At some point in our lives, we all benefit from mentorship.  Mentors come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds.  For most of us, our first mentors were our parents.  As we progressed through life, mentors probably took the shape of teachers, coaches, pastors, community leaders, counselors and friends.  Last week Northwest held its commencement ceremonies.  I’m guessing that most, if not all, of the 700+ students that received their diplomas last Saturday could classify a professor, staff or community member in the category of someone who helped them on their journey to a degree.  I was actually able to read of several such relationships via our graduates’ comments on Facebook and Twitter.  The professors and instructors at Northwest do a tremendous job of mentoring their students throughout the college experience and well into their professional lives. Continue reading →

I’m a planner.  At times, I probably plan to a fault.  Early on in our marriage, I usually ruined our vacations because I was so fixated on staying on schedule.  The schedule that I had created and had no one to answer to if we didn’t follow it.  It would greatly frustrate my wife, Heather, who is more of an easy-going, rest-and-relax kind of vacationer.  I have good intentions.  I want us to see all the landmarks and experience as much of the culture and traditions of a new place as possible.  But sometimes, I get so caught up in my schedule that we don’t relax and enjoy each other and our time together.  Continue reading →

Let me start by apologizing for the delay in blogs.  Spring is a crazy, busy time of year in college athletics.  Currently, we have six sports playing on campus.  It was eight until the basketball season ended.  It is the most fun and action-filled time of the year, but it is overwhelming at times.  Continue reading →

Heroes.  We all have them.  Some people’s heroes are athletes, some government and world leaders.  Others choose members of the military who defend our freedom.  Some people’s heroes may be their parents or kids.  I probably have heroes in all of those categories.  For instance, I’ve always considered my grandparents as heroes.  My ‘granny’ is just about perfect in my eyes.  Always has been.  It would be impossible for me to go into all the reasons I consider her to be a hero but suffice to say, I would not be where I am today without my grandmother.  She has been a role model on how to live and is the most giving person I’ve ever known.  I take great inspiration from her. Continue reading →

The term bucket list first came to my attention after the 2007 movie “The Bucket List” was released.  Perhaps it existed before, but I hadn’t heard the expression.  In the dictionary, bucket list is defined as “a list of things to do before you die.”  I’ve thought several times about putting such a list together but always end up thinking I’ll do it when I have more time.  I’m really not sure when that will be. Continue reading →

Greetings, Bearcats!  What a great day.  Today is signing day and is always a fun time on campuses all around the country.  Our coaches believe this is one of our best classes ever.  What that translates to on the field remains to be seen, but what we do know is the football coaches have done a great job recruiting quality young men.  The average GPA of the 26 student-athletes in this class is 3.38 and their ACT scores average 22.4.  Continue reading →

Wow.  That took a while.  The first three blogs came quick and easy.  Then we had both basketball teams playing and football in the playoffs.  The holidays were rapidly approaching.  I could go on.  Time got away from me.  But I am back and so is the blog.  Since it’s been a while, I’ve got a lot to cover so I will hop around this week.

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I am going to admit it.  I doubted.  Late in the second quarter of last week’s playoff game, the Bearcats trailed Midwestern 28-10.  The Mustangs seemed to be imposing their will on both sides of the ball.  I was thinking about how proud I was of the coaches and players for a terrific season in the face of adversity, but I thought this one was slipping away.  Little did I know, there was plenty of season left.  The Bearcats put together a tough touchdown drive to end the first half and went into the locker room down 11.  The fourth quarter started with the ‘Cats down 14.  We rallied to tie it up before winning 38-31 in overtime.  For me this was an unbelievable thriller.  For many longtime Bearcat fans, it is par for the course. Continue reading →

I have often said that the great thing about sports is it allows people an escape from reality.  Otherwise normal people, who work 8-5 Monday through Friday and always act professionally can relax and come into an environment where going crazy is the norm.  Whether they’re screaming for a defensive stop or giving some ‘helpful’ suggestions to officials, it’s acceptable for fans to be emotional.  It can be a tremendous break from the harsh realities of life. Continue reading →