I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Placher a few months after my appointment as Wabash Head Soccer Coach, three years ago in two weeks from today. He e-mailed me, introduced himself and asked me, as the Fitness Center Director, if I could extend some of the summer hours in order to accommodate his guests, Religion and Theology scholars, visiting the Center of Teaching and Learning. †I tried to do my best offering additional hours here and there, finding appropriate extra ESH workers, and presenting Dr. Placher a revised schedule that wasn't much different from the original one, I thought.

Surprisingly, Prof. Placher replied that he was very pleased with the additional hours and thanked me politely and profusely while complimenting my efficiency and accommodating work.

A few days later, Prof. Placher called me and asked me about the quote at the end of my e-mails. A quote I am quite proud off but never thought it could stir Prof. Placher's curiosity and interest. We met at the Scarlet Inn for lunch and chated for a good half hour. Actually, I did most of the speaking, trying to explain to such a brilliant mind what I meant when I believed that people came before bottom lines, spread sheets, or profit and loss statements. As I tried to explain my feelings and believes to Dr. Placher, I couldn't help but feel he already knew what I was going to say before I even opened my mouth. Not in a cocky or arrogant way though, rather with an intelligent smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Almost as if pleased to hear what he already knew, but humble enough to let me believe I was impressing him with my reasoning.... yeah right.

We ended our brief meeting with Dr. Placher shaking my hand vigorously and recommending I continued to put people first in everything I did because "....we (people) are the only tangible experience carrying with it intangible wonders." 

So, last night, during the opening address at the soccer awards banquet, I decided to scratched out all the numbers, stats, records, goals, ranks, awards, etc. with which I had prepared my speech, but rather focus on the people. The people who brought tangible experiences to the soccer program and filled it with many intangible wonders.

So, Prof. Placher, here's my speech. A speech that has very little or none of your intellect, smarts, and eloquence, but nevertheless I would like to dedicate to you this testament of gratitude for the people who give me wonders with the hope I can make you smirk and twinkle one more time, whatever you may be.

"Good Evening,

First and foremost, I would like to start by thanking my wife for her support, friendship, and love as we navigate together the unknown waters of life. I love you. Then, I would like to thank the parents and friends who drove in a cold night like tonight and honored us with their presence.

Additionally, I would like to thank Tom Perkins, our equipment manager and his wife Heather for sharing this evening with us. Tom’s kindness and availability never ceases to impress and marvel me. You are not the most organized fellow I know Tom, but your heart and your willingness to help are always in the right place and that’s much more important in my book than any other skill. 

Mark Colston, our head athletic trainer, and his wife Keri could not be with us this evening, but I would like to thank Mark for his professional and thorough assistance during our season. I would have liked for him to be with us more during away travels, but the athletic trainers are definitely understaffed and I understand the predicament. Nevertheless, I hope the situation is corrected so that we will have our trainer with us every time next year, thus allowing the players to get to know other members of the Athletic Dept. at a deeper level.

I would like to thank our volunteer assistant coach Tyler Pagano, who came in with much passion and enthusiasm, to work with the reserves team but mostly to be available to help out in any shape or form with humility, respect, and willingness to learn but also to share his many insights, on and off the pitch. I will never forget the tremendous gesture of kindness, humility, and courage you displayed, Tyler, when you shared your family’s tragedy with the lads by sending an e-mail that was both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. I will definitely cherish that memory and I am sure the lads will do the same. Thank you and good luck in your future endeavors.

Lastly but not least, my good assistant, colleague, friend, and consigliore, Jeff Oleck. If you are familiar with the movie The God Father, you will know that the consigliore (literally translated “the adviser”) was a very important figure in the Cosa Nostra organization. A person who received a tremendous amount of respect and consideration within the family. A person whose advise, opinion, and criticism were always received and considered before any move was going to be made. Obviously, and fortunately, we are not a Mafia organization and therefore the similitude between the two “families” has only to do with the amount of respect, gratitude and love I have for this young man who entered my life five years ago and who has become like a son to me. I don’t have the fortune or blessing of having my own son, aside from my 3 year old nephew Nino whom a love more than I can say, but if I did have a son, I would have liked him to be like you, Jeff. The same sense of integrity, honesty, and wisdom you have shown me and the soccer players with whom you have interacted will take you far in life, but mostly within the hearts of the people who will have the fortune and privilege to know you, wherever the future takes you. Thank you.

Finally, to our soccer players who have endured a very, very tough first semester in school. A semester that brought in many opportunities for happiness, rewards, discoveries, friendships, excitement, wonder, but also tragedy, sadness, despair, frustration, anger, and disillusion.

It has been a tough year for you, I know, because it has been for me as well. Perhaps, the toughest season with which I had to deal since my first year as a coach, 32 years ago.

Yet, I am hoping that this season brings with it the power to teach us all the gifts of endurance, resilience, determination, patience, humility, and mostly courage. The courage to improve, change, adapt, and learn. The courage to revisit our character, our personality, our priorities, and discover the innumerable possibilities for advance, progress, and development, so that next year we will be better, stronger, more unified, and mostly like a band of brothers, whose objective is to build memories, together, to last a lifetime.

I want to leave you with a message. My favorite poem was written by a not so famous writer, Edgar Lee Master, who wrote a small book called “The Anthology of Spoon River.” A book about an imaginary village and its cemetery. A cemetery with tombstones that carry a brief message from the deceased buried underneath, some sort of “I was, I am, I did, I wish I did” kind of message. This epitaph was written on the stone of a deceased named: Alexander Throckmorton:

“In youth my wings were strong and tireless, but I did not know the mountains. In age I knew the mountains, but my weary wings could not follow my vision -- Genius is wisdom and youth.”

Obviously, I cannot be a genius anymore…you still can.

Thank you all again."

Prof. Bill Placher, R.I.P.