Life at Northwestern

Temporary Body Text. I know the hypothesis is "don't put your page on the web until it's ready, but I think everyone that found their way here is a personal friend or friend of friend, so you won't make too much of a fuss.

"One person can make a difference and every person should try."
-John F. Kennedy

"Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I cannot accept, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill today because they pissed me off and also, help me to be careful of the toes I step on today, as they may be connected to the ass that I may have to kiss tomorrow."
-Unknown

Parents face many hard tasks, but none harder than letting go. Starting in adolescence, children graft other influential adults onto their lives: favorite teachers, college profs, first bosses. Those individuals then either affirm the values parents tried to teach at home--or they teach kids something altogether different.

There's a parable along these lines that has played out over the last two years at Northwestern University. The influential adults aren't tenured faculty. They're football coaches named Randy Walker and Gary Barnett. Walker's team at Northwestern currently has a record of 7-2. That includes a heart-pounder of a victory over the University of Michigan last Saturday by a score of 54 to 51. Barnett, Walker's predecessor in Evanston, is 3-6 this season at the University of Colorado. But the parable isn't about won-loss records. It's about learning the difference between sizzle and steak.

Walker essentially teaches players that the key to success is how much gritty, unpleasant work you endure to achieve it. He pushes players uncommonly hard to condition themselves. He doesn't offer snappy slogans or sound bites. You get the impression that his self-worth comes from within, not from what you think of him. A Northwestern player summed up this image-unconscious style on Jan. 20, 1999, the day Walker--who had resigned in good grace from Miami University of Ohio--first spoke to his new team in Evanston: "He said his piece and we all listened and he walked out."

Barnett, by contrast, delivered lush, magical moments. He convinced his players they would wind up happiest if they put team goals ahead of their own. He thrilled college fans by taking his 1995 squad to the Rose Bowl. He projected glamor. Cameras loved him.

But in one of those difficult hours, when he had to decide whether to keep his word, Barnett taught his young players this: me first. He'd been a serial job applicant, publicly flirting with bigger-name schools. Then, three years into his lavish new contract, he bolted for Colorado. This after looking teenagers in the eye and promising he wouldn't leave Evanston until his 12-year pact expired. Incredibly, he then recruited to Boulder two top prospects who had planned to enroll at Northwestern.

As parents, we don't select the adults who will influence our kids. But we ought to spend some time teaching them how to choose those mentors. As they grow up, will our children gravitate toward the nose-to-the-grindstone Walkers? Or toward the me-first Barnetts?

Walker says he's not "a 1-800 coach," always looking for a better gig. Who really knows what he'll do if Ohio State, his childhood love, ever calls. For now, though, he's teaching a lesson that the parents of his players no doubt appreciate: Do some things the hard way.

*All photographs (unless otherwise noted) are the property of Stenning Schueppert and may not be distributed or circulated for any purposes (personal or commercial) without his express written consent. Questions or comments regarding selected photographs are, of course, welcome.
Last updated April 11, 2001; v1.4.

Life at Northwestern

Go Cats!