Posted by Billy King, senior running back

My Wabash football experience has taught me much more than just “football”.  Yes, I believe I have grown as a player, but more importantly I have grown as a person.  Wabash football is the definition of dedication and hard work.  In any program it all starts with the coaching staff and I whole-heartedly believe we have the BEST in the nation.  From D-1 to NAIA, our coaching staff puts in just as much, if not more time and effort than any program across the land.  I know my football experience would not be as exciting as it has been if it wasn’t for them.

Many would say waking up at 5:45am every day Monday-Friday, then working out again on Sunday in your off-season is insane.  When I got here my freshman year I thought the same thing.  However, like many things in life that are difficult, the reward makes it all worth while.  The simple fact in knowing as a team, and individually you worked harder than the opposition is feeling unlike any other.  The work ethic that Wabash instilled in me became very useful during this past summer with juggling two jobs, working out for next season, and having a social life.  Wabash football has prepared me for the real world!

What makes Wabash football amazing is that through all this hard work, you have your best friend right next to you cheering you on and motivating you to be the best you can be.  My best friends are those who have bled, sweated, and cried next to me on the field.  The respect that you have for one another after going through an off-season and the season in itself is indescribable.  The years in college are those that you will look back on for the rest of your life.  I am blessed to know that because of my football experience at Wabash, I will have done something that only a handful of men have done in the world.  That is being challenged physically, mentally, and spiritually from my freshman through senior year. All in all I wouldn't trade my past four years of experiencing Wabash Football for ANYTHING!!  Thank you Coaches, Players, and Staff for making my experience at Wabash one that I will never forget!

Wabash Always Fights,

Billy King #8      

Posted by Brent Harris at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Head Coach Chris Creighton

First conference game of the season, brand new red jerseys, the sixth all-time winningest football program vs. the tenth all time winningest football program, the forecast called for thunder showers and tornados… we knew that this was going to be a huge day.  Before the game we told a story about Coach Jones....

There was a high school football team that practiced near a small lake.

Across the lake lived Coach Jones, the most successful coach in the history of the state.  Coach Jones had accumulated more victories, League Championships and State Championships than any other coach in the state’s history.  Coach Jones was now retired.

For years this high school team would come out and practice, and practice very hard, as hard as a team could possibly practice. 

However, no matter how hard they practiced, they just could not seem to win the ‘big one’.  Every day the retired coach would sit across the lake in his lawn chair and watch them practice. 

One day the captain of the team decided he was going to go talk to Coach Jones and ask him what the team was doing wrong; why they couldn’t win the ‘big one’.  So the captain of the team went around the lake and said, “Coach, I know you watch us practice every day.  I know that you see how hard we practice.  You are an experienced winner!  Is there anything that you can tell us that can help us win the Championship?”

Coach Jones put his arm around the player and walked him near the edge of the lake.  Suddenly, the coach grabbed the captain, thrust his head into the water, and held him down under the water.

When it appeared that the team captain was about to drown, Coach Jones pulled him up and said, “When you want to win that Championship game as much as you wanted that next breath of air, then that is when you will win it.”

Posted by Brent Harris at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By Chris Greisl, senior linebacker and co-captain

Wabash College Football encompasses so many different things to me. Our five program goals (Academics, Win, Family, Have Fun, and Impact Men) summarize the general blueprints for how this team functions, but it is much more than that. Anyone can write down goals. Anyone can half-heartedly say what they hope to accomplish. Fortunately, this is not the case for our football program. When we come up with a goal, we totally devote ourselves in aspiring to succeed. This attitude, although rare, is very special.

Recently I was extremely honored to be named to the American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. The team consists of eleven players from Division I-AA, II, III, and NAIA. This team recognizes “players” for being actively involved and committed to working community services events. To me, this award represented our entire football program and our approach to being great in everything we do. Yes, I am the Community Service Captain, but no I didn’t raise over $1,000 by myself for the Special Olympics, farm in Panama by myself, nor visit Riley Hospital by myself. This award is truly a testament to our entire program and its approach to making a difference in the community.

Realizing that this is my last year of playing football, I would love nothing more than to accomplish all of our season goals. The amount of work put in by every coach and student-athlete is truly amazing. When my era of being a college football player ends after this season, there will be so many mixed emotions. No matter what I’m feeling, there will be one definite truth: Wabash College Football has prepared me to be GREAT at anything I will set out to do for the rest of my life. Our coaches care about winning football games, but they care more about who we are and who we will become in life. That is what makes this program special. When you truly love and care for the people in this program, fighting for each other on Saturday afternoons becomes second nature.

WABASH FOOTBALL ALWAYS FIGHTS,

Chris Greisl #39

Posted by Brent Harris at 07:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nothing Great has ever come about without having to overcome some kind of adversity.

Posted by Brent Harris at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)