December 2013
Selling Vanderbilt
Bookstore, licensing team up in merchandise sales
ALSO INSIDE: Young hurler mature beyond his years Steve Keith takes bout with cancer head on Raising Jordan
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CONTENTS P.9
P.18
P.17
Q&A with David Williams
Matthews’ mark
Old soul
With the help of his parents, senior wide receiver shows well-rounded nature off the field.
Hard-throwing right-hander matured faster thanks to older family.
Vanderbilt athletic director discusses state of NCAA, community involvement and the new indoor facility.
P.21 Coach’s Handbook Men’s golf coach Scott Limbaugh talks about his daughters, golf and ping pong.
P.22 Service
P.10 Running on Cross country and track coach Steve Keith fighting cancer head on.
P.12 ’Dore sales For the sixth straight year, Vanderbilt enjoyed a steady increase in merchandise sales.
P.2
Senior kicker Carey Spear was named to the All-State Good Works team
Compliance Corner
P.3 National Commodore Club
P.7
P.24 My game Sophomore basketball player Heather Bowe
Inside McGugin
P.23 It’s my turn Rod Williamson’s monthly column
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By The Numbers
Inside McGugin
Notes from the athletic department
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l St. Louis Rams rookie Zac Stacy scored the first two touchdowns of his NFL career against the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 3. In doing so he became the first former Vanderbilt running back to notch a rushing touchdown since Tom Moore did so with the Los Angeles Rams in 1966. Stacy averaged 130.5 rushing yards in his first two NFL starts. Stacy, a fifth-round pick in April, finished his four-year career at Vanderbilt as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 3,143 yards and 30
Kevin C. Cox
T
he Commodores shared Memorial Gymnasium with an NBA team in October. The Memphis Grizzlies spent part of their week-long training camp at Vanderbilt, and Derrick Byars was able to show them around. Byars, who spent the last two seasons of his college career at Vanderbilt, returned to familiar surroundings and reunited with coach Kevin Stallings. Byars, the 2007 SEC Player of the Year and an All-American, is still looking for his big NBA break. He was drafted in 2007 in the second round but has spent much of his career overseas. He was waived by the Grizzlies a week after training camp.
Derrick Byars
touchdowns. He was the first VU running back to be drafted since Frank Mordica in 1980. l Vanderbilt’s state-of-the-art multipurpose indoor facility opened its doors on Nov. 5. The $31 million complex, which was funded by philanthropy and university investment, took just more than 13 months to construct. It includes a 120-yard football field, a six-lane, 300-meter track and a four-lane bowling center. The indoor practice field will be available for varsity teams, including football, soccer and lacrosse, as well as intramural and club sports teams. The indoor track also will be open for use by the university’s athletic teams and students, faculty and staff. n
Goals scored by sophomore Cheyna Williams in a 5-3 win over Mississippi State on Oct. 20 for her second hat trick of the season and in her career. She finished the season with 16 goals—in a tie for second for the most in singleseason at Vanderbilt.
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Former Vanderbilt All-American Pedro Alvarez became the first player in MLB history to record an RBI in each of his first six playoff games. The Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman hit three home runs and drove in six runs in the National League Division Series.
22
Number of college football players in the country named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Vanderbilt senior kicker Carey Spear is one of them. The three-year captain was the only SEC representative on the team.
Calendar
December Events Dec. 2
Dec. 21
SEC/Big 12 Challenge Vanderbilt men’s basketball kicks off the inaugural Big 12/SEC Challenge on the road at Texas. The trip will be a homecoming for sophomore point guard Eric McClellan, who was a threeyear starter at Austin High School. The University of Tulsa transfer is expected to be a big contributor in his first season with the Commodores.
Women’s basketball vs. UNC-Asheville Women’s basketball wraps up its non-conference home schedule against UNC-Asheville, which went 2-28 a year ago. The Commodores then finish their non-conference tilt on Dec. 30 at AlabamaBirmingham before starting conference play by hosting Georgia on Jan. 2.
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Dec. 3 Music City Challenge A new chapter begins when Vanderbilt hosts an indoor track meet for the first time. The Music City Challenge opens the season and offers the first peek at the $31 million multipurpose indoor facility. Vanderbilt, Lipscomb, Tennessee State and Belmont will break in the new 300-meter track, which surrounds a 120-yard football field. The multipurpose facility opened on Nov. 3.
Dec. 30 Vanderbilt caps off 2013 Men’s basketball wraps up the 2013 portion of its schedule by hosting St. Louis, which won the Atlantic 10 Conference championship and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings will see a familiar face on the other bench. SLU coach Jim Crews headed up Evansville when Stallings coached in the same conference (Missouri Valley) while at Illinois State (1994-99).
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A.D.’s Q&A: Williams discusses NCAA struggles, community involvement and multipurpose facility Commodore Nation: The NCAA has been in turmoil with many controversies this year. What are some of your thoughts about the NCAA’s struggles?
CN: There also is controversy in the retail marketplace where certain video games, apparel and merchandise bearing the likeness or reference to specific studentathletes is being affected. Williams: Absolutely. At the very top of the athletic chain there is an enormous amount of money coming in. That money is not making its way to the student-athletes—not to say we are in favor of play-for-pay because we are not. But questions are being asked about fairness at this level while at lower D-1 levels, those conferences killed the proposal to offer a $2,000 cost of attendance stipend to student-athletes. If we don’t find a solution to this problem, the next steps could become formation of something like a collegiate players union. The matter regarding the sale and distribution of player likeness merchandise is very complex and vary from one matter to another. The NCAA is at a crossroads. I would love to see the NCAA and the top levels of Division I adopt the trust fund idea that would create a trust fund account for student-athletes who graduate from our institutions.
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John Russell
David Williams: It has become clear that the effectiveness of the NCAA to its membership has become an issue. A number of forces are at work that could redefine the NCAA governance. NCAA President Mart Emmert has said as much himself. Questions, concerns and ideas for improvement are coming from all corners—the presidents, the conference commissioners, the athletic directors, the FARs (faculty athletic representatives). There is a movement to modify the Knight Commission blueprint that stacked oversight with university presidents to a more balanced representation. There is also a possibility of some separation within the Division I schools because not all of the 350-some institutions are the same. For example, the Southeastern Conference members don’t have the same needs as a D-I school that might not sponsor football. The reform could impact all corners of athletics, including scheduling, enforcement, transfer rules, many of which at the present are ad hoc. I believe we will see major restructuring in the next 12 to 18 months.
CN: Vanderbilt athletics has played host this fall to a wide spectrum of outside events from the Memphis Grizzlies training camp to high school football games to even an international soccer game. What is your philosophy toward community involvement?
CN: This interview is being conducted a few weeks before our teams get to move into the multipurpose facility. Now that the new section is virtually complete and the Recreation Center is nearing completion, what are your impressions?
Williams: We are fortunate to work in a wonderful environment with 340 elite student-athletes getting a world-class education. But we are the lucky ones and those to whom much is given, much should be expected. We have the ability to help others. I think those student-athletes we sent to Tanzania last summer learned that sometimes when you help others, you wind up helping yourself. We want to show our students by example that caring and sharing are part of our life’s responsibilities and that hopefully they will carry that attitude forward throughout their lives.
Williams: I walked through the facility by myself the other day, and it is absolutely awesome. Of course I knew what every element was going to be but to see it finished was just so much greater than how we could imagine it. And unless you were just getting on campus, to many of us, we would have to admit that we never expected a facility like this. We did it, and we did it with no debt—look what we did! A major success for our program and the university community! I really want to thank Moody/ Nolan and American Construction for helping us make this dream a reality. n
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Despite cancer, coach determined to ‘make it better’ by Jerome Boettcher
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DECEMBER 2013
Daniel Dubois
A
new beard and long, flowing white curls have been added. But the red suit with the white trim and brass belt buckle haven’t wavered. Sure, the fabrics are wrinkled and the hue has faded a little. Still, Vanderbilt cross country and track coach Steve Keith waxes nostalgic when he rings those bells and wears that suit. It is the same ensemble his grandfather donned on those Christmas mornings some 40-plus years ago — much to the delight of Keith and his older sister, Katherine, and older brother, Robert. “When I’m ringing those bells at 6:30 in the morning right before sunrise, it’s a big flashback for me,” Keith says with a smile. Keith took the baton from his grandfather when Katherine had kids. Early on Christmas day outside his sister’s house in Alexandria, Va., he went clanging those bells, waking up his nieces. To the window they’d run and rub their eyes, not believing what was in front of them—Santa Claus trudging through the snow on their deck waving to them. “We did it so well that we probably extended their belief in Santa for a year or two longer maybe than socially they should have,” Keith said. “The whole key is you do it right before sunrise so that it is dark. Then you get out of the way. Then five, 10 minutes later it is light outside and they don’t realize… ‘Did that really happen?’” The suit has gone unused for a while. But this Christmas, Katherine’s first granddaughter Lily will be three months old. Too young for Lily to know what is going on. But Keith will be in Alexandria — his first trip in months — back in that Santa suit; even if he thinks Lily won’t get much out of it. “We’ll get a lot of it,” Katherine said laughing. And cancer won’t keep Keith from being the uncle—now great uncle—who dresses up. In March, Keith was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The cancer prevents the bone marrow from producing enough healthy blood cells. Abnormal cells also form in the blood or bone marrow. The 54-year-old had to be rushed via LifeFlight to Vanderbilt University Medical Center when he developed severe symptoms at the SEC Indoor Track Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., in February. “He was very ill right from the start,” Dr. Sanjay Mohan said. “The symptoms had been present maybe a few weeks and had been fairly progressive to get him to that point where he needed
Cross country and track coach Steve Keith provides his team with direction at the Belmont Opener on Aug. 30 at Percy Warner Park. Just a few weeks later, he received a bone marrow transplant.
acute hospitalization. Early on there were a lot of concerns for infection due to a compromised immune system, which, from what we eventually found out, was the myelodysplastic syndrome.” Keith spent the next two weeks at VU Medical Center while Mohan and Dr. Madan Jagasia tried to stabilize his condition until they could make a diagnosis. To improve his condition in order to receive a bone marrow transplant, Keith began receiving a medication called Azacitidine through an IV for seven straight days once a month. The hope is the drug will control the myelodysplasia so healthier blood cells form, blood counts rise and the symptoms dissipate. “The donor search can take time, and we didn’t have time,” Mohan said. After a few months, however, and several bone marrow biopsies the Azacitidine wasn’t creating the response the doctors had hoped for. So in July they opted to start Keith on two intense rounds of chemotherapy; both lasted a week followed by four weeks of recovery. The treatment did the trick, sending Keith into complete remission before finding a donor and receiving a bone marrow transplant in September. “From very early on, I think Coach has been very pragmatic,” Mohan said. “But also, even as we were trying to actually secure the diagnosis, he has always looked forward. That is my impression of him. He is always thinking ahead as far as what he can to do to participate, to contribute, to take ownership of his own medical care. “He has taken it on as a project to make sure
he is doing everything he can in his power to make sure that he does well.” Not surprisingly to his peers, his studentathletes, friends and family, Keith has attacked MDS head-on. Maintaining his positive attitude, Keith homed in on things he could control. He focuses on improving his fitness, which he believes helped his body in preparation for the chemo and transplant. The day after he received the transplant, he spent 20 minutes on the stationary bike and rode for another 30 minutes later that afternoon. “He is amazing,” said Katherine, a breast cancer survivor. “I actually had to start running and biking because I felt like such a slug because here is my brother who had a stem cell transplant and he is already out there walking four or five miles a day. It is hard to justify not doing it when he is out there doing it.” Not long after receiving the transplant, he was back at morning practices, which begin at 6:45. Junior Claire Benjamin was in awe when she saw Keith walking the 5.8-mile loop at Percy Warner Park while the team ran the course. “Ever since March he has been incredible in overcoming this,” said assistant coach Rhonda Riley, who is in her seventh year working with Keith. “You wouldn’t even know he had cancer. He has been positive since day one, and I think that has helped him get better. That positivity and still staying connected with the team as much as he could is what gave him hope.”
“I don’t think you have enough time to worry about something that has already happened. You need to make it better.”
Katherine Keith
Cheryl Treworgy
TOP: Steve Keith huddles with the women’s cross country team in 2011. MIDDLE: Keith decked out in his Santa costume, ready to spread some Christmas cheer to his nieces. BOTTOM: Keith with assistant coach Rhonda Riley.
–Steve Keith, cross country and track coach
The 1981 graduate of Vanderbilt took over the cross country program in 2006. He has spent the past two seasons heading up the track and field programs. In 2011, the women’s cross country team won its first SEC championship in program history. A few weeks later, they placed sixth at the national meet. Mohan noted how Keith boasted about his team’s progression. His doctor also came away impressed when Keith pulled out his tablet and began organizing practice schedules while sitting in the infusion center in the hospital. Riley has led the team in Keith’s absence. He constantly communicates with Riley to keep tabs on runners and their times. In September, when Riley was with team at a meet in Minnesota, Keith texted her from Nashville at 6 a.m. the day of the meet to notify her of the weather in Minnesota. “The guy is crazy,” Riley says smiling. “He really pours everything into this program, into the girls, into seeing it succeed.” Keith still isn’t allowed to travel to meets. His time away from the team, especially last spring in the early stages of treatment, was an adjustment for everybody. “It has been tough,” Keith said. “You get to know the kids the most when you travel with them and you go through the hard training with them. Then ultimately you get the reward of competing with them, and that’s hard to replace.
Vanderbilt cross country coach Steve Keith with his team after winning the SEC cross country championship in 2011— the first in program history.
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You can’t replace that. But the structure we have set up with Rhonda and (volunteer assistant coach) Sonja (Friend-Uhl) helping also and with (assistant coaches) Clark (Humphreys) and Donnie (Young) handling the track side, we’re in as a good of a position as possible for me to take some steps back. That’s obviously necessary.” Riley says this year’s squad had the closest team chemsitry she has seen in her seven years. She credits some of that to the veteran leadership embracing the situation and stepping up. Keith can be contained only so much. His thick hair fell out from the chemotherapy, but, as he recently proudly pointed out, there were patches “still fighting to hang on too.” Keith, wearing a mask, stopped by the team’s season-opening cross country meet in August at Percy Warner Park to offer words of encouragement. Throughout the season, the team wore red and white bows—the colors of awareness for MDS. “Coach Keith is incredible and definitely an inspiration to us on a daily basis,” Benjamin said. “He is so determined to live his life normally and be there for us.” Though he continues to check in at the hospital almost daily, Keith has started to show up in the office every day, even if for just a couple hours. His parents, sister and brother have all traveled into town at different times to help serve as caregivers. In the 100 days following his transplant, Keith is being monitored closely. After the infusion, there is a risk of infection or a complication called graft versus host disease, in which his body adjusts to the new stem cells. In early November, his blood cell counts were up — a positive sign in the recovery process. Bone marrow biopsies will be performed to make sure his blood levels are up. If he is in remission, his visits to the hospital will happen less frequently and his medications will be altered. By January, Riley expects her boss to be back to his old self. “It is a long, long process,” Keith said. “But the things I can control are my mental health, stay positive, stay as involved as I can with keeping enough normalcy in my life. Then my activity level and fitness has been essential to making me feel better through it all. I think it has had a big effect in how I’ve been able to handle the different types of therapy they’ve had. “I don’t think you have enough time to worry about something that has already happened. You need to make it better.” n
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JOHN RUSSELL
Star V success not limited to football field Visibility, sales increase for ’Dores as licensing program grows by Jerome Boettcher
J
ames Franklin stood staring at a hat rack. For a man who prides himself on wearing many metaphorical hats—salesman, publicist, promoter, motivational speaker— along with his job as Vanderbilt’s football coach, Franklin was puzzled to see a lack of Star V ball caps in a LIDS hat store not 15 miles from campus. Turns out, the Commodores were represented but just in other parts of the store as LIDS spaces out their items via style, not team. Franklin and director of football operations Michael Hazel connected with marketing specialist Mary Ann Daniel-Kaszuba over in Vanderbilt’s licensing department. She contacted Daniel Phillips, a district sales manager for LIDS. Together, they worked to make sure all Vanderbilt hatwear was grouped together and highly noticeable when fans walk in. “We’ve altered our merchandise plan in Middle Tennessee to highlight Vanderbilt product,” Phillips said. “It was a (national plan) that was in motion but hadn’t been delivered yet to the field. Vanderbilt was the first move I made in the state of Tennessee.”
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DECEMBER 2013
Vanderbilt is no longer blending into the crowd. The Commodores stand out on shelves. “If you put a Star V on it,” Beth Cain said, “it is going to sell.” The numbers support Cain, who is in her second year as the manager of the Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt bookstore on the corner of West End and 25th avenues. During the 2012-13 fiscal year, gross royalties on Vanderbilt merchandise increased by 11 percent from the year before, according to data compiled by Collegiate Licensing Company. That was the second-highest increase among SEC institutions represented by CLC. In fact, in the six years of Vanderbilt and CLC’s partnership, Vanderbilt’s royalties have increased year-over-year each year—and doubled since 2007. Of the 160-plus schools CLC represents, Vanderbilt ranks 58th—up 10 spots in the past six years. “There for a while, people saw them as the smart school in the SEC,” said Matt McCauley, president and CEO of Franklin-based Logo Chair Inc. “They have done a good job of putting Vanderbilt more on the map and out
in front of people. Now they are a legitimate contender in a lot of sports. So that obviously helps our business.” In turn, it helps business at Vanderbilt and keeps Maggie Harris and Daniel-Kaszuba very busy. The duo represents the trademark licensing team at Vanderbilt. Harris has been the university’s director of trademark licensing since its inception in 2000. Their jobs encompass all things Vanderbilt licensing. If a Star V or the word Vanderbilt stretch across a shirt, hat, sweater, socks—you name it— Harris and Daniel-Kaszuba have signed off on it. “Our approval process helps to ensure the Vanderbilt brand is used appropriately,” DanielKaszuba said. Three categories of licensing agreements exist—standard (bigger companies such as Nike or Under Armour), local (smaller companies) and internal (campus suppliers). For any Vanderbilt merchandise bought at retail, the university receives a 10 percent royalty fee. “Universities rely heavily on royalties that are brought in to help fund university scholarships,”
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JOHN RUSSELL
Harris said. “We’re all having to take a look at the revenue we’re bringing in and find new opportunities to promote more collegiate product.” In the beginning, around the year 2000, Vanderbilt was just trying to get in Nashville stores. Just six years ago, according to Harris, Commodore hats and shirts weren’t in the Nashville airport. The Commodore Spirit Association was one program that was created to allow local retailers the opportunity to purchase small quantities of Vanderbilt product to sell in their stores. This program is no longer necessary because retailers are not committed to selling Vanderbilt products. Early on, one of the biggest complaints Harris, Daniel-Kaszuba and Steve Walsh, the school’s director of sales and marketing, kept hearing from fans was they couldn’t find Commodore gear through all the UT orange. Retailers want products they know will fly off shelves, and, in a sports crazed town, Vanderbilt is competing with the Titans, Predators and the University of Tennessee. “Shelf space is so limited, and retailers have to put in product they know is going to sell,” Harris said. “So when we’re winning ball games, and fans are coming in looking for the Vanderbilt product, they know it is going to sell.” Not too long ago, Harris, Daniel-Kaszuba and Steve Walsh, the school’s director of sales and marketing, made a push to make sure retailers on West End and close in proximity to campus was selling Vanderbilt gear. “All these things over the course of time have started to build on one another,” Walsh said. “Obviously the success in football helps. But it has just gradually grown and grown to the point where now we kind of have an anchor around campus. Now how do we get down to the Sam’s Club in Franklin? How do we get in? Let’s hunker down, let’s grab the area around campus, and how do we build out from there?” The growth is well underway. Inroads are being made with bigger stores such as Academy Sports, Alumni Hall, Dick’s Sporting Goods, LIDS, Sport Seasons and Cracker Barrel. In fact, the Star V can be found in 13 Cracker Barrel stores around the state now— more than double than before. “There is a stronger, more committed group of licensees for Vanderbilt than there was before July of 2007,” said Tyler Stinnett, director of partner services for CLC. “Overall, just the growing retail footprint. They are just in more doors than they were six, seven, eight years ago. “…We are continuing to grow Vanderbilt’s footprint at retail and trying to get Vanderbilt placed in more doors than they have been.”
According to Phillips, Vanderbilt is the No. 1 sales per percent school in LIDS stores in Middle Tennessee. Logo Chair’s McCauley credited the growth of Vanderbilt’s licensing program for helping with sales. Logo Chair carries 44 Vanderbilt product lines —almost quadruple their original inventory. “This increase is in part to each store selling more, but even more importantly getting to add new retailers,” McCauley said. “More stores carrying Vandy, more exposure, and that always translates to more sales. The licensing department has done a great job helping to get us more exposure at more retailers.” With the evolution of the licensing program, Vanderbilt has been more selective when choosing licensees. There are standards potential partners must meet: They must adhere to Vanderbilt’s code of conduct and be members of the Fair Labor Association. Companies must disclose manufacturing information to avoid any association with sweatshops. “That is something that the collegiate licensing industry has become very conscientious of in the last decade,” Daniel-Kaszuba said.
Companies also must present a marketing plan to show they are serious about promoting and selling Vanderbilt product. “We need a commitment from companies that want a license,” said Harris, a former president of the International Collegiate Licensing Association. “We work together with CLC to find the right partners for Vanderbilt.” Logo Chair fits the bill. Producing tailgate accessories such as tents, chairs, coolers and blankets, Logo Chair has been a Vanderbilt licensee for the past 11 years. Out of 380-plus schools Logo Chair has licensing agreements with, Commodore merchandise sales ranked 63rd in 2012 or just outside of the top 15 percent. “A big spike since James Franklin was hired,” McCauley said. “A lot of our business is driven by the tailgate business…Having a good football team always helps.” And having a proactive, interested, engaged head football coach doesn’t hurt. Franklin has been a huge supporter of selling the Star V and all things black and gold. In July, when Harris and Daniel-Kaszuba met with their CLC representative, Tyler Stinnett, and buyers from Cracker Barrel and LIDS, Franklin joined them.
“A big spike since James Franklin was hired. A lot of our business is driven by the tailgate business... Having a good football team always helps.” —Matt McCauley, Logo Chair president and CEO
C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N
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Joe Howell
Royalties on Vanderbilt merchandise increased by 11 percent during the 2012-13 fiscal year.
A Division I head football coach sat in a sales meeting for 90 minutes—just weeks before preseason camp. “That is a first,” said Stinnett, who has worked for CLC for more than eight years and represents several SEC and ACC schools. “It really showed me coach Franklin is aware of the brand,” Phillips said. “He understands the value of branding and the marketing of the brand. The fact that he took an hour and a half out of a day really spoke to that. He may not have all the answers but is wanting to learn and better understand other aspects of it.” The collaboration between merchandise sales and the athletics department has been seamless. Harris, Daniel-Kaszuba and Cain keep in constant contact with Walsh to promote the newest products during games and on the athletics’ website. Having a technologically savvy head football coach helps matters. Franklin often tweets about new items for sale and recently gave fans a heads up that the new shirts with “Chip” placed cleverly on the shoulder were in the bookstore. The football team collaborated with the bookstore last summer before the 2012 season to show off brand new uniforms. A well-publicized event drew more than 1,200 people. Fans cozied up and swarmed the first and second floors of the bookstore to catch a glimpse of Zac Stacy and Jordan Rodgers glide down the escalators in glossy all-black or all-white unis. “They were worried about the fire marshal shutting us down,” Cain said, laughing. “Off the
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charts. People are still talking about that (night).” Cain spent nearly 10 years at the University of Memphis and has worked for Barnes & Noble bookstores for the past 12 years. The Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt bookstore, which formed two years ago, has been the school’s biggest moneymaker. According to CLC, of wholesale sales from January to July 2013, 54.56 percent of total merchandise sales came through the bookstore. In fact, during that seven-month span, Vanderbilt ranked third
out of 86 Barnes & Noble bookstores at colleges across the country. By comparison, bookstores at the rest of the SEC schools accounted for just 14.7 percent of wholesale sales. Cain says general merchandise sales in the bookstore increased 11 percent compared to last year, which she called a great year. Children’s apparel accounts for seven percent of the bookstore’s total merchandise business. Fans can’t get enough of trinkets for their dogs. Cain has even had requests for pasta in the shape of a Star V. She even had Georgia and Missouri fans buying Vanderbilt gear—she made sure to sell black ponchos to Bulldog fans before their rain-soaked game against Vanderbilt in October. “We are more than just a bookstore, and that’s the message we want to get out there,” Cain said. “Our partnership with Maggie and Mary Ann could not be better. I want to be the No. 1 store. We want to beat everybody.” She is not alone. Those inside the licensing and athletics department are proud of the growth but not satisfied. They encourage fans to keep calling if they can’t find Vanderbilt in stores. Maybe the store is in process of purchasing more inventory. Or maybe that company just wasn’t a good fit for Vanderbilt. But speaking up, like Franklin did, alerts retailers Vanderbilt is in hot demand. “We know this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Harris said. “We know there is still so much more to do. We are never going to stop. We just want to make sure people know this is important to us and Vanderbilt. We will continue to do what we can to find more opportunities for Vanderbilt product.” n
Selling the Star V A look at the numbers inside Vanderbilt’s merchandise success
• Gross royalties generated during the 2012-13 fiscal year increased 11 percent • Second-highest increase in royalties among Southeastern Conference schools • Apparel represent 63 percent of Vanderbilt’s royalties (up 7 percent) • Vanderbilt’s top 35 licensees generated 75 percent of school’s total royalty revenue • General merchandise sales in Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt bookstore increased 11 percent • Children’s items accounted for seven percent of general merchandise sales at bookstore • Bookstore accounted for 54 percent of Vanderbilt’s wholesales sales from January-July 2013 • From January-July 2013, bookstore had third-highest sales of 86 Barnes & Noble college bookstores in the country
• Royalties for Vanderbilt have doubled since partnering with Collegiate Licensing Company in 2007
• Vanderbilt ranks 58th among Collegiate Licensing Company’s 160-plus colleges and universities—up 10 spots in the last six years * Information provided by Beth Cain at Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt and Tyler Stinnett of Collegiate Licensing Company
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‘Old soul’: Right-hander impresses on and off field by Jerome Boettcher
“In my eyes, I had enough trust in him. I trusted how he was going to act on the field. I never doubt him.”
—Tim Corbin, baseball coach
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JOHN RUSSELL
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wenty-six times. During the 2013 season, Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin called right-hander Carson Fulmer out of the bullpen 26 times. Only closer Brian Miller made more appearances. Fulmer was asked to perform in a variety of situations—middle relief, pick up a five-out save, wiggle out of a jam in the ninth. Fulmer even showed he could go the distance with more than 10 innings of scoreless ball in two NCAA Tournament games. In a Super Regional, he entered in the third and held Louisville to just two hits over the next 5.1 innings in Vanderbilt’s final game of the season — one day after a stretching band snapped off his foot and injured his eye. He never looked like a freshman during a season that garnered Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball. And Corbin never viewed Fulmer as a rookie. “I think he is an old soul,” Corbin said. “In my eyes, I had enough trust in him. I trusted how he was going to act on the field. I never doubt him. He is a very, very unusual kid. There is just not many like him.” Art Fulmer Sr. noticed unique characteristics about his son at a young age. He remembers watching tee-ball and while the rest of the 5-yearolds picked dandelions and played in the dirt, Carson stayed observant and focused. “I remember how serious he took it,” Art said. “Other little kids would be sitting around in the field and looking around. To Carson, it was a commitment. It was almost funny.” He fell in love with baseball when he picked his brother’s plastic wiffle bat and ball at the age of four. He earned a black belt in taekwondo before he turned 10—“I definitely got self-discipline,” he said. He impressed—and, according to Art, almost drove them crazy—his coaches and teachers with the constant ‘“Yes, sirs” and “No, sirs.” And when it came time to visit colleges, Carson decided to make most of the trips on his own without his parents in tow. “I’ve always been impressed with Carson and his maturity,” Art said. “Even when he was just a little tiny kid. He’s always been sort of a natural leader. I’m often amazed at Carson because I ask myself, ‘How did he become the person he is?’” The root of that growth can be linked to growing up as the youngest of five children—most of whom had left the house by the time Carson was born. Carson already has four nieces and nephews and looks up to his siblings, Kelly, 49, Art Jr., 36, Amy, 34, and Drew, 25. “They were really involved with me when I was growing up,” Carson, now 19, said. “They were parent figures, too. Growing up I would see some of things they would do, learn from some things and (they) just gave me some advice when I needed it.” Art Sr. is an accomplished attorney in Florida with more than 41 years of experience, including serving as the state’s assistant attorney general. The former CPA currently runs his own practice with Art Jr. in Lakeland, Fla.
Carson Fulmer pitched in 26 games (all out of the bullpen) as a freshman. The hardthrowing right-hander went 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA and four saves en route to Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball.
With a father with a busy career, Carson says his father and mother, Kandi, implemented discipline but weren’t “on him.” They allowed him to learn life’s lessons at his own pace. “What is special was that he really wasn’t pressuring me on anything I didn’t want to do,” Carson said. “He had me take things into my own hands, learn from my own mistakes.” And make his own decisions. He took a proactive approach to the recruiting process. He wrote letters, sent emails and put in the phone calls to college coaches if his fastball didn’t do enough to put him on their radar. “I knew I wanted to play baseball in college,” he said. “So I did whatever I needed to do in order to build relationships.” When Carson visited Vanderbilt before his junior year of high school, he did so alone. This struck Corbin as unusual. He asked Fulmer what effect his parents would have in his college decision. “He said they trust me to make the decision,” Corbin recalls. “After being around him for a full year I can see why. I would trust every decision that kid ever makes. You can go to bed soundly when you’re coaching a kid like Carson. He’s going to make great decisions. Premier pitcher with a premier mind.” n
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Joe Howell
As of early November, senior Jordan Matthews has set five Vanderbilt receiving records and is the Southeastern Conference’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,172. He is set to finish classes in December and graduate with his economics degree in May.
Parents taught Matthews’ well-rounded values by Jerome Boettcher
W
hile many highly touted recruits were scooting from one football camp to the next in an attempt to draw attention from top college coaches, Jordan Matthews spent most of his high school summers away from the football field. “You can blame some of it on the parents,” Brenda Matthews said. “We didn’t take him to camps until between his junior and senior year. So his exposure was limited.” But his experiences weren’t. Though Brenda believes she “handicapped” her youngest son in the recruiting process, she instead broadened his horizons. Jordan and his older brother Justin volunteered at the local library and hands-on science museum. They were busy with prior service obligations at Madison Academy, a Pre-K-12 college prep school just outside of Huntsville, Ala. The small Christian school offered immense service opportunities, including mission trips to Africa. “We tried to make sure they were rounded kids,” Brenda said. “They were involved in the arts. They were involved in academics, and they were involved in community activities. Just to make sure they had an understanding that it wasn’t all about just sports. Understanding there was a lot more.” Even as he continues to knock down record after record at Vanderbilt and in the SEC (as of press he owned five school records and collected more receiving yards than any player in league history), 21-year-old Jordan Matthews remains humble. The senior wide receiver deflects individual attention. He shows gratitude for his opportunities and doesn’t take them for granted. Four years ago, before his senior year of high school he went on an eyeopening two-week quest to Ghana. Along with more than 20 classmates from Madison Academy, Jordan joined his father, Rod, who had taken Justin the year before, in building a school for orphans.
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“We thought we were going over to bless those folks, but it was the inverse,” Rod said. “They ended up blessing us. To go over there and see people who take baths in the same water cows defecate in and drink that same water and then to have joy. All they want from you is a hug and a bible. That’s enlightening.” Rod remembers Jordan displaying hesitancy initially about the trip. He was worried he’d lose weight and miss out on time to train and attend football camps. But his attitude changed when he reached Ghana. There he met Catherine and Vida, two teenage orphans he connected with and continued to write letters to after the trip. He wears two rope necklaces the Madison Academy students made for the trip —“I never take them off,” he said— even when he suits up for games. “It made me appreciate more what I have here,” Jordan said of the entire trip. “Ever since I’ve taken that trip, I’ve made it a point to never complain. It doesn’t matter how hard camp gets, how hard school gets, it doesn’t touch on the things that those people go through and those kids go through at such a young age over there in a third-world country. Life is always good so you have to always act like that.” Jordan and Justin, separated by 18 months, rarely stayed idle. The brothers were involved in their school’s honor society. They served as ushers at their church. Jordan taught Sunday school classes. He participated in service projects through Madison Academy, including a day in which students were paired with children with special needs. “They didn’t get paid for one job they had. They did a lot of volunteer work. It just kept them busy and diversified,” Rod said. “I think that contributes to Jordan’s work ethic. He is used to being busy and not having down time. Some of the stuff they didn’t consider fun. But we told them one day they’d appreciate it. Now it looks like we may be blessed with it paying off.”
His early introduction to the arts has not been lost on Jordan either. In between practices and games, he also took piano lessons for four years and recalls performing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” at a talent show. “That’s the one that has always stuck with me,” he said smiling. But, of course, there were the sports. He played baseball, basketball, football and soccer. Rod had played basketball in high school, and Jordan can remember shooting hoops when he was two. He played on the same 2007 state championship basketball team at Madison Academy as his brother and former Belmont point guard Kerron Johnson. It wasn’t until sixth grade some of his classmates in physical education encouraged him to try out for football. “I probably had basketball dreams until my sophomore year of high school,” he said. “I got a letter from Southern Miss and that got me thinking about football. Then I got my first handwritten letter from (former coach Robbie) Caldwell here at Vanderbilt. Once I got that handwritten letter I was like, ‘OK, well, I feel like somebody is really watching me in football. There are people who think I can really do this.’ “Then I started focusing more on football.” Football came naturally for Jordan. Perhaps it is in his genes. His distant cousin, Jerry Rice, was a Hall of Famer and owns the NFL records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. Brenda’s grandmother and Rice’s grandmother were first cousins. Brenda and Rice were a year apart and attended school together in Mississippi. “Of course, looking up to guys like my cousin and watching NFL games — every kid wants to play in the NFL,” Jordan said. “But with me I always took it one step at a time.” Last January, that approach was challenged. After a record-setting 2012 season his draft stock had risen. Some pundits believed he might go as high as second in the NFL Draft in April. The temptation to leave school early and enter the draft was there. But Jordan comes from a family steeped in educational values. Rod’s father, Henrene, was the director of a Head Start program in racially segregated McComb, Miss. The small town played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. Protests and bomb threats were prevalent. The Ku Klux Klan descended on the town. Rod and his twin brother participated in some of the first desegregations of elementary schools in Mississippi. “It was something we had to endure,” Rod said. “It was something my father and mother thought was necessary for us to get the same advances as other kids.” Rod, a director of acquisitions management, and Brenda, a systems engineer, both attended Jackson State in Mississippi. Justin, 22, is on track to graduate in May—a week after Jordan—with honors and with his degree in mechanical engineering. So Brenda and Rod weighed the options with their son—finishing his career with many of the friends he came in with; helping his team continue to build something special; and, of course, at the top of mom’s list was earning that prestigious degree from Vanderbilt. “Honestly, (education) is the bridge,” Brenda said. “You can do a lot of things without an education. But the world is open to you with an education. You can do so much more with that piece of paper.” Jordan has cemented his legacy as the best receiver in Vanderbilt history, if not SEC history. But wrapping classes in December will be just as significant. Especially for those who raised him. “To be able to end that Vanderbilt career academically is probably going to be a really good moment, especially for my mom,” Jordan said. “She is real big academically, and she wanted me to come back and finish. So that will be a Christmas present I can give her. I think she will be really happy with that.” n
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Brenda and Rod Matthews raised Jordan and his older brother, Justin, to be well-rounded individuals through service projects, volunteering, mission trips and engaging them in multiple sports.
Rob Hammond Director Whitney Chapman (Vanderbilt ʻ71) Luke Durham Assoc. Director Program Director (Vanderbilt Parent) (Vanderbilt ʻ05)
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THE VU From Here Kindness by a complete stranger offered Don Barnett his first glimpse into Vanderbilt football. That was 64 years ago. Ever since, Barnett has oozed black and gold. “I can’t tell you how many friends we’ve made over the years out there,” said Barnett, now 70. The lifelong Commodore fan never went to college. But he lived in North Nashville, and his father often dropped him off near Dudley Field. Barnett would wander by Parmer Fieldhouse outside the north end zone. There he would watch the football team file in and out of the stadium on game day.
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least one game every year. Even when he was in the military, he still kept tabs on his Commodores. When his weekend shifts as a dispatcher at the Metro Nashville Police Department didn’t conflict, he headed over to Vanderbilt. In 1980, he purchased season tickets. Tagging along with him was his young son, Larry. The two have become fixtures at Vanderbilt stadium—and even pull up lawn chairs every now and then and take in practice on the weekdays. Two years ago, at the team’s end-of-theyear banquet, in coach James Franklin’s first season, Don and Larry, now 39, were voted by the team as the fans of the year. Their location in Vanderbilt Stadium has changed throughout the years. But the father-and-son’s enthusiasm and spirit haven’t wavered.
One day, though, one of the ushers working the gate saw the young Barnett standing alone and let him enter the stadium. He took in his first football game, and every game day through his high school years, Barnett was granted entry by the generous gatekeeper.
Currently, they find themselves in section K, row 10, seats 29-30 in the south end zone. And before every game as the team trots through the Dore Walk, senior kicker Carey Spear, currently their favorite player, stops by and greets them with a hug.
His passion only heated up from there. Once he got a job, he saved enough to go to at
“People ask me what’s my allegiance to Vanderbilt? Do I have a son at Vanderbilt?” he
DECEMBER 2013
said. “Right now I have 105 sons at Vanderbilt. We have such a love for that university and for those young men. We appreciate what the university stands for. We appreciate what the young men go through. We know what the academic standards are. Vanderbilt hasn’t always had the greatest talent in the world but they’ve always given 100 percent.” We Want Your Ticket Stories The ticket office has long been a place to hear some of the best examples of the love affair between Vanderbilt fans and their seats for Vanderbilt games. Whether you met your spouse in the student section, shared popcorn with your grandfather from the very top row of the endzone in Section L or truly believe that row 25 in your section was made for you and 24 other friends, we want to hear your point of VU (pronounced “view”) of Commodore Football. In 150 words or less, send in your stories to ticket.office@vanderbilt.edu. We will select some of our favorites to share with other Commodore fans. If your “VU From Here” story is selected, we will give you two tickets to a home game this season, in the hope that you will pay them forward to attract new fans to Vanderbilt Stadium. n
Coach’s Handbook: Men’s golf coach Scott Limbaugh Scott Limbaugh got his first head coaching job when he was 25 at his alma mater, Division III Huntingdon (Ala.) College, before spending five years as an assistant at perennial national power Alabama. Last season, his first year at Vanderbilt, the Commodores won a schoolrecord three tournament championships. When he’s not coaching, he is watching as much college football as possible and relaxing with his wife, Kate, a former point guard at Alabama, and his two young daughters, Malley (named after her grandfather), 2, and Annie, who turns 1 in January.
Outside of golf, my favorite thing to do is hang out with my wife and my two little girls. We’re kind of wall-to-wall with young girls right now. For a guy who grew up in a house full of boys, with two brothers and my dad is just a big child himself. All I ever grew up with was balls and gloves and bats and clubs. That is my favorite thing to do—go to the playground with my little girls, write with chalk with my oldest girl on our back deck. Whatever they want do is probably my favorite thing to do outside of coaching the team. I try my best to make my family feel like they are the most important thing in my life.
John Russell
How do you spend your free time?
Vanderbilt men’s golf coach Scott Limbaugh with his family before a Vanderbilt football game. From left: Kate, Annie, who turns 1 in January, and Malley, 2.
How different is it for you to raise two daughters after growing up in a household full of guys?
You spent your whole life in Alabama until 15 months ago. What pulled you away?
It is certainly awesome. I always wondered how I would handle it. I’m kind of a man’s man. But this is good for me to have daughters and probably softens me up a bit. It’s a real blessing to have two little girls. I truly enjoy being with them. The whole deal has always been are they going to be golfers or basketball players? Kate and I, we don’t even think about that. Whatever they want to do. If they want to play golf great. If they want to be a cheerleader that’s great, too. As a coach, I think you get to see a lot of different sides of things. And you just want whatever makes your children happy, not what makes you happy.
I got the opportunity to work with coach (Jay) Seawell at the University of Alabama for five years. I think Coach Seawell and I had such a special thing going there that the mindset for us was I was not going to leave the program for any other reason than to go to a school you could win a national championship. My thoughts about Vanderbilt? Everything was in place. You got a great city, the best academic institution in the Southeastern Conference. I felt like I could come there and give Vanderbilt golf a soul. Everybody here from (athletic director) David Williams, to Chancellor (Nick) Zeppos to everybody involved has done nothing but show me they’re committed to winning at the highest level here. That’s what we want to be about.
You’ve got a booming, outgoing personality and are very passionate about your job and this program. What contributes to that enthusiasm? I’m the middle of three, and they were both really good athletes and played college baseball at a high level. My dad was a little league baseball coach. I played basketball, football, baseball all the way through high school. I played golf, too, but golf wasn’t big then, so I walked on at a junior college (and was a part of two national championship teams at Central Alabama Community College). My dad always had a deal with us—as long as you’re playing sports you don’t have to have a job. But if you decide not to play, then we’re going to go work at Winn-Dixie or some grocery store. We’re going to go to work.
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Thing someone might not know about you? I’m a pretty good Ping-Pong player. We have a Ping-Pong table in our new golf house, and I currently hold the trophy—I’ve been beat a time or two by the guys on the team—but right now I’m holding my own as the king of the Ping-Pong palace at the new Vanderbilt golf house. I take pride in that. n
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Mission trips tap into kicker’s love of serving others Senior kicker’s good works honored with national award by Jerome Boettcher
service. Then he went to Mexico on a mission trip with fellow Vanderbilt students through Who U With Ministries. There he helped repair an orphanage and construct a home for a homeless 21-year-old, his 20-year-old wife and their 2-year old child. Spear returned to the states with a newfound purpose. “These mission trips opened my eyes to my purpose,” he said, “or what I feel is my purpose — to help this community or give back to whoever I can — to serve and understand that life is not about you. It is about helping other people. Once I grasped that it makes it so much fun. It is so fulfilling to build relationships with others.” Over the past three years, Spear has concerned himself with others’ needs. He mentors residents of Nashville’s Safe Harbor, a recovery project aiming to keep adult men free of drugs and alcohol. Spear and several Vanderbilt teammates are actively involved in community service projects through CrossPoint Church. He is one of numerous Commodore football players who visit Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt quite frequently to interact with the young patients. “They’ve been put in some positions that honestly deserve some love,” he said. “They need some encouragement, and that’s what we’re about. It is very humbling, and we’re very thankful we get to do this for these kids.” It was at the hospital in October when the senior was surprised with a big honor. After playing games with the youngsters, football players Johnny McCrary, Jahmel McIntosh, Walker May, Kyle Woestmann, Ryan Brockway and Andrew East joined Spear on stage as head coach James Franklin introduced them to the crowd. Then Franklin said there was a special honor for Spear and handed the microphone to Elaine Payne of Allstate. Payne surprised Spear by presenting him with the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team award. Spear was named to the national service team a month earlier. He was one of just 22 football players in the country to be honored—
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John Russell
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efore his freshman year of college, place kicker Carey Spear admitted he wasn’t too involved in community
Patients at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt congratulate Vanderbilt senior Carey Spear for being named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
and the only representative from the SEC. “You guys are what it is all about—this is why we do it,” Spear told the young children and their families. “We just go out every day and use the blessings we get and try to give back each and every day. It is very humbling to be recognized…I really do appreciate this. Thank you guys so much. This is something I definitely value and won’t overlook.” Before the season, his teammates voted him as a team captain for the third straight year — a first at Vanderbilt. The 21-year-old also was named to the watchlist for the Lou Groza Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top kicker. He owns three school records: single-season field goals (20); single-season points scored by a placekicker (87); and most field goals of 50 yards or more (four). He hopes to make an NFL roster next summer. Either way, Spear plans to implement stewardship into his daily routine for the rest of his life. The Mayfield Village, Ohio, native is eying backup plans, such as working with Teach for America. “(I want to give) back to those kids who don’t have the same opportunities we have,” Spear
said. “Then whatever it takes (after football). I trust in God that I will be OK. We have been given so many blessings.” Spear, who graduates in May with a degree in human and organizational development, also wants to make return mission trips. “I built relationships there in one week that I know are going to last a lifetime,” Spear said of the mission trips. “You always try to surround yourself with people that fill you up, build your perspective to share their stories. You learn from them.” After Mexico, he ventured on the annual service trip with several other studentathletes to Haiti. There he played soccer with orphans in the impoverished country still reeling from a massive earthquake in 2010. This past spring, he went to Peru and helped build a kindergarten classroom that would meet government regulations. “He saw folks (in Mexico) that had a whole lot less than we do and yet they had a joy and happiness despite what they didn’t have,” said Lance Brown, founder of Who U With Ministries. “It just spoke to him. He has been compelled since then to try to serve. He has a heart to serve other people.” n
It’s My Turn By Rod Williamson
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eamwork and togetherness are essential attributes of every successful group. Or, with a lack thereof, a description of why they fell short. It’s not complicated. American heroes since the Revolutionary War have famously said “United we stand, divided we fall.” The stakes are a tad higher in war than in today’s athletics, but the truism exists. Teamwork is essential, and the rationale is trite. Teammates must be willing to pass the ball to the right person at the right time. Someone must block for another to advance. A good teammate encourages others and selflessly deflects the credit. These seemingly simple actions produce winning teams. Teamwork and togetherness are just as important in our daily lives, but they can be as elusive off the playing field as they are inside the locker room. Successful athletic programs have a unity of purpose—alumni, the campus community, friends and donors, administration and so forth. Often it takes a charismatic leader to unite this complicated orchestra, as was the case when Lou Holtz was praised for “turning around” struggling programs at Minnesota and Notre Dame. “It wasn’t me,” the famous ex-coach would say, “I just got everyone pulling in the same direction.” During my three decades at Vanderbilt, there have been many instances in which togetherness has been the silent but potent force determining success and failure. We have had teams that lacked star power but worked hard as a unit and bought into common goals. They almost always were labeled “overachievers” by the public, as though God-given physical talents are the only important criteria in the equation of victory. Wrong! We have had teams with star power that fell short because someone was worried about who was scoring the most points, getting the most publicity, was in the starting lineup versus playing a key reserve role and so on. On these teams, those destructive attitudes are internal cancers, not always apparent to the outside eye. Petty rifts among fan bases, donor groups or administrative offices can also sabotage audacious goals. Congress isn’t the only institution that requires cooperation to run smoothly. In this writer’s view, one of the leading reasons for our improved, across-the-board success has been that our stars are aligned. It is not the intention of this column to identify the heroines and heroes but rather to simply make the point. This is not to suggest we should avoid honest differences of opinion. Any quality organization has an internal, robust dialogue. The good ones air their ideas and opinions through proper channels—the team locker room, the board room or a phone call—and then resolve those differences in a constructive manner. The bad ones set themselves ablaze in public and then wonder why things didn’t work out. As we enter the holiday season, let’s take a moment to reflect on the many positives in our Commodore Nation and resolve for the New Year that we continue working together on our pathway to excellence. It is amazing to realize what can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit. n
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My Game
Heather Bowe
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eather Bowe is a forward from Eau Claire, Wis. was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team last year. She came to Vanderbilt after a decorated high school career in which she was named a Parade All-American and set school and city scoring records. The 6-foot sophomore also received scholarship offers to play Division I volleyball. When she isn’t playing basketball, she loves the outdoors and all things pink. Commodore Nation: How are you a girlie girl?
Heather Bowe: I’m girlie but outdoorsy at the same time. Last year I came in, and I was all pink everything. That’s different. I had the pink shoes, the pink water bottle, the pink folders, the pink bedspread. CN: Did you get teased? Bowe: Yes. A lot—by all teammates. And I get teased about my accent all the time. They say I have a really Northern accent. Between the pink, the girlie and the accent, that was like everything all my teammates picked on. Jaz (Jasmine Lister), JJ (Jasmine Jenkins), (Christina) Foggie, TT (Rayte’a Long), they all let me have it. CN: How often does your last name (pronounced BO-VEE) get mispronounced? Bowe: All the time. From boo-yah to bow, I just nod my head and go, ‘Yep, that’s me.’ CN: What is the origin? Bowe: Bohemian. German Bohemian. From my dad’s side of the family. CN: What was it like growing up in Wisconsin? Bowe: It’s great up there, first of all. Everyone always is like, ‘WisCAN-sin’ and think I’m in a whole different country. It is so great. In the winters I go snowmobiling, fishing. I love downhill skiing. I stopped downhill skiing for basketball because I didn’t want to get hurt. We don’t have beaches. Lakes are our big things in Wisconsin. It is beautiful there just hanging out with friends and family, camping. It is definitely colder in the winter. A lot colder there than here. Here I didn’t even need a winter jacket last year. CN: Bowe committed to play at the University of Wisconsin before her sophomore year of high school. But amidst a coaching change her scholarship offer was redrawn. Bowe: I was fortunate enough to land at Vandy. I’m so thankful for whatever happened. Coach always said everything happens for a reason. Coach Kim (Rosamond) was telling me on the phone that sometimes bad things happen so good things can fall into place. I’m a firm believer in that. I love it. This is definitely where I belong.
Bowe: It was definitely an adjustment my freshman year. I’m 13 hours away from home, starting in a whole new environment and people I had never known. I really lucked out coming here. A great group of people. I love my teammates. I love my coaches, and I couldn’t ask for anything better. n
24
DECEMBER 2013
John Russell
CN: Was your freshman year an adjustment?
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