Normally I wait until the middle of the week to post my thoughts but sitting here now late on a Saturday night or early on a Sunday morning I couldn't hold those thoughts any longer. After broadcasting the Monmouth-Bryant football game this afternoon I reflected back on the school's football history. Today was an incredible milestone both for MU and Coach Callahan as win #100 didn't easy with a 10-6 victory over the Bulldogs. It seems like just yesterday the announcement was made that Monmouth College was starting a football program and Kevin Callahan was going to take over the Hawks in his first ever college head coaching position. Now in his 17th year, Coach Cal has been the foundation for a school that really needed this experiment to work.
I have often wondered why Coach Callahan has never left Monmouth for greener pastures; a bigger school, more money, more scholarships, and a better atmosphere would all seem to make sense. His credentials would certainly indicate he could have left many times over with five conference championships, a mid-major national championship, and a recipient of the NEC Coach of the Year award three times. He has turned out dozens all-conference players but even more important he has shown every player who paid attention the right way to act toward others and there are things more important than football. I'm not even sure I have ever asked Coach the question about leaving MU because in a way I along with many others wouldn't even want to think about him not being on the sidelines for the blue and white.
Being part of the first ever team in 1993, I remember a lot about that first season. The wintertime workouts before the incoming freshman had ever stepped foot on campus, the first summer, the first game (Stonehill College), the first win (St. Peters), and for me the disappointment of being hurt most of the year. My football career stopped before the 1994 season as a variety of injuries had made my body breakdown and I still remember going into Coach Callahan's office right before camp started in August and telling him I was unable to keep playing.
Classy as ever, he told me to take care of myself, thanked me for my time and effort in the program, and let me know the door was always open to come back. I never was able to return to the playing field but I have entered the side door to get back in the program on three different occasions; once as a student broadcaster on WMCX and twice as a professional. The constant has always been the way I have been treated by Coach, the way he runs the football program, and the care he shows for other people.
I was reminded of this caring over the last two weeks as I dealt and continue to deal with the sudden passing of my own father. Our regular weekly meeting turned into a counseling session where Coach Cal knew just when to talk and just when to listen. He didn't pull any punches or say everything was going to be alright because he knew it wasn't going to be having lost his own father at a young age as well. He promised tough days ahead, more tears, and a grieving process that never really ends. So far, he has been right on the money. The hour I spent in his office was an hour that I needed to cry, be angry, and express my disbelief that this had all happened. He didn't hesitate to push the pause button on his busy day, close the door and give me all the time I needed. It was an hour I can never repay him for but one I will never forget anytime I do anything Monmouth football related.
In typical fashion, when asked about the game against Bryant and his 100th win, Coach Callahan said this win was about the program and its players. I wouldn't expect anything less because in a way it is a tribute to anyone who has donned a Monmouth helmet but from someone who has been a MU supporter since we started in 1993 I am here to say this milestone has more to do with Coach Cal than anyone else associated with MU football. If you ask me, back in 1992, Monmouth found the perfect balance of a coach who can win but who also knows the importance of life off the field.
That coach and man is Kevin Callahan. Congratulations Coach Cal on win #100.
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