FB: New Jersey Athletic Conference

Started by admin, August 16, 2005, 04:58:48 AM

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formerd3db

Ditto all the above from all the others.  Although I obviously did not know Coach Drass, he certainly was one of the greats in all ways in DIII football and those of us who follow this are aware of the same.  My thoughts and prayers to his family and all of the Wesley College family as well; may God grant you peace and His love in this difficult time.
"When the Great Scorer comes To mark against your name, He'll write not 'won' or 'lost', But how you played the game." - Grantland Rice


thewaterboy

Watching the speakers today at the Coach Drass memorial service. It was really telling of the kind of person he was both on and off the field. It takes a special person to create the relationships that he did with so many people. He created a whole community around a team. There are 238 teams in Division III, and very, very few have the sense of family, togetherness and legacy that has been created in Dover over nearly 3 decades. I am proud to have been along for the ride as a spectator.

I believe it was Randy Chambers who said today, that the true victories lie in the relationships, memories and legacies we leave. He never won a Stagg Bowl... but I believe he did one better. Rest easy Coach Drass.

MUC57

#11823
Thewaterboy

Very nice comments by you on Coach Drass. Stagg Bowl memories may fade over time but his legacy will last forever. To paraphrase Grantland Rice, it's not whether you win or lose, but how you played the game. Although I never knew him, he apparently played the game the right way.
Seems he built a tightly knit community around a top quality football team. I would say, those of you that knew him, were very fortunate
Play hard Wesley. Coach Drass will be watching!











https://portal.stretchinternet.com/wesley/portal.htm?eventId=449623&streamType=video
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I'm old! I get mixed up and I forget things! Go Everybody! 🏈 ☠

Teamski

A very nice memorial indeed even with the massive downpour that underscored the event.  I stood where I always do, on top of the press box and tried to imagine not seeing Coach Drass marching back and forth down there on the field.  I still can't.  Seriously, he was one of those "you see what you get" type of guys that was as genuine as they come.  I was already a fan of the team when I retired from the USAF and walked to Wesley from my house everyday to attend classes towards a History degree under the GI Bill.  The head of the history department promptly notified Coach Drass of my love for the team and boom, before I knew it, I was filming summer practice for 10 hours a day, 7 days a week.  That was in 2009.  I remember being invited to go with the coaches for dinner at Applebee's for the first time and thinking that this was a real family, not just a team.  I traveled with the team for 3 years and found Coach Drass to be as unflappable on the field as he was human off of it. He cried like a baby trying to explain to the team what had happened to Ben Knapp the night prior to the Walsh game in Ohio.  The man was unending ball of energy and one hell of a nice guy with a great sense of humor.  He was for many people, bigger than life, and I don't say that lightly.

You always hear or read about how great a person was doing this, or how selfless they were doing that.  However, Coach Drass was everything to Wesley, his family, his players, his coaches and to everyone who met him.  He left a void, a spiritual hole in the fabric of Wesley College.  It will take a lot of time to heal but somehow that will happen.  Perhaps a high pitched F-bomb will echo across Drass Field from time to time just to remind everybody that he is still watching from on high.  You will be missed coach!

-Ski
Wesley College Football.... A Winning Tradition! A Coach Mike Drass Legacy.

MUC57

#11825
Teamski

Very nice tribute to Coach Drass. I tried to acknowledge his stature but I never knew him. You had first hand knowledge. He certainly sounds like a great coach, great person, great leader and great teacher.
I suspect that if Wesley comes to Alliance, there will be a shadowy figure roaming the sideline on the opposite side of the field. I'll know who it is! Sleep well coach.

As an aside, I'm also ex Air Force! Not career, but served my tour. 🇺🇸
I'm old! I get mixed up and I forget things! Go Everybody! 🏈 ☠

thewaterboy

It will really hit home when we get to the fall and Drass is not on that sideline. Still very surreal.

It will be up to the players, coaches and Wesley football family to keep Drass' vision intact. I think the next man at the helm at Wesley (I'm biased) should be Coach Knapp. He has been with Coach Drass every step of the way over the past 28+ years. They built the program together, and as a result I think he is in the best position to know what Coach Drass would want going forward.

Wesley HNIC

The fact that Coach Chip Knapp, has to apply for the Head Coaching job against a player he coached is total Bull****!!

Teamski

Quote from: Wesley HNIC on May 23, 2018, 09:27:26 PM
The fact that Coach Chip Knapp, has to apply for the Head Coaching job against a player he coached is total Bull****!!

I am sure it is a technicality if that is the case.....

-Ski
Wesley College Football.... A Winning Tradition! A Coach Mike Drass Legacy.

Wesley HNIC

You would think, unfortunately it's not!!

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Schools still have to go through the paperwork and details when hiring. They cannot just hand the job to people. Interim tags are about as close to that as they can get and usually they still have to have some kind of application process - state schools even more so, though Wesley doesn't fit into that.

There are also state laws that sometimes make a difference than what other schools may do. Applying for a job that seems like a rubber stamp is pretty common this day and age. Also, considering how successful and possibly coveted the Wesley program is for coaches, making sure you open up the applications allows Wesley to see what other coaches may be interested and whether going in a different direction makes any sense.

WashU MBB was open this year. Many felt it should be handed to the long-time assistant. However, the school did a nation-wide search to be sure ... they hired UW-Oshkosh's head coach. IMO, the right move.

While I understand that Knapp has been there a long time and probably deserves this job from the point of view of those close to the program... Wesley is also a top-tier program. Not many top-tier programs just turn the keys over to the assistant who has been there a long time. Not many top-tier programs at any level consider doing that.

Let's see how this all plays out. Knapp may very well be the choice, but Wesley is smart (and probably forced) to play out the process.
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

Wesley HNIC

Well this assistant has been responsible for all of the points on the scoreboard for the last 25 years, seems like a well respected coach to hand those keys too!!

jmcozenlaw

Quote from: Wesley HNIC on May 24, 2018, 05:50:37 PM
Well this assistant has been responsible for all of the points on the scoreboard for the last 25 years, seems like a well respected coach to hand those keys too!!

You either didn't read or didn't retain what was written above. I suggest that you do. Intellect trumps emotion consistently.

crufootball

Could the fact that Coach Drass was also the AD be making the issue a little more complex, that is a lot to replace and not something everyone would want to do.

Wesley HNIC

They already replaced the Athletic Director, so that is no problem.