Wednesday, October 23, 2019 | General, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After winning the University of Florida's second football national championship, Urban Meyer sought and was granted an audience with an expert in the field of what it takes to repeat a championship season. The Gators' coach flew to Boston and met with Bill Belichick, who at the time had a mere three of his six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots. The conversation was lengthy and touched on all kinds of topics.
At one point, Meyer asked how Belichick policed the locker room. The answer went something like this.
"I don't deal with that," he said. "Brady does." Athletic Director Scott Stricklin
When UF athletic director emeritus Jeremy Foley repeated this anecdote, doubtful any of the student-athletes in the Hawkins Center Conference room that night had difficulty visualizing quarterback Tom Brady, now 42 years old and arguably the most accomplished player in team sports this century, managing his teammates behind closed doors.
But what about those individuals doing the same with their UF teammates?
It's called the "Gators Leadership Experience" and its the first-year pilot program and brainchild of Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin. Once a month, athletes from each of the UF's 19 teams convene, listen to a guest speaker discuss a leadership topic, then break into small groups — led by University Athletic Association administrators — to flesh out the topic, then cap the session by sharing their thoughts and findings with the rest of the room.
The GLE debuted in September, with Foley teeing up the first installment, and will meet regularly through the 2019-20 academic year, with a goal of not only furthering the development of leaders during the current athletic seasons, but providing the instruments and knowledge to groom future leaders, as well.
"It's important that we make sure we have young people who have the tools and the confidence to lead," Stricklin said. "The really good teams, the best teams, have leadership that comes from within, and I believe those leadership traits and characteristics are things you carry with you throughout your life. I think athletics teaches that. If there's an opportunity for us to enhance that for these people we have to pursue every opportunity."
Or create one.
Freshman women's basketball player Lavender Briggs listens to UF athletic director Scott Stricklin during the discussion portion of a Gator Leadership Experience meeting.
Since arriving at UF in the fall of 2016, Stricklin has met with his coaches in the run-up to their seasons to get a preview of what might lie ahead. Strengths and weaknesses are broached, of course, but invariably a question about leadership comes up. Oftentimes the answer has been something along the lines of, "We'll see."
"I just think from a generational standpoint leadership means you're standing out, whereas this generation wants to fit in," UF soccer coach Becky Burleigh said. "I don't think kids are any less driven or hard-working, and I don't buy into the stereotypes about this [millennial] generation. I just think, maybe, they need some guidance."
On that front, Stricklin huddled with his administrators, specifically Hawkins Center senior associate AD Jeff Guin, and began formulating a plan. They wanted to do something that did a deeper dive into the concepts of leadership; something more than just distributing John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success."
Hands-on, rather than handouts.
Stricklin and his lieutenants landed on the idea of putting alpha male and females — as determined by their coaches — together in one room to hear leadership lessons from experts in the field and talk about their take-away from it all. The first session convened Sept. 17.
It was an eclectic mix from across the Gators sports spectrum: Austin Langworthy (baseball), Kiki Smith (women's basketball), Tori Bindi (women's swimming), Kingsley Eguakun (football), Hannah Adams (softball), Payton Richards (gymnastics), Fred Biondi (men's golf), Timetria Mitchell (women's track), to name a few. All classes, freshmen to seniors, were represented.
"I was kind of surprised they picked me to come," redshirt freshman quarterback Emory Jones. "I mean, I'm not even a starter."
Maybe not, but Dan Mullen obviously saw something in Jones that warranted him being there; just like Mullen's colleagues saw in their individual choices.
"I went there wondering if it was going to be one of those cliche things, like, 'Hey, you guys are leaders! Congratulations!' It wasn't," redshirt junior soccer standout Parker Roberts said. "It was cool."
AD emeritus Jeremy Foley listens in as junior Kelly Fertel, of the women's swim team, weighs in on a GLE breakout discussion led by Hawkins Center senior associate AD Jeff Guin (right).
Stricklin started with opening remarks, ramming home the point that the student-athletes in the room were there for a reason; because their coaches believed this was an endeavor that would benefit their personal growth, their team, and the overall athletic program in the long run.
The first featured speaker was Foley, backed by his 25-year AD career that included 130 Southeastern Conference championships, another 27 national titles and zero teams placed on NCAA probation. He provided an overview of what they would hear and learn over the next six months.
"Leadership comes in different shapes, forms and fashions, so you have to figure out what leader you want to be," Foley told the group. "But there are things, I believe, a leader has to have to be effective. You have all been around leaders. You know what works and what doesn't."
With that, Foley tossed out a series of bullet points focusing on his required leadership traits. First and foremost, it's hard. It takes getting out of comfort zones and dealing with conflict. Leaders, he said, had to walk the walk. Foley recalled attending a lecture by Gen. Colin Powell, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "They're not always listening, but they're always watching," Powell said. In other words, leaders must always be "on."
Foley spoke of trust and authenticity. Of the importance of listening to others. And accountability. He was candid and even admitted to making mistakes along the way that he regretted to this day.
Leaders do that, too.
The bulk of the student-athletes in attendance were still in high school when Foley, one of the most respected collegiate administrators of his generation, retired in 2016. Some, frankly, did not know much about him.
"But everyone understood once he was up there," sophomore basketball star Noah Locke said. "He was strong with his presence, strong with his words and commanded the room."
Lynda Tealer, UF's executive associate AD for administration, leads a GLE meeting.
Afterward, they broke into groups and talked about Foley's message, with UAA administrators — Stricklin, Guin, Lynda Tealer, Jay Jacobs, among them — monitoring the table discussions, which eventually were shared with all the groups.
Basketball players heard what swimmers dealt with. Baseball players listened to lacrosse players.
"I had another swimmer in our group, so we kind of piggy-backed off each other, in talking to a golfer and a football player," said Kieran Smith, a sophomore on the men's swim team, with its seven consecutive SEC titles. "They seemed to think, 'If it works for them, maybe we can give it a go.' It was like the gears were turning in their heads and that this could be helpful for everybody."
Added Guin: "The sports may be different, but leadership is leadership. To have these kids get a chance to share some of their stories, share ideas and thoughts with each other across sports is going to benefit everyone."
Softball coach Tim Walton got a text from his senior shortstop, Sophia Reynoso, after that first meeting.
That was awesome!
"I think this is elite level stuff," Walton said. "The difference between being a good program and being a great program is your leadership."
That's exactly the objective.
This time next year, representatives of the 2019-20 GLE class will help groom the '20-21 class as a pseudo-Board of Directors that will pick the monthly speakers and help build the program's curriculum. And so on. Translated, they'll provided a blueprint by leading the next wave of leaders.
"In every program, we're growing leaders and demonstrating the kind of leadership that these young people will use now, but also take with them for the rest of their lives," volleyball coach Mary Wise said. "To have it embraced at the very top of the administration sends a really strong message to the coaches."
To the future of Florida sports (and beyond), as well.
