the programs prescribed speed.

Instead, I listened to Puzey, who explained the why behind taking a few minutes to warm up. It was a weird moment of mind-reading, as he seemed to rebuke my questioning as soon as it came to my head.

Warming up, he said, is useful because once youre literally warmer and beginning to sweat, thats a good indicator that on a cellular level your body is more ready for the rigors of exercise ahead. As a sprint-from-the-gate kind of guy, the information on why warming up matters now sticks as usable advice.

Hills and twisting trail were a part of the virtual run. The iFit program worked seamlessly with the NordicTrack treadmill, speeding up, slowing, tilting on ascents, then declining as the ersatz path went downhill.

Id moved a NordicTrack 2950 into my basement a few months ago for a test. Its a solid machine and has found a place in my weekly regimen. Indeed, in 20 minutes flat, I can pace out 3 miles on a sprint day. Workouts via iFit range from beach jogs to mountain runs, where the NordicTrack inclines up to 15 percent, mapping the virtual hills.

To be sure, I run outside for many of my miles. I compete in trail races and do an ultra or marathon most years. But the treadmill is a part of my training regimen. In winter, I love to run on snow some days. Other times, the convenience of an indoor option is alluring when roads get icy around my neighborhood.

Based in Logan, Utah, ICON Health & Fitness Inc. is the worlds largest manufacturer and marketer of fitness equipment. It owns a suite of brands, including iFit and NordicTrack. Dubbed a commercial treadmill, the NordicTrack 2950 is a high-end machine with a price tag to match.

A metal-frame incline feature, reliable build and motor, a fold-up design, integrated fans, and a large, vibrant touchscreen that comes ready to run iFit justify its $2,999 price tag. A one-year iFit subscription is included.

Back in Patagonia, a camera followed tight behind Puzey the whole time, giving the trick of having a running partner just a couple steps ahead.

At the start, my screen revealed the 31:30 workout would include one-minute VO2max intervals where youll run at an intensity level of 9. I would burn 356 calories. The workout would tackle 2.77 miles and gain almost 300 feet.

Closer to the Beagle Channel, Puzey explained workout thresholds and intensity zones. He mentioned cellular mitochondria and their integral role in increasing holistic fitness as you train. You get a breakdown on V02 max.

In a half-hour with iFit, I heard training advice and information that took years for me to learn in the real world through casual training. Id paid coaches for blood-lactate tests and heart-rate regimens. People assessed my gait and form.

Though a session on a screen isnt a stand-in for personal coaching in life, I was impressed by the quick depth Puzey presented on a sprint through the Patagonia forest.

The company noted it had an original goal, starting in 1999, of wanting to improve education and expertise through trainer-created workouts. IFit developed programs to hook runners with progressive sets of workouts to build engagement through motivation to finish circuits and reach goals over days or weeks.

As the company puts it, The iFit expertise is automatically integrated in the workout; all the consumer has to do is follow along. iFit likes the term connected fitness to describe its technology. There are many other treadmills with touchscreens and graphics or streamed workouts. But iFit has interactive facets like auto-adjusting speed, incline, and decline.

In the end, I became an iFit adherent, but I didnt love every program. Certainly, you need to find the coach and class type built for your interest and fitness level. But as a whole, its a program that can benefit beginners and serious runners alike.

Check out the virtual world of iFit if youre training indoors this winter. The round-the-world iFit scenery can be amazing to virtually explore. Coaches like Puzey provide motivation and direction that can be invaluable in obtaining a fitness goal.

See details on the NordicTrack 2950 treadmill here.

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Treadmill Training: Why I Became a 'Virtual Coach' Convert - GearJunkie

Lane Kiffin likes life in Boca Raton, Florida.

That much is true after the third-year head coach of Florida Atlantic responded to a tweet from an Arkansas fan on Twitter pleading for Razorbacks athletic director Hunter Yurachek to hire Kiffin as head coach.

Kiffin, who coached in SEC most recently as the offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2014-16, thanked the fan for the love but assumed the person had "never been to" Boca Raton.

Fayetteville, Arkansas, is certainly not South Florida.

It is, however, an SEC job which Kiffin is open to.

Kiffin, who was the head coach at Tennessee in 2009 before bolting for USC from 2010-13, said Oct. 22 on SEC Network's "The Paul Finebaum Show" that he would not rule out a return to the SEC.

His current situation, though, makes him selective.

"I'm really happy here, Paul, and all coaches say that, but you know I'm not one to just give coach speak," Kiffin said. "As you get older, I think you value different things. And so when you're younger, a lot of times you're chasing money and titles how big is the job? and all those things.

"So I'm very happy here. I think we've gotten something pretty neat going on here with ... 24 wins or something like that in three seasons and they had (three) three-win seasons before (from 2014-16).

"So a lot of really good young players, so I'm very happy here and it's a great place to live. As you get older, you kind of appreciate where you live, too."

After an 0-2 start, the Owls are 7-3 overall and 5-1 in C-USA play, winning six of their past seven games as they are tied for the conference's East Division with Marshall (7-3, 5-1), the only loss over the recent stretch.

Kiffin followed 2017's breakout campaign at 11-3 with 2018's step back, going 5-7, but has since rebounded.

Off 2017's success, Kiffin's contract extension came June 21, 2018, with a 10-year renegotiation that runs through 2027. In addition to Kiffin's base salary of $950,000 annually, he has a $2 million buyout, which drops to $1.5 millions after the 2019 season and $1 million following the 2020 campaign.

Arkansas fired second-year head coach Chad Morris last Sunday after he went 4-18 overall and 0-14 in SEC play, capped by Nov. 9's 45-19 home loss to Western Kentucky, and still owes him his buyout of more than $10 million.

Yurachek, however, said last Monday that the Razorbacks were "fully committed to getting the best person" and "desperately want our football program to be great again."

"No one could rule that out," Kiffin said. "But ... as you go through things and places, you've got to (have) the right leadership and people who are dedicated to do the things to win national championships. ... I'm not going to take some job just (because) you make some more money or in a bigger conference. It's got to be someone with people that want to win national championships."

Kiffin went 7-6 overall and 4-4 in SEC play as Tennessee's head coach, before he bolted for his four-year stint at the helm for USC. With the Trojans, Kiffin went 28-15 overall and 17-12 in Pac-12 play.

Alabama scooped him up for three seasons as the Tide went 40-4 with a trip to the College Football Playoff in each year, but longtime head coach Nick Saban cut ties with Kiffin after the 2016 campaign.

Saban chose to go in a different direction with Alabama's offense after the Tide, who won the 2015 CFB Playoff national championship, fell in the 2016 final.

See more here:
Kiffin responds after fan tweets Arkansas AD to hire FAU coach - 247Sports

Coaching can be a rewarding career path. You help people achieve their goals while making it fun, interesting, challenging, and engaging. Writing workouts to accomplish this goal isnt easy considering that the spectrum of swimming experience can range from newbie to Olympian. The different goals and interests of Masters swimmers can also affect what youre trying to accomplish. You probably have competitive swimmers, fitness swimmers, triathletes, and social swimmers in your program. Its difficult to make everyone happy at every single practice, but its possible.

Here are a few healthy habits to help you take care of yourself and make the crazy life of a Masters swim coach an awesome one.

Swimmers can tell when youre lying. If you missed their swim or didnt watch their stroke technique, just tell them so. If you see that theyre doing something very wrong, and they ask for feedback, politely tell them the truth. In addition, admit when you dont know the answer to a question or if you were wrong about something youve said before. Let them know, then follow up with them when youve found an answer.

Swim coaches can be consumed by the sport. Its sometimes difficult to disengage for a while and, if all your friends are customers or co-workers, it can be difficult to find the support you need when things get tough. And they will get tough as every career has its ups and downs. Having friends outside of swimming can give your mind and soul a break from the amount of time and energy required of swim coaches. All things in moderation; its possible to have too much swimming in your life.

In a previous article, I wrote about the benefits of taking a golf lesson or a lesson in any other sport. This places you in the frame of mind of someone new to the sport. It helps take your mind off swimming for a little while and gives you something else to look forward to. Its also a great way to make friends outside of swimming.

In the world of social media and publishing everything, it might seem OK to take someones picture and share it on your clubs Facebook page or Twitter feed. But some people might not want their photos taken, and you need to respect the privacy of your swimmers. Always tell your swimmers where the photos youre taking will end up before you take them. If you have an active social media presence or post pictures on your club website, you may wish to consult with an attorney, who might recommend that swimmers sign media waivers when they join your program.

There are multiple learning stylessome people absorb information visually, some take it in through conversation, and kinesthetic learners have to feel it. You might ask swimmers to join you on the pool deck to go through the motions of proper technique with them, and you might need to manipulate their arms or shoulders for them to get a feel for the proper technique. Before doing so, always ask for permission to touch their arm, hand, shoulder, etc. When you ask, you open up the lines of communication about anything you might need to be aware of, such as an old injury or where they might have had surgery.

Get to know the ins and outs of our sport. Its important to know what is and isnt permissible in competition so you know how to use your swimmers strengths to their advantage and to dispel any misunderstandings. For example, how many of you know that you can go past the 15-meter mark in breaststroke races?

Learn whats going on in your area. Your Local Masters Swimming Committee meeting is made up of volunteers who aim to provide U.S. Masters Swimming services and resources to its members, clubs, and coaches. Meetings are a great way to find out about what kind of support, such as scholarships or grants, may be available to you. Its also a great place to advertise your meets and events, get help with questions or problems, and network with other coaches.

Youre an important part of your swimmers lives and that comes with significant responsibility. Consider attending some self-improvement seminars. Learning how to improve yourself will not only help you become a better coach but will also give you valuable communication tools youll need to interact with different people. Remember, youre coaching a person, not a product.

Get to know your swimmers partners and kids names. Follow up with them after the surgery, vacation, or work trip where they visited another club. Take attendance and check in on the people who have missed some practices. Chances are youll be working with the same people for several years, and the quality of your relationships with your swimmers determines the quality of your work environment.

Being a Masters swim coach requires a lot more than just knowing how to write a workout. It requires great social skills and awareness, administrative and technical skills, leadership, and emotional investment. Set yourself up for success by setting healthy boundaries and practice habits that guarantee a long and happy career.

See more here:
Healthy Habits for Long-Term Success as a Masters Swimming Coach - U.S. Masters Swimming

I used to joke with fellow reporters years ago that I didnt look forward to interviewing coach John Messinger after South Charleston football games because he was such a talker that it put me in a deadline pinch.

But that was all in jest. There was never a bad time to talk with Messinger, a larger-than-life figure and one of the friendliest, most likable coaches Ive come across in 40-plus years of covering high school sports.

I couldnt believe it when I heard the news Wednesday morning that Messinger, a two-time Class AAA championship coach, had passed away suddenly at the age of 66. Even now, I feel like I can drive over to the Holley Strength System gym that he ran off Corridor G and chew the fat with him about sports, especially West Virginia high school football.

Id done that a lot the last four years, especially when my son Dan was working out there at Coach Mess gym, which is what most people called it. Id stop in two or three times a week and wed go on and on, chatting about all manner of sports and lifes lessons.

Guess he thought I might have the inside scoop on what was happening around the Kanawha Valley and the rest of the state, but truth is he probably told me more new information than I told him. Because he was always talking with someone, always in good humor, always willing to help someone with any sort of task, large or small, inside the gym or out. He was a great supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project.

As a coach and teacher, he helped hundreds of athletes reach their potential at SC High School, and after he retired from coaching in 2012, he helped dozens more athletes and regular Joes and Janes alike reach their potential in the world of weight training, an area in which he was a wealth of information, having been a 28-time state champion and five-time national champion powerlifter.

Even though Messinger had been out of coaching for several years, hardly a month went by where someone didnt try to lure him back in. Maybe it was a head coach in or near Kanawha County, looking for a good man and a good teacher to help whip his guys into shape. Or maybe it was a parent or booster hed see around town, begging him to come back to coaching and bring that championship aura with him. But he always smiled and politely reminded them that, no thank you, he was done with coaching.

But he wasnt done with football. No way. Hed show up for an area high school or college game now and then and religiously watched a lot of football on television, especially those midweek MAC games on ESPN that hardly anyone watches. He was always telling me about some little-known team or player whod impressed him, usually a lineman. Because thats what he was back in the day at George Washington High School and Marshall University.

This season, after months of trying, GW coach Steve Edwards Jr. finally convinced Messinger to come back to The Hill and be inducted into the schools Football Hall of Fame, which Messinger did during GWs home game with Huntington on Sept. 13. Messinger was a captain on the 1973 Patriots team.

Messinger was always proud of what his old schools had accomplished GW, Marshall and SC and always had his eyes and ears on them.

And he had the biggest heart of anyone you knew. If someone at the gym had a chore that required help moving heavy equipment, some odd job on the farm John was among the first to step up and volunteer, even if it meant driving a long distance. He maintained a special relationship with former state pro boxing champion Tommy Franco Thomas of Clarksburg, who in recent years has battled health issues. Clarksburg was Coach Mess hometown he was born there and spent much of his early years there before moving to Kanawha County.

Messinger had never met my mother, who at age 94 still gets around pretty well for someone with bad knees and two broken hips in her lifetime, but without fail, every time I showed up at the gym, he wanted to know how she was doing and always ended the inquiry by saying, Bless her heart.

One of the things Ill always recall about Coach Mess with admiration was his handling of the legal fiasco that followed the forgettable fight and player suspensions at the end of SCs 2010 quarterfinal playoff game with Hurricane.

As the injunctions and appeals and legal red tape dragged on for two weeks, a lot of people involved on all sides of the issue cowered from media requests for updates and information, but not Messinger. He answered his phone and told you what he knew no B.S. From my perspective, he made a terrible situation almost tolerable.

But again, thats just one moment from a man whom Ill remember for a lot of reasons and all of them good. His was a life well lived.

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Rick Ryan: Remembering 'Coach Mess' and a life well lived - Charleston Gazette-Mail

In todays world, the history of these things isnt like the same as it used to be, you know what I mean? said BC coach Steve Addazio. So youve got to bring it back to life.

Addazio likened the revival of the Notre Dame rivalry to the way BC has reignited another longstanding series with Syracuse.

Weve really worked hard to bring that back to life again, Addazio said. It wasnt that long ago that that was so intense, right? Then that period that it really didnt play wasnt the same. It lost something. Things happen quick nowadays, I think.

The Eagles have experience to pull from on their coaching staff, and Addazio plans to use it this week. Running backs coach Brian White was a graduate assistant on the Irishs 1988 national championship team. Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was Notre Dames safeties and special teams coach in 2001. Receivers coach Rich Gunnell was a part of two BC wins over the Irish as a player. Special teams coach Ricky Brown and director of football initiatives Josh Beekman were on the roster for three wins over Notre Dame from 2002-04.

Weve been bringing it back to life and talking about it, Addazio said. And Im going to do some other things as the week goes on to try to make sure they understand the intensity of this game and what it means because, yes, these guys, they have not been there.

But we also deal with guys who are very bright guys, and they get it and understand it, and they feel it. You still are playing a national team, and they get that too, that this is still a grand stage, and if youre a competitor, youre playing a top 15 team on a grand stage, thats what you want to do.

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly grew up in Everett, but he never considered himself a BC fan. If he watched, it was for BCs rivalry games with Holy Cross. Otherwise, he said, he always followed Notre Dame.

Thats all we had on TV, he said. Boston College wasnt on the television set much growing up in Boston. It wasnt until I was gone from Boston that BC started to be played on radio and television.

By the time the Eagles program started to gain traction locally and nationally in the 1980s, Kelly was cutting his teeth as a coach at Grand Valley State in Michigan.

From afar, though, he watched the Eagles growth.

From a football standpoint, being in the ACC has obviously benefitted them greatly, Kelly said. They have, certainly, a reputation for being a physical football team. They have, obviously going back to coach Coughlin, theyve either churned out great defensive players or obviously their tight ends or quarterbacks.

Its always been a program that has turned out really fine players, year in year out, and an extremely competitive football team that can beat anybody on a given day.

For the Irish, ranked 15th and winners of 17 straight at home, this installment of the Holy War might not have the same gravity, especially considering the Eagles 1-15 record against ranked opponents since 2014.

But Kelly understands the magnitude of the matchup for a BC team fighting to become bowl-eligible.

When theyre playing Notre Dame, this is a big game, Kelly said. And we know that theyre playing for bowl eligibility.

For the Eagles, keeping their postseason chances alive is just as important as the rivalry.

Theyre well aware of that, Addazio said. Thats a goal. Its a stated goal early in the season. So for all those reasons.

I mean, theres a lot going on in this game. Stakes are high, and thats exciting.

(Notre Dame leads, 15-9)

Sept. 16, 2017 Notre Dame 49, BC 20

Nov. 21, 2015 Notre Dame 19, BC 16

Nov. 10, 2012 Notre Dame 21, BC 6

Nov. 19, 2011 Notre Dame 16, BC 14

Oct. 2, 2010 Notre Dame 31, BC 13

Oct. 24, 2009 Notre Dame 20, BC 16

Nov. 8, 2008 BC 17, Notre Dame 17

Oct. 13, 2007 BC 27, Notre Dame 14

Oct. 23, 2004 BC 24, Notre Dame 23

Oct. 25, 2003 BC 27, Notre Dame 25

Nov. 2, 2002 BC 14, Notre Dame 7

Oct. 27, 2001 BC 21, Notre Dame 17

Nov. 11, 2000 Notre Dame 28, BC 16

No.v 20, 1999 BC 31, Notre Dame 29

Nov. 7, 1998 Notre Dame 31, BC 26

Oct. 25, 1997 Notre Dame 52, BC 20

Nov. 9, 1996 Notre Dame 48, BC 21

Oct. 28, 1995 Notre Dame 20, BC 10

Oct. 8, 1994 BC 30, Notre Dame 11

Nov. 20, 1993 BC 41, Notre Dame 39

Nov. 7, 1992 Notre Dame 54, BC 7

Nov. 7, 1987 Notre Dame 32, BC 25

*Dec. 29, 1983 Notre Dame 19, BC 18

Sept. 15, 1975 Notre Dame 17, BC 3

*Liberty Bowl

Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com.

Originally posted here:
For BC coach Steve Addazio, Notre Dame week is a time to wake up the echoes - The Boston Globe

UNIVERSITY PARK It was one of those days for RaShaad Samples where nothing could go right. The former Skyline star WR had been trying to get to work at the University of Texas football complex when his car got a flat tire.

He had to try to figure out a way to get his car fixed. He had to get another ride, and he had to be at work. The entire day had been thrown off course before it even really started. Then, as he sat pissed in his Uber ride, Samples entire life changed. He saw that SMU coach Sonny Dykes was calling him.

Those two hadnt spoken in seven months. Not since the 24-year-old sat with Dykes for an introductory lunch at Pappadeaux in December before UTs Big 12 title game. The two talked about the landscape of Dallas-area football.

Dykes and Samples went their separate ways after that. When Dykes called this time in late July, only weeks before fall camp -- it was to offer Samples a job as an assistant coach.

Suddenly, the busted tire and the impending work day didnt seem too bad.

It was a bad really day, Samples said, and it went to really good.

Samples hire at SMU was, by any measure, incredibly risky. He had never been a true coach. He was replacing a defensive coach, and would only be able to assist on offense. Sure, everyone around him could see he had a promising future, but there wasnt any other FBS head coach quite ready to hire him as a core assistant yet.

College football programs are allowed 10 assistant coaches that have both on-field responsibilities and are allowed to go out and recruit on behalf of the program. In his role at Texas, he was only allowed to recruit on-campus, and serve as an analyst meaning he could not actually coach on the field.

But Dykes saw the potential for an ace recruiter. A young, relatable and personable face thats from Dallas and has deep ties to south Dallas and the top talent that comes from there. And, as SMU (9-1, 5-1 AAC) digs in to improve its local recruiting efforts, Dykes saw Samples as a face to lead that charge.

It seems as though, at least this season, that Samples is thought of as a recruiter first, and a coach second. He works with SMUs running backs and slot receivers, but is the only assistant coach without an assigned position.

So while his boss and his reputation believe him to be a recruiter first, its not how Samples views himself, or his future in this profession. Recruiting to him, provides an opportunity to prove himself as a coach.

We kind of said, Look, this fall your focus is going to be primarily recruiting, Dykes recalled, noting Samples will receive a position group to coach next year. And its something hes really good at. RaShaad is really good at relationships. Knows a lot of people. Grew up in Dallas. Hes known a lot of these kids since they played in youth football.

Samples grew up around football, and around coaching. One of the advantages he has now is that his father is Reginald Samples, the current Duncanville head coach.

Now, hes been charged with recruiting the parts of Dallas that SMU hasnt been able to tap into.

I think Sonny Dykes is showing a blueprint of how you get an ace recruiter to become not only an ace recruiter and ace coach, said Texas recruiting coordinator Bryan Carrington. Hes putting him on billboards. Hes flying to games on helicopters. I mean, Sonny Dykes is doing exactly what hes supposed to be doing.

From over here in Austin, I applaud how theyre using RaShaad.

Carrington recruited Samples to play for Houston in 2015. Samples was a talented WR, who was a superstar at Skyline so good that current SMU star wideout and DeSoto product James Proche said he grew up idolizing him. At 5-foot-11, Proche related to a player with a shorter stature and a huge game.

But Samples only played six college football games over the course of his career, which included stints at Oklahoma State and Houston. Concussions medically disqualified him in 2016, ending his once-promising playing career. That was a dark time for Samples, who initially declined head coach Tom Hermans request that he stay on in a coaching/mentorship capacity at Houston.

He was like, No, youre gonna do that, Samples recalled. That was good for me, and I knew it was something I wanted to do. I think I was in a rut at the time. But he did a good job of pushing me out of that rut, and saying, Hey, get over yourself.

Herman eventually brought Samples with him to Texas as part of his recruiting staff. And thats really where Samples reputation started to manifest.

It wasnt long before Samples got the itch to find an actual job. He applied everywhere he could looking at a lot of jobs at the FCS level. He got several job offers.

He was applying for jobs that I didnt feel like would be a good situation for him, said his father, Reginald Samples. But they were jobs that he was getting an opportunity to be a full-time coach. His attitude was Dad, I want to be a coach, I want to be a full-time coach, and Ive got to get my foot in the door somewhere.

This speaks to two things. One RaShaads desire to be a coach ahead of a recruiter. To coach a position. To have a group of players he was tasked with improving and taking care of. And secondly, it speaks to just how influential his father was. RaShaad turned down all the offers.

Reginald applauds SMUs hire, and not only because its his son. And not only because hes happy to have family close by the two plan to celebrate Reginalds birthday over steak next weekend.

Reginald applauds it because he has been publicly critical of SMUs lackluster pursuit of local talent in the past. And he knows what RaShaad can bring. He said the new coaching staff has gone to new lengths in its efforts to make inroads locally.

The expectation is SMU will lock up high-profile local commitments possibly very soon. As of now, Samples hasnt actually locked in a local commitment. But star athletes around the area are taking notice, and taking SMU more seriously.

He can relate to these kids around the Dallas area, said Courtland Ford, a Cedar Hill offensive tackle that Samples and SMU have been recruiting. And I mean, you look at him as a player. Kind of like an ex-player that like youve played with him before. Because he knows whats going on, you can relate.

Samples got the ride of his life last Friday night to see Ford play. Samples was invited in the teams recruiting helicopter to visit the areas top prospects with Dykes. First to Cedar Hill-DeSoto, then South Grand Prairie-Waxahachie, before finishing at Arlington-Sam Houston.

Before hopping on their ride for the night, Samples told Dykes, I know you do this all the time, but I dont. He promised to take a lot of pictures and videos, and soak in the moment and the scenes around him. Dykes laughed, and the two had a great time.

In that moment, Samples was like a tourist in his own city. Experiencing it from an angle, a height, a perspective that he hasnt yet done.

Samples has always just been a kid from Dallas. A kid who hung around his dads teams. A kid who played Pop Warner football at Pleasant Grove. A kid who played basketball at Oak Cliff. A kid who went to Layne Middle School and Skyline for high school.

South Dallas isnt just a recruiting area, its truly his home.

Now, though, hes not just a kid from Dallas. SMU is selling him as a legend returning home, the face of recruiting strategy of an untapped local market.

Its a sales pitch that is made tangible by a massive billboard with Samples arms crossed and a serious look on his face. That pitch is only validated when Samples hops on helicopter flights to make triumphant returns to the communities he grew up going to and living in.

Samples is back in town representing something thats bigger than him, but couldnt be done without him, either.

This is how the world sees him. And its been a conscious effort by SMU to make that the case. But for Samples in his own heart and mind, hes just a football coach and this year is only the start.

Its kind of weird to me, Samples said. People come up to me and say it or people write that hes a recruiting guru, or this, that and the other. Its like, man, if anything, Ive been dealing with football my whole life, coaching football my whole life.

Im a better coach than recruiter, and I dont think its close.

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SMU brought Ra'Shaad Samples home to be its ace Dallas recruiter. He wants to show he can be a great coach, too - The Dallas Morning News

It is hard to believe but somewhere out there is a well-known rugby coach without a new book out. It is tempting to imagine Eddie Jones and Warren Gatland duelling with inky quills at dawn, going at it while their faithful ghostwriters hold the blotting paper. Both protagonists are still proudly old school at heart, having learned their trade long before the arrival of the internet.

Publish and be damned with faint praise is the usual endgame with such post-World Cup autobiographies but both Jones and Gatland have gone in refreshingly hard and low. The former has been particularly blunt about his regard or lack of it for English club rugby. I often wonder Is it ever going to change? writes Jones in My Life and Rugby, bemoaning the widespread lack of imagination and skill and the stodgy games he says he watches week after week. He also feels English coaches are more reactive than proactive, held back by a reticence he still struggles to get his head around.

This would be salty enough if Jones was moving on from his head coach role, let alone staying put for, in theory, another two years or more. The subjects of his criticism will point out this is the man who lasted only a short time at Saracens over a decade ago and has repeatedly said that changing English club rugby is not his job. This same suspect breeding ground has just supplied him with players good enough to trounce the All Blacks. Or was that act of alchemy entirely down to the wise-cracking wizard of Oz?

Had England conquered the world Jones would, of course, now be safely lecturing everyone from the upper slopes of Mount Olympus. As it is, he can now expect a coolish welcome next time he pops down to certain clubs. His bemusement about aspects of the English psyche after four years in the job also begs another important question: when he departs where is the ready-made conveyor belt of homegrown talent queuing up to replace him? The day after the World Cup final in Tokyo I asked Bill Sweeney, the Rugby Football Unions chief executive, if he had seen any sign of one. Its not there at the moment, it doesnt exist and its something we need to build in, acknowledged Sweeney, still relatively new in his post. Having a good system of English coaches going through that pipeline would be an objective.

It would be a more widely-reported scandal if there was not so much happening on planet rugby at the moment. Since the departure of Stuart Lancaster in 2015 all the Twickenham developmental pathways he helped to put in place have been either dismantled or detonated. Jones has relied largely on short-term hirings or old mates, with the exception of the loyal Steve Borthwick and Neal Hatley. Hatley is off back to Bath and Borthwick has yet to disclose his future plans. If either of them have ambitions to become a future England head coach they hide it well.

This state of affairs seemed to vex Jones as much as anyone else. He writes about wanting unnamed assistant coaches to bring something different to the table, rather than merely following orders. If coaches are not showing initiative in preparation, how can you expect the players to? It is a fair point, although questioning the methods of experienced coaches such as Jones, Gatland, Steve Hansen and Joe Schmidt is not the easiest of tasks.

Could it even be that the mightiest trees in the rugby coaching forest have been around so long that, in places, they have inadvertently stunted the growth of those looking to follow them? Look at Australia, once a repository of the sharpest coaching minds in the game and now reportedly hoping to import the Glasgow-based New Zealander Dave Rennie to provide a much-needed tactical jolt. Look at New Zealand itself where the hugely successful reign of Hansen and, before him, Sir Graham Henry appears to have made several contenders think twice about succeeding them.

The choice now appears to be between Hansens assistant Ian Foster and the Crusaders Scott Robertson, with a puff of black smoke from NZ Rugbys chimneys now officially due next month. Both would involve a slight punt given neither has previously been head coach of any other senior national side but appointing the popular, energetic Robertson, 45, might just be more in touch with the rugby zeitgeist.

The game moves relentlessly onwards and the giant coaching box redwoods of yore are thinning out. Jones has just been outflanked in a World Cup final by a coach, Rassie Erasmus, who, at 47, is 12 years his junior. Jacques Nienaber, Erasmuss heir apparent as Springbok head coach, is the same age, while Ireland have plumped for the 44-year-old Andy Farrell as Schmidts successor. Jamie Joseph, who is staying to continue his impressive work with Japan, turns 50 this week. Along with Robertson, these are all well-travelled individuals with their prime coaching years still ahead of them.

Interestingly, of this new wave, Robertson and Rennie have both previously coached the New Zealand U20 side. In England that role remains vacant but should be filled by a candidate with the potential to progress to the senior tracksuit one day. Ben Ryan (48) would, as ever, be an enlightened option while Alex Sanderson at Saracens has only just turned 40 and Northamptons highly-rated attack coach Sam Vesty is 37. The tactically-sharp Will Greenwood, whose father Dick coached England in the 1980s, might be another left-field candidate. Anything to inject some fresh thinking as the world of top-level coaching, after so many years of familiar voices, prepares to turn the page.

The fine Australian centre Samu Kerevi says he was disappointed to be quoted out of context as being keen to play for Fiji, rather than the Wallabies, at the 2023 World Cup. Despite the fact the Wallaby vice-captain has just signed a three-year contract to play in Japan, which will make him ineligible for the Wallabies as the rules currently stand, he has made it clear he was just having a bit of a laugh at a charity lunch in Fiji. The story, however, has stirred the debate as to whether eligible players no longer required by major unions could be made available to play for smaller nations for which they also qualify after a suitable stand-down period. As a means of strengthening Pacific Island teams it has clear merit; whether their rivals, for that reason, will ever agree to vote it through remains as doubtful as ever.

One suspects Saracens will have several of their bigger names back for Saturdays European Champions Cup game against Ospreys, all hoping to restore some momentum following a chastening few days. At some stage a final decision will have to be made about which competition to prioritise after being deducted 35 league points but simply getting back up and running, in front of their own supporters, will be enough for now. The road ahead will be long and hard and, psychologically, it starts this weekend.

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Have rugby's super-coaches stunted the growth of those following them? - The Guardian

BOSTON Boston University mens soccer coach Neil Roberts announced his retirement on Monday after a distinguished career that spanned 40 years and included 15 NCAA appearances while impacting hundreds of student-athletes.

His career record stands at an impressive 367-218-93 with a combined 19 conference tournament and regular season titles.

Im privileged to have spent my entire coaching career at Boston University and am proud to have played a small role in the development of hundreds of fantastic individuals, many of whom remain among my closest friends, said Roberts,who served as an assistant from 1979-1984 and then head coach starting in 1985.There are too many names to list at thismoment so I will just add its been an honor to have worked with numerous high-quality coaches, athletic trainers, academic administrators and staff. Besides my time spent in the athleticdepartment, I was privileged to serve as head marshal at many graduations. I will miss my interactions with the students and their families but now look forward to the next chapter in my life.

The 35-year head coach Roberts (1985-2019) currently ranks No. 30 all-time in wins by a head coach with at least 10 years spent at an NCAA Division I school and more impressively No. 8 by a head coach who spent an entire career at one NCAA Division I school. Besides earning numerous coaching awards at the regional and conference level, he was also presented this past year with an honorary Scarlet Key, one of the most prestigious academic awards bestowed by Boston University.

I offer my sincere thanks to Neil Roberts for serving as a great ambassador to our University for the last four decades and congratulate him on a fantastic career that will likely see him in the BU Athletic Hall of Fame someday, said director of athletics Drew Marrochello. Beyond his work with students, he was a mentor to many staff members and his personality will be greatly missed around the department.

A native of nearby Braintree, Massachusetts, Roberts first joined the Terriers in 1979 as an assistant coach for Ron Cervasio and helped lead the program to an ECAC title and then the programs first NCAA appearance the following year. He spent four more seasons working for future National Soccer Hall of Fame member Hank Steinbrecher before becoming the programs fifth head coach in 1985.

In his first season at the helm, BU underwent a 10-win improvement and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals with a victory over UConn. He claimed his first of five United Soccer Coaches New England Coach of the Year awards for his efforts and would lead the Terriers to winning seasons in 28 of his 35 years, highlighted by a 19-1-1 performance in 1994 that included a stunning 3-2 upset win over No. 1 ranked and eventual national champion University of Virginia. BU made five straight NCAA appearances from 1993-97 and most recently reached the postseason in 2015 via an at-large bid for Roberts 14th berth as head coach.

Overall, Roberts has been recognized 17 times for coaching excellence. He was the United Soccer Coaches New England Coach of the Year in 1985, 1986, 1988, 1994 and 2004. In 1986, 1990 and 1994, he was also the New England Soccer Coach of the Year as selected by the Eastern Massachusetts High School Soccer Coaches Association, and in 1991, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2011, he was the America East Coach of the Year. He only needed two seasons in the Patriot League to be recognized as the conferences top coach in 2014. In 1995, he received the William French Award for coaching excellence from the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame.

During his tenure as head coach, BU earned 134 All-Conference, 93 All-Region, 20 major conference and 12 All-America awards. Several of those winners have gone on to achieve success professionally. After becoming the seventh Terrier to join a Major League Soccer (MLS) club in the spring of 2015, Dominique Badji (15) has tallied 32 combined goals for the Colorado Rapids and Dallas FC. Besides appearing in 158 games for the New England Revolution over two stints, Andy Dorman (04) also competed for the Welsh National Team, Crystal Palace and St. Mirren across the Atlantic in the United Kingdom.

Recipient of the Mickey Cochrane award as BUs top male athlete, Mike Emenalo (89) would compete for Nigeria in the 1994 World Cup and would later use his experience and education to become the technical director of Chelsea FC from 2011-17, helping the club claim two Premier League titles (2015, 17) and the 2012 UEFA Champions League title. Emenalo is one of six Terrier greats coached by Roberts to be inducted in the BU Athletic Hall of Fame alongside Nick Bone (98), Steve Walker (94), Ben Okaroh (88), Francis Okaroh (86) and Jose Vidal (84).

Having coached 10 Academic All-Americans, Roberts is equally proud of his players successes in the classroom. During the 2014 season, 15 players earned Patriot League Academic Honor Roll accolades with a program-high 21 being named to the Honor Roll in both 2016 and 2017. Nick Thomson (15) was tabbed the 2014 Patriot Leagues Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earning the first top academic honor from a conference since Walker (1993) and Ola Olsen (1994) were recognized in back-to-back seasons.

In 2008, Dan Schultz (09) earned national academic honors from both CoSIDA and the United Soccer Coaches. Ben Havey (11) followed two years later in 2010 with CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades, and Thomson garnered the latest honor in 2014. Numerous graduates have moved on to executive-level positions with companies such as Goldman Sachs, IBM and William Morris Endeavor. As another example of post-grad success, 1989 Academic All-American Robert Buckmire(90) successfully established the UNC Voice Center and was an invited speaker at the fourth World Voice Congress in Seoul, South Korea, due to being recognized as an authority in the field of Laryngology.

The holder of a USSF license, Roberts has been actively involved with soccer at all levels. He guided the Massachusetts Under-15 team to the 1999 regional title after coaching the Mass Bay Strikers to the 1993 Under-17 State title. In 1984, he led the Cambridge Portuguese Sport Soccer Club to an undefeated season and the American Soccer Association title.

Roberts was an All-New England selection and captain of the 1976 Mitchell Junior College team that finished second at the junior college national championships. He then enrolled at Southern Connecticut State University, where he enjoyed two outstanding seasons. Roberts captained the team during his junior and senior seasons and led the Owls to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.

Information will be forthcoming on a celebration to be held at a later time honoring his career.

What Mens Soccer Alums are Saying about Coach Roberts

Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement! When I consider the impact youve made in so many lives in your long service to Boston University three words come immediately to mind: Sacrifice, Patience, and Thanks. You sacrificed time with your family and for your personal leisure to ensure that no one was left behindand to teach the importance of rigour and discipline in our pursuit of college and life education. Youwere extraordinarily patient with young student athletes often devoid of a sense of selflessness and under enormous, occasionally, disconcerting pressure as students and athletes. And thank you for being a wise teacher on and off the soccer pitch; thank you for guiding us in navigating our passion for the sport we love without losing our sense of responsibility to our great institution of learning. On a personal note, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to you for welcoming me with kindness and care to BU, and being a willing mentor and guardian throughout my four years on campus. Some of the lessons you thought have formed the basis for my character as a person and leader of others. After 40 years of exceptional work in educating, mentoring, guiding, supporting, advising, coaching and building an athletic program to great, sustained success, you deserve to ride off to the sun set accompanied, comfortingly, with our grateful applause, cheers of our appreciation and thanks. Thank you Neil! PS: You have no excuse now to postpone a visit to London! Mike Emenalo (89)

It is with great honor I reflect upon my time as a Terrier and focus on the benefits so many people have been blessed with by coming in contact with head coach Neil Roberts. As players, we were fortunate to have an extremely positive role model in our lives who maintained a phenomenal balance of competitiveness, respect, and pride for Boston University. His expectations of us to maintain a balance between sports and academicsproved that he was as invested in us as we were in the program. There are countless stories of how Neil extended himself beyond his job description to make sure his players were on the road to a successful collegiate career. It is no wonder that athletes who now live all over the world, flock to his office when in the area as he has touched the lives of so many. As a colleague of Neils, I witnessed a deeper passion, commitment, and honor that he poured out dailyto the mens soccer program but also to everyone he came in contact with at Boston University. It did not matter if you were a chancellor, police officer, or B & G worker, if Neil knew you, he treated you with the same respect and courtesy that we all should expect from a fellow associate.For all of the alumni it will be strange to go back to campus and not see Neil on the sidelines or in his office. However, I believe he has ingrainedthe same pride and respect in the school and soccer program in all of us that he exemplified day in andday out over his career. His tenure has proven him to be a fantastic ambassador of Boston University, college athletics and the game of soccer in this country. His daily presence on campus will be sorely missed. Bryan Devenney(03)

During my three-and-a-half years at Boston University, Neil made the biggest impact on my life. He taught me persistence, preceding in a course of action despite opposition. Whether it be my athletic or professional life, tough times will always come; what matters most is your attitude. A great attitude will take you a long way. The care and dedication that Neil showed to his players means more to me than my development as a soccer player. Neil was the first coach Ive ever had that cared more about my personal life than athletic ability; To put it another way, Ive never had a coach that cared more about his players than Neil. What Im most grateful for is his ability to take a group of young men and have them click so well and be part of the soccer family. I now have life-long best friends which starts from Neil making sure he has the right group of players on the team. Im so grateful that I made the move my freshman year and transferred to Boston University. Also, I want to take this time to celebrate his success over the past 30+ years. I have the utmost respect for Neil and all his has done for the Boston University soccer program. Anthony Viteri (18)

It is hard to put into words what you have meant to your players and to Boston University as a whole. You have changed the lives of so many people.THANK YOU! Tony Lawlor (89)

Neil wasnt just a coach, he was a mentor, a friend and role model. A person that went above and beyond to help the people around him. He gave me the opportunity to play for BU, and Ill forever be thankful. Felix De Bona (17)

Link:
Boston University men's soccer head coach Neil Roberts retires after 40-year career - Soccerwire.com