Hall of Famers share advice with athletes

In his second year as head football coach at the University of Idaho, Chris Tormey recalled the time he recruited Antonio Wilson, a wide receiver from West Los Angeles College.

“It was critical that we had a guy that could come in for spring football, because we had a new quarterback, Ryan Fien, a transfer from UCLA, and we were looking for a big outside receiver that could come in and make an impact,” Tormey recalled. “I told Antonio, the most important issue was, we liked him on tape as a player, was that he could show he could get out of junior college and graduate at mid-year, so he could be eligible to play for us in the spring.”

Tormey traveled to southern California, and met Wilson outside the coaches office at West Los Angeles College.

“There he was, sitting on a bench outside the coaches office, with a tie on, a collared shirt, and five index cards,” Tormey recalled. “And those index cards had his progress from each one of his classes and a lettered grade, signed by his teacher and/or his adviser. That was one of the most impressive things I’d seen. I said ‘Antonio, man, this is impressive. What made you do this?’”

“He said, ‘Coach, I’ve always had a goal to play Division I football, and this is my goal. A goal is a dream with a deadline, and this is it.’

“A goal is a dream with a deadline,” Tormey thought. “And that has stayed with me ever since.”

“(Wilson) went on and led the Big West Conference in receiving two years in a row, and was a tremendous player for us,” said Tormey, the Gonzaga Prep product who played at Idaho from 1973-77, and was head coach at Idaho from 1995-99. “But the reason he was a tremendous player was he had a clear picture; he knew what he wanted. He decided ahead of time, what he wanted his life to look life, and he did a great job realizing his goals.”

Tormey, Nancy Monroe and Steve Hudson, all inducted into the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday night, gave advice to the hundreds of high school athletes assembled at the North Idaho Sports Banquet at The Coeur d’Alene Resort. So did Mack Strong, the former Seattle Seahawk fullback, and featured speaker.

MONROE, THE former Nancy Westermeyer, was a star swimmer at Idaho, a four-time qualifier for the AIAW national swimming championships from 1972-75.

She was the first woman to earn an athletic scholarship from the U of I ... worth a whopping $175.

But there was a catch. She had to play another sport.

So she joined the Vandal volleyball team, and helped the squad to a 22-6 record in its inaugural season.

Her advice?

“Always be your very best,” she told the athletes. “I’ve been a janitor, a lifeguard, a teacher, a coach, but I always did my best. No matter what my role or my job was, I strived to be the best at it.

“Set goals. They may modify or change. That’s not failure; that’s smart.

“Don’t let anyone define or limit you. It will all work out. My daughter says, ‘YOLO’ — you only live once.

“Make it count, and use your time wisely. Be able to look back and be proud of what you’ve done.

“Work hard. Nothing is out of reach for anyone in this room.

“Listen. Listen to the people that care about you the most — your family, and your loved ones.

HUDSON, WHO got his start in officiating as an 18-year-old, reffing men’s league basketball games in Coeur d’Alene, eventually became a high school official, reffing state championship games in football and basketball.

For the last two decades, he’s been a college football official — first in the Big Sky Conference, then the Pac-10, which became the Pac-12.

Among his highlights were working a Rose Bowl and a College Football Playoff national championship game.

After listening to words of wisdom from Tormey and Monroe, Hudson joked, “If you can’t inspire, you officiate.”

“I’ve been extremely lucky,” he told the athletes. “I’ve had many people that have helped me get to where I’m at. ... hopefully 30 or 40 years down the road, you’ll say, ‘I worked hard, but a lot of people helped me get there.’

“Thank those people, because that’s what got you there.”

STRONG ENCOURAGED the athletes to “W.I.N.” — work hard, invest in relationships, and have a ‘never-quit’ attitude.

He said growing up in the south, he was primarily a soccer player — football was something else that he did.

Until sometime in high school, when he was thinking about quitting football. He didn’t like getting hit — which seemed ironic, since he eventually became a star fullback, where the job entailed hitting and/or getting hit on every play.

A coach convinced him if he worked at it, he could earn a college scholarship in football, and his parents wouldn’t have to pay for his education.

That inspired Strong, who worked at it, went on to play at Georgia, and then had a successful career in the NFL.

He said had he quit, he would have never accomplished what he did in Seattle, never met his wife, never had the family he now enjoys.

“The ripple effect of quitting would have been astronomical,” Strong said.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.