Remember this Titan

by Steve Sullivan

  If you live long enough your dance card will need a few extra pages. I’m asked regularly about what has happened to players I’ve coached and people who have enriched my life. Here is the short list.

  Barry Etris. Running back on the 1958 Roswell team. Went on to become an accomplished musician and artist. His song “Ruben James” sold 28 million copies. His creations have been recorded by artists worldwide, including Kenny Rogers. His artwork hangs in collections across North America.

  Jimmy Locher. Hammond HS guard. He went to West Point and then on to the Harvard Business School. Worked in the White House, the Pentagon, and the Senate. Jimmy served as an Assistant Secretary of Defense in the first Bush administration. Currently works as a consultant and lecturer on Defense. Married his sweetheart and resides in the Washington, D.C., area.

  Julius Campbell. 1971 Titan defensive end. Julius attended Ferrum Junior College where a bad ankle injury, which did not heal properly, ended his football career. Julius returned to Alexandria and began his career as an Animal Control Officer, first in Alexandria and then in Prince Georges County, Maryland. Julius still lives in Prince Georges County.

  Ron Bass. 1971 Titan quarterback. Ron went on to attend the University of South Carolina on a football scholarship. He lettered all four years and started his junior and senior seasons as quarterback. He was picked as Sports Illustrated’s Player of the Week during his sophomore season after gaining 211 yards rushing against the University of North Carolina. He is married with kids and lives in Columbia, South Carolina.

  Ralph Davis. 1966 Hammond defensive tackle. Ralph went to Old Dominion College. After graduation he returned to Alexandria and built a thriving restaurant business. He now owns four of the finest restaurants in the Washington metropolitan area—The Warehouse, RT’s, The Wharf, and The Polo Grill. Ralph lives in Alexandria with his wife, Chris, and their two children.

  Kirk Barker. A star on the 1971 Titans, he was also a national rowing champion. He went to the Naval Academy and played football. He received a commission and served in the Navy for five years. He is now CEO of Xtreme Energy. He resides in St. Petersburg, Florida.

  John O’Connor. Quarterback of the 1969 Hammond championship team. John was also an accomplished baseball player. He received all ACC honors as a catcher at Georgia. He turned down a professional baseball offer to enter the business world. He is a State Farm agent in Alexandria, Virginia.

  Bob Stumpf. Receiver on the 1969 Hammond championship team. Went to the Naval Academy and then on to a distinguished Naval career. At one point he was the commander of the Navy’s Blue Angels. He is retired and living in Florida.

  Jerry Wilcoxen. Quarterback of the 1958 championship Roswell team. Jerry graduated from Georgia State and became a pilot with Southern Air. He had a distinguished career as a builder in the Atlanta area. He now lives in St. Simons Island, Georgia.

  David Sullivan. Football and track at Roswell. Went to Georgia State. Had two successful careers—concrete and communications. He is a community leader in Cuthbert, Georgia.

  John Leber. Fullback at Hammond. Went on to Westchester State. Ranked sixth in the country as an AAU wrestler. Majored in crime. Served as a security guard for Amy Carter during the Carter administration. He now coaches swimming and is a Baptist minister.

  Lee Califf. Played on the 1969 Hammond championship team. Took a football scholarship to UNC. Majored in political science. Was an aid to Senator John Warner for eight years. Today is director of government affairs with ALCOA.

  Keith Burns. Played on the 1987 T.C. Williams championship team. Went to Oklahoma State. Drafted by the Denver Broncos. He has two Super Bowl rings.

  Henry Castro. Played fullback on the 1971 Titans. Went to Virginia Tech where he received a degree in architecture. He returned to his native country, Venezuela, and died in a tragic accidental death.

  Tom Lewis. 1971 Titan. Tom went into the service and then to the University of Florida where he received a degree in electrical engineering. He is now an engineering manager living in Largo, Florida.

  Chris Kusseling. Linebacker on the 1971 Titans. Attended the University of Delaware where he played defensive back. Received his degree in social science and is an analyst with the Department of Commerce.

  Steve Guild. Played end on the Hammond and T.C. Williams championship teams. Attended Princeton University and received a degree in art and archaeology. Became an accomplished painter. Passed away in 2003 from cancer.

  Steve Borich. Lineman at Hammond. Attended Frederick College on a football scholarship. Received his masters in education from Xavier. Spent thirty-two years in educational administration. Retired and living in Cincinnati.

  Charlie Mitchell. Played on the 1971 Titans. Received his degree in music and then became a musician. Played with Bruce Springsteen. Charlie teaches music in Alexandria, Virginia.

  I guess this is as good a place as any to come clean. I’m a nobody. Sure, I had success but then lots of people do. I’ve tried to do the right thing but when I have, I have done nothing more than a billion others. At times I’ve shown courage. I’ve also been weak at the knees. I’ve called a few great plays and punted at the wrong time. When I look in the mirror I see the same face that I saw in Tin Can Hollow. I know the image that looks back is older and wiser but the little boy remains.

  And yet I have spent the last few years in prime time. People pay to hear what’s on my mind. Some ask for an autograph. Surprising in that my celebrity has nothing to do with me. You’ve heard my name for one reason; I was lucky enough to have Greg Howard get a haircut in the right barbershop. As a result he put pen to paper and then the actor Will Patton made me look better than I am. Prior to that I would not have shown up on the radar screen of the civil air patrol.

  I think there are a couple lessons here. The first is that life’s journey is a convoluted walk into the unknown. Hopefully, early on you hear what’s important. Better yet you embrace it. Even better, you employ it. And if you do, things will work out. You never know when it will happen. I was eating peanut butter and jelly until I was seventy-five.

  The second lesson is that whatever happens to you will be the result of someone liking your story and then doing something about it. It probably won’t make it to the screen but that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you like your story too.

  When I made the decision to become a “literarian” I was as ignorant as anyone who has ever written a book. I was also as egotistical. I believed my life was special. And why not? Some pretty great things have happened to me. Ego is a powerful force. And it was ego that made me call Steve. The next day he delivered the news.

  “Coach,” he said. “I just watched Remember the Titans. You were on the screen twenty-two times and delivered sixty one lines. We have a problem.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “We’re short two hundred pages.

  The journey had begun.

  As I reconstructed my life it became evident that I wasn’t so special after all. Supplementing the good was a lot of bad. The warts bloomed. I thought about abandoning the project until it was pointed out that the worth of a story lies in the interpretation of what transpired. In ugly, there are lessons to be learned.

  These days I spend a lot of time with myself and the memories that are the tapestry of my life. The journey that was a rollercoaster became an awakening. When I was lost, a helping hand appeared. Whenever I walked in darkness, I was guided to the light. As I look back, I realize I could have done things better. I made mistakes. I have regrets. But on balance, my life has been blessed and because it was, I became better than I ever should have been.

  AFTERWORD BY STEVE SULLIVAN

  When Bill Yoast called, I had just reinvented myself. After writing six books I figured it was time to retire my pen. My previous efforts had done well enough that I felt no need to go back to the plate. I wanted to say “no” but I couldn’t. I owed Bill Yoast. If he needed me to tell his story I figured it was the least I
could do.

  That night, as I reflected on the tedium that accompanies book writing, I questioned my decision. I came up with a plan. I would tell Bill that books were passé. We should do a newsletter. Save on time, paper, and postage. People have short attention spans. Six pages were enough. We would just highlight the thrills. Sounded good to me.

  Shortly thereafter, I received an email from a fraternity brother who had stumbled across my website. I hadn’t talked to him since college. I returned his salutation and asked him about six friends. He informed me that one died at war, another from cancer, a third from a heart attack. He told me the fittest among us had Lou Gehrig’s disease.

  I was saddened by the input but awakened to the reality that I was mortal. How much time did I have left? A question like that makes you ponder your own journey. I’ve never met a responsible person that didn’t question their existence. Did I do it right? Can I do it better? It’s important. For a number of reasons. If you’re lucky, you will make it to the rocking chair phase of life. Lots of time for contemplation sitting on that front porch. If you did right, the memories will sustain your final years. Good deeds will deliver flowers in December. On the other hand, if you betrayed a trust, turned your back on a friend or accepted injustice, you will have regrets. GUARANTEED. You will know that you walked the path of least resistance and became less than you could have been. That knowledge will turn summer into a frigid day.

  The thought was terrifying.

  I decided I would write the book. For selfish reasons. Bill Yoast was my horse and I’d ride him to the finish. I figured, as we dissected his experience, I could take a peek at my own. I would juxtapose one life against another. Bill Yoast would serve as the benchmark to measure myself. I needed my scorecard. I wanted those daffodils.

  When we began I had no idea what I would uncover. A two-hour movie doesn’t mean you had a life. As the emails were delivered from cyber-space I started to realize that Bill was an original. When I finished with what Bill wanted to say I called Glenn Furman to check on some facts. Glenn wasn’t home. I left a message that said nothing more than I needed to confirm a couple dates for a book I was writing about Bill Yoast. Would he please email me the information? Here is his unedited reaction to my request.

  Steve,

  It was great to hear your voice on the phone. It brought back a lot of good memories of the Admirals.

  I was excited for Coach Yoast, when I heard you were doing a book on his life. No one deserves this recognition more than Coach. We have worked together for 35 years and been friends for 41 years.

  Everyone that knew Bill Yoast called him “Coach,” but his greatest legacy will be about Bill Yoast “the man.” Coach Yoast is my best friend and my mentor. He is the person who has had the greatest influence on my life as a teacher/coach and as a human being. He has guided my life in the areas of faith, family, and friends. It can best be said that Coach Yoast is a people person who just happened to be a coach. He is someone that has great compassion, therefore he just continues to give and keep giving.

  Bill and I would probably be called the odd couple. He was tall, thin, and blonde. He was the consummate teacher, experienced, mild mannered, basically known as the intellectual coach. On the other hand, I was short, stocky, always talking, hyper, never laid back with my greatest strength being a motivator of young men, inspiring them to achieve above what they thought they were capable of achieving. In retrospect we were probably the ultimate complement for each other.

  Bits and Pieces

  1. The greatest lesson that I learned from Coach was that people are more important than wins and losses.

  2. Success and championships are achieved through people not by a particular system.

  3. You win through execution and discipline, not by what system you use.

  4. Everyone in your program is important, not just the stars. Everyone must be treated fairly.

  5. Select coaches who are loyal to each other and then let them coach.

  6. Football is a game, so make it fun.

  A Few Stories

  1. Bill’s teams were often called the “Dirty 30.” T.C. Williams opened in 1965 and Hammond’s enrollment was cut in half. Most of the time Bill’s teams were totally out-manned but never out-coached.

  2. Bill and I were scouting opponents for the Washington Metro area regional playoff game between #1 ranked Falls Church and #3 ranked Woodson. It was a great game with the lead changing back and forth. Late in the game Bill looked at me and asked who would you rather play, I said neither one, they are both too good. I asked Bill who would you rather play—he answered doesn’t matter, we’ll beat either one. Next week we were 3 touchdown underdogs. We won the game 16 to 7. Valuable lesson learned, never again did I enter a game thinking we would lose.

  3. While coaching the Titans we had the motto, “Titan Pride,” which we always would ask the players is that the ‘Best’ you can be? What a great motivational tool.

  4. Yes, Coach did have a temper. In 1971 we were going down the stretch to the playoffs needing two wins to make the playoffs. Late in the game we were leading by 6 points. Yorktown was moving the ball through the air. We had a great All-Region quarterback in John O’Connor. I sent John in the game to play defense. He made a play but sprained his ankle. “Coach yelled who put him in the game?” We just looked at each other. Coach did not speak to me until the following Thursday.

  5. He was also funny. The same team playing Washington Lee, the preseason favorite. They had a 235 pound fullback named Reggie Harrison, later started for the Pittsburgh Steelers, for seven years. Early in the game he was tackled in front of our bench and injured his knee. Our team doctor went out, Bill followed him, bent over and said looks too bad for him to continue playing—Reggie did not return to the game. What a break!

  6. While I was head coach at TC we were in a close game at home. We had several former players on the sidelines for moral support. An official’s call was made on our sidelines. One of the former players yelled his displeasure at the official’s call. The official threw the flag for a costly 15 yard penalty. Upset, I turned and yelled, as was customary for me, “Who did that?” Coach Yoast with his arm around a very scared former player said, “I did Coach.” Wow, what a man!

  The greatest respect that I have for Coach Yoast came when I was selected to be the head coach at TC Williams High School. Coach had already completed a very accomplished teaching and coaching career with full honors. He gave me my first coaching job, he was my mentor. When I asked him if he would consider working with me, his answer was, “Coach, what do you want me to do?” I was entering my first ever head varsity coaching job. The program was down, the last 4 seasons no team won more than 5 games. My staff was made up from 2 former head coaches and remnants of 3 former coaching staffs. In a meeting with the TC principal and athletic director, Coach Yoast was asked how long would it take for the untested Coach Furman to turn the program around? Like a proud father, Coach Yoast said, “one year.” He was correct the Titans went 8-2-2 and lost the Regional final game on a last second field goal. It was during this 10 year reign that Coach Yoast shinned the brightest. Coach was not only my confidant, the guy that kept everything together, but more important, the father-type image, the counselor, the listening ear, the encourager. When a young man was down and needed help Coach Yoast was always there for them. Bill Yoast made a REAL difference.

  Glenn Furman’s letter was not a surprise. It was a validation of the man I’d come to know. You’ve read his story or at least part of it. If you believe that Bill Yoast is a giant among men, think again. If you see him as a god, get new glasses. If you deem that Coach was king, you need to get out more. Bill Yoast is an “everyman.” His hopes, his dreams, and wishes are not unique. Neither are the qualities that allowed him to achieve so much. What did make the Coach special was his integrity. He preached it, he lived it, he protected it. Integrity was everything. For Bill Yoast, integrity was not a means to an end, integrity was THE END.r />
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Steve Sullivan began his career as an Army Ranger. After leaving the military, he spent twenty years as an executive in corporate America.

  He is an internationally recognized authority on sales, leadership, and performance issues. He is the author of two-bestselling business books, Selling At Mach 1 and Leading At Mach 2. Selling At Mach 1 was a Business Book of the Year selection.

  His videos on Selling and Leadership are 1999 Vision Award winners. He has a BA from the University of Florida and a Masters in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.

  More about Sullivan can be found at www.stevesullivan.com.