Unsung heroes

This is the first of a two part series on the coaching profession in collegiate athletics. The second segment will be printed in Monday's issue of The Spectrum.

Some of the most influential people in sports never suit up for a game. Coaches spend their time sharing the knowledge that they have acquired over the years with young athletes.

One reason men's basketball head coach Reggie Witherspoon became interested in coaching was because he did not have an opportunity to teach any younger siblings.

"I am the youngest of four boys," Witherspoon said. "I had older brothers but never had a younger brother that I could mentor to.

Witherspoon served as an assistant at Sweet Home High School for eight years before being promoted to head coach. After five more seasons, he accepted a position as the head coach at Erie Community College in 1997. Witherspoon was named the interim head coach at Buffalo to end the 1999-2000 season and was officially named head coach on March, 10, 2000.

"I got a great deal of mentoring from my older brothers," Witherspoon said. "I always wanted to have that impact on someone else."

Women's tennis head coach Kathy Twist had a coaching opportunity fall into her lap in 1994. The women's tennis head coach at the time, Joe Davis, came to her door and said he needed an assistant. Twist, who knew she loved teaching, wanted to give it a try.

"I think it's a wonderful way to give of yourself," Twist said. "Everybody has to find their own niche where they can share who they are and help others become who they want to be. I think I was born a teacher."

When Davis left shortly later, Twist became the new head coach of the team in 1996. She enjoys it very much, saying that it was similar to teaching. Twist is also a professor at the university.

At the college level, students are working towards their future and coaches enjoy being able to help them find that path.

"The ages between 18-21, you're away from your parents and trying to figure out who you are," Twist said. "You can help young adults develop into the person that they would love to be."

Women's basketball head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald began her career as a head coach in 1980 at Temple University. She moved from there to become the head coach of the University of Minnesota in 1990. During the first three seasons of the WNBA from 1997-1999, Hill-MacDonald was the head coach of the Cleveland Rockers.

Hill-MacDonald served as an assistant at the University of South Carolina and the Washington Mystics before she came to Buffalo as the head coach in 2005. In 27 years of teaching, numerous student and professional athletes have become a major part of her life.

"The relationships that you have with others in the profession are all tremendous," Hill-MacDonald said, "the relationships that you build with all of them and their families."

An important part of coaching is molding players into successful adults. One of the great joys in coaching is when former athletes come back for a visit, according to Witherspoon.

"The absolute best part of coaching is when they come back and say, 'Hello,'" Witherspoon said. "They stop in and tell you how they are doing. You get to see how they've grown."

Job security can be a big concern for coaches and at the college level it is not uncommon to make coaching changes when the team struggles. While graduating players and helping them grow as people is important, coaches are ultimately evaluated based on their winning percentage.

"There are a lot of demands and a lot of pressures to be successful," Hill-MacDonald said. "People measure success by winning and losing. You know that your longevity in your position is dependant upon that. That pressure can be really intense at times."

An issue that affects some coaches when deciding to take new job is the impact moving will have on their families. Hill-MacDonald, who has accepted coaching positions throughout the country, felt that it was just part of the job.

"I was brought up in a military family so as a child there was moving involved," Hill-MacDonald said. "It probably impacts me less than it does other people. I don't enjoy moving at all, but I think coaches look at the opportunity and you go where the opportunity is."

Even without moving around the country, families are still affected by the travel involved for road games.

"You miss your family," Witherspoon said. "They grow up faster than you can keep up with. You will miss some of the family things that occur."

Despite the stress and pressure that comes along with coaching, the impact a coach can make on a young person's life makes all the hard work worth it.

"Coaching is a tremendous profession," Hill-MacDonald said. "There are a lot of benefits of being a coach. I think I'm one of the luckiest people in the world to have this job, to be able to do what I do every day, to come to work and teach a game that I love."