EVALUATING ATHLETIC SUCCESS AT

KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

By DICK SHILTS

Kalamazoo, Michigan 

As I enter my 30th year at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and my 44th year in coaching, I consider myself most fortunate over these years to have been able to coach basketball at six different levels including high school junior varsity and NCAA Division I. Being a participating member of Wittenberg University's highly successful teams of 1961-65 plus being actively and directly involved in the rebuilding processes at Wadsworth High School (Ohio), Akron University, Western Michigan University, and KVCC have provided me with a wealth of meaningful experiences as well as an exposure to diverse philosophies regarding winning and losing. As an assistant coach in charge of defense on WMU's nationally ranked (25-3) Mid-American Conference championship team of 1975-76 and just two years later as head coach of WMU's last place MAC team, I have indeed felt first hand the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. After being released from WMU (after a second 7-win season in 1978-79) for "not having enough people in the fieldhouse," I learned how important it is for a coach and the institution for whom he works to be in complete and total agreement, both in rhetoric and reality, as to the role athletics should play in an academic setting.

I have been more fortunate than many of my fine coaching colleagues who have suffered a similar fate. KVCC had a Board of Trustees, an administration and a president, Dr. Dale B. Lake, who believed in me as a person and as a coach at a time when I wasn't even sure that I believed in myself. At their request KVCC was just completing a survey of area high school athletic directors and coaches, community representatives, and KVCC staff, faculty, and administrative personnel. Their desire was to analyze as carefully and completely as possible what could be done to make KVCC's total athletic program more successful. Much time, thought, and effort went into this survey process, and from it all came 1) a direction that was to become a unifying force and that could be collectively pursued, 2) a commitment to put into action a plan that would develop an improved athletic program, a program that would be a source of pride to the college and the community-at-large, and 3) a definition of success that could clearly be articulated, understood, achieved, and evaluated. The intent of the report was to set into motion the policies and procedures that are necessary for the achievement of an athletic program that would, in the report's own words, "cause area coaches, administrators, and counselors to recommend that our community college be looked at as a 'viable alternative' rather than as a place 'of last resort' for all of the students and student-athletes under their influence."

The first goal we were to seek after was to create a direction that would unite all segments of the college, and would inspire each KVCC employee to work diligently toward helping the athletic program provide the kind of worthwhile experiences that justify the program's very existence at an institution of higher learning. We began to talk openly and often about what we were about, about what we were trying to accomplish in our athletic program, and about who we were and who we were not. We simply wanted to provide significant opportunities and experiences for young men and women student-athletes who desired to make the necessary sacrifices in the pursuit of excellence in the classrooms and in the athletic arena.

The commitment the college was willing to make led to some concrete, meaningful changes that reflected within reason, and certainly not extravagantly, some increased financial and personnel support. Specifically, the survey recommended (and KVCC followed through on the recommendation) the hiring of a full-time professional athletic director who could also coach men's basketball and perhaps one other sport. In one move KVCC had both a full-time AD and a full-time basketball coach. Scholarship money had been scarce and far below what was permitted by the governing bodies, the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA)and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA); that money was increased substantially. It is still well below what the NJCAA allows but it became at that time competitive within the state of Michigan structure. A 12-month full-time athletic secretary was hired. Funds were improved to reinstate frugal, but valuable spring trips in our four spring sports, and, finally, my recommendation to add men's golf and women's tennis to our then current six sport offerings was approved.

This direction and these new commitments were obviously quite important, but without a doubt the most significant result of the survey was the development of a concise, well-defined understanding of how success was to be evaluated in KVCC's athletic program. The report submitted by KVCC's President to the Board of Trustees in April of 1979 contained these words:

"The success of an intercollegiate program, in my judgment, is determined certainly by the 'win-loss' record, but, of equal importance, is the extent to which the athletes are also 'students,' and whether or not they successfully complete their academic programs. Further, in my view, 'success' is the development in our athletes of a positive attitude towards themselves, their teammates, their coach and the college. An additional important measure of success for an intercollegiate athletic program is the image of that program in the community-at-large, and the manner in which KVCC athletes are viewed by upper-division institutions."

These criteria of success sounded fine to me, but I was still hurting from my release at WMU, so I was extra cautious in trying to ascertain the reality behind the rhetoric. I wondered what "success. . . is determined certainly by the 'win-loss' record..." really meant. Therefore, I asked Dr. Lake questions like, "In your mind, do you have a timetable in which you think it reasonable to expect me to lead a basketball team to the State, Regional, or even National Championship? With a clear understanding of KVCC's athletic philosophy, Dr. Lake articulated a response that helped convince me that I wanted to coach at KVCC. He laughed. That's right, he laughed. He said he had no timetable whatsoever for a state championship, a regional championship, or even an appearance at the National Tournament in Hutchinson. Further, he stated that he was most aware that since the MCCAA did not allow more than tuition scholarships and that most of the community colleges that made it to Hutchinson did offer full grants to their athletes, it would be somewhat unrealistic for him to expect KVCC to ever make it to Hutchinson. Being an extremely competitive and proud individual, he did, however, feel that winning a state championship would be great for KVCC; but, and he emphasized this, it would merely be "icing on the cake." He stated that he wanted KVCC to be a place where primarily student-athletes from KVCC's service area felt they could go to have an opportunity to play in a quality program that had its priorities right. And how clearly I remember him saying that KVCC, under his leadership, would never expect its coaches to recruit nationally, or even regionally. I should add here that our current President, Dr. Marilyn Schlack, has, much to my relief and satisfaction, continued to subscribe to and support this philosophy in its entirety. Of course, all of us will do, and believe we rightly should, whatever we reasonably can to help young people outside our area to get enrolled should they show interest in KVCC and our fine programs; but the point is that the institution does not expect our coaches to spend time and money actively recruiting athletes nationally or even inter-regionally. We are in agreement that this type of recruiting is outside the primary function and emphasis of KVCC's mission. How well I remember President Lake saying, "We are not, nor do we ever desire to become, a 'Vincennes.' This certainly did not then, nor does now intend to sound arrogant or reflect poorly on Vincennes. That institution had had and continues to have some powerful basketball teams. What his remarks meant to me, however, were that he was aware as to what it took to be a true national power year in and year out, and he was simply being honest and representing the view of KVCC's Board of Trustees by telling me that they did not care to have that type of program with that type of emphasis and necessary financial commitment from the institution. What KVCC wanted was for its teams to be competitive in all of its intercollegiate sports, for its teams to have a chance to win because they were well-coached, well-disciplined, and well-prepared. But even more importantly, they wanted teams that had participants that were learning far more than how to be ahead at the end of a contest. In short, they wanted student-athletes to truly have experiences that were an important part of the total educational process -- a not-so-new idea that too often is espoused but not manifested. I agreed with and appreciated his articulation of the college's attitude toward winning and losing.

Even more impressive to me, however, was his explanation of the second point in the college's criteria for success in athletics. Dr. Lake told me point blank that if I had a team that went 25-0 and the players on that team did not achieve their academic goals, whatever they were, I would have failed. THAT'S A BOLD STATEMENT FOR ANY COACH TO LIVE UP TO, ISN'T IT? Yet how many times before 1979 I had articulated exactly the same idea to parents, administrators, fans, and coaches! I believed in what he was saying about the proper place of an athletic program in an academic setting, and, at each of my previous jobs, I had always placed what I thought was the proper emphasis upon the classroom accomplishments of my student-athletes. Incidentally, we did institute a whole new academic monitoring system and are proud to report that both our men's and women's basketball teams have had a composite team GPA's ranging between 2.4 and 3.3 for all of the twenty-nine years I have been at KVCC. And I cannot adequately express how happy I am that our current Board of Trustees still gets more excited about that than they do about one of our teams winning 20 games and/or a conference, state, or regional title. Many coaches at many different levels, I am most regretfully aware, are not able to say that their governing bodies in reality actually feel that way and evaluate their coaches accordingly. In 1984, KVCC had its first ever First Team Academic All-American in point guard and 4.0 Business major, David Schaffer. I am convinced that David's accomplishments represent what is really important in athletics at least as well as would the accomplishments of a student-athlete who would gain First Team All-American status as a result of athletic ability. To be sure, David has achieved "success" at KVCC, and we have done what we could to show him how much we have appreciated what he has achieved in our program. And, in return, we realize that perhaps he has actually done more good for our program than a First Team All-American could do (although we have had and would like to have more of those as well)!  It is now "routine" for several of our teams to be honored yearly for Team GPA's that rank in the top 20 nationally.

The third point mentioned in the criteria of success statement is the development of a positive self-image and of a positive feeling toward coaches, teammates, and one's whole athletic experience. Admittedly, this is most difficult to evaluate. However, the important point here is that we continually keep this in front of us as a guide to all that we do. For example, as a coach I gear my coaching toward constantly finding ways to make sure my players are being challenged to be the best they can be, and yet to make this quest for success fun and enjoyable. I am more convinced than ever that for student-athletes at any level to profit most from their experience, they simply MUST enjoy the process, indeed, enjoy the struggle to achieve excellence. In my mind players simply cannot grow as they should if they have someone, in this case the coach, who makes decisions for them and who makes them feel like robots. To be sure, letting go is often as difficult, but every bit as important, for coaches, as it is for parents. I believe that the coach that provides leadership by explaining why things are to be done in a certain way, by being willing to show the way by example as well as exhortation, and by providing an atmosphere of encouragement and appreciation instead of criticism and ridicule, that coach will inevitably, whether in any given year his teams win more games than other teams or not, that coach will be successful in the deepest sense of the word.

I have tried harder and harder through the years to apply one of John Wooden's favorite quotes: "It is impossible to antagonize and influence at the same time." It may take more patience and require more self-control, and it certainly is harder to push that "ole coach's" ego into the background, but I am convinced that more positive things happen in this kind of atmosphere than in any other. And one of those positive "things" is that the student-athlete has a greater chance to develop a mature sense of responsibility, an accountability to self and to others. Far too often we coaches, including myself, have kidded ourselves into thinking that we have done right by "giving" to our athletes rather than by "teaching" them. A wise, old proverb reminds us: "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime." I believe that the successful coach constantly strives, not to appease his players, but rather to teach, to work with, and to challenge his players to grow in a way that will have lifetime benefits.

Finally, President Schlack and I believe that IF we concentrate on accomplishing criteria one, two, and three, then as a tail follows the dog, criteria four will almost automatically be accomplished. If the student-athletes in our program have that positive experience we try so hard to give them, they will in turn become our best recruiters. They also will be the agents in the community that project the image that KVCC is a good place to be. They will be glad they attended our school and proud to have played their sport for the Cougars. Through the years such positive feedback can only strengthen our program by helping to attract the kind of student-athlete that can most readily benefit from the emphasis that permeates the KVCC experience. A college's "image" depends so much upon attitudes, those of the supervisory personnel, as well as those of the student-athletes themselves.

As we move into another sports season with all of its uncertainties, we go forward expecting the best and concentrating on pursuing excellence with perspective, on doing whatever we can to help our student-athletes learn that real success is much more than an end result or a final score; it is an attitude, a manner of approach to all that happens daily, indeed, a lifestyle. I really don't have much of an idea about how many games or matches we will win this year, but I do know this: we are going to discuss and re-discuss, and pursue together as best we know how, the criteria of success that has guided the athletic program at Kalamazoo Valley Community College since 1979.

(Note:  This article is a slightly modified version of an article by the same title that first appeared in the December, 1985, issue of JUCO REVIEW.)  Revised again in September, 2008.