"Scholarship Back but No Guarantee"

"I am renewing your scholarship for next year, but this is no guarantee that you will make the team." These were the words of Ken Dugan, my college baseball coach at David Lipscomb College, now Lipscomb University. They were said to me at a brief meeting in late summer of 1969 as I was going home to Tyler, Texas, for a break before the beginning of my junior year. 

So let me take you back a little earlier. My sophomore year as a pitcher on the college baseball team had been a frustrating one. Late in the season I even approached Coach Dugan about the possibility of playing another position next year. But when all was said and done, I, along with several other players, lost my athletic scholarship at the end of that season, at least for a time.

When that occurred, I was at a crossroads. What should I do? It was bewildering. I could move back home to Texas. Even my high school girlfriend, who meant a great deal to me, was wanting me to come home. Or I could stay in Nashville to work and play summer baseball in hopes of getting my scholarship back. I discussed this possibility with Coach Dugan. He indicated that, if I chose to stay and play, he would watch me during the summer. Incidentally he was helping to coach one of the teams in the same league in which I was participating. So I decided to stay in Nashville.

 I was fortunate to play outfield for a summer team in the Tri-State semi-pro league. The league consisted of current/former college players along with former professional players. My coach was Wayne Hiter, a wonderful man. Coach Hiter put me in the outfield and let me play. NAUTALINE, a houseboat building company, sponsored our team. We had a good season and I was the leading hitter with a .318 batting average. I lived in an apartment on Gale Lane and worked at TEMPCO  Company, located on Charlotte Avenue.

After that, when the season was over in August, was when I had a few weeks to go home before the fall term started. Coach Dugan had watched me play that summer, in fact, I had a walk off hit against his team one night resulting in a big win for our team. He decided to give me a chance to make the 1970 team, thus the statement:  "I am renewing your scholarship for next year, but this is no guarantee that you will make the team." His words of motivation still ring in my ears to this very day. 

His admonition would serve as a platform for my future athletic performance the next two years. Two players already had their eyes on the only starting outfield position open for the upcoming season. Both had successful seasons the previous year playing other positions. With the only one outfield position open for competition, my challenge was great. 

Making that 650-mile journey home for the brief break before my junior year, the thoughts of what Coach Dugan said were constantly before me. Could I make the team again? "No guarantee" were his words and they continued to play like a broken record in my mind. 

It was at this time that I made a definite, determined decision. I was going to be the hardest working member of the team, period.  While home for those few weeks  I worked part-time with Mitchell Mobil Oil Company. During my days off and after work I continued to workout--swinging the bat, running ,throwing, and lifting weights. I carried these personal work-out practices with me as I returned to Nashville. Nobody was going to outwork me. No excuses. If I failed, then I will fail giving it my best shot. Tired of blaming others for my lack of performance, I became focused. It was time for me to grow up and quit feeling sorry for myself.

The fall term began and with it fall baseball. I was constantly working on my swing. It is important to remember that I never hit .300 or above in high school because I  was primarily a pitcher. I had a lot of improvement to make. I even spent countless hours swinging my bat at night before the reflective glass doors on the first floor of High Rise Dorm. 

I had a good fall and, yes, I did it. I achieved my goal-- the position as the third outfielder was mine after fall practice and I was determined and confident that I would keep it.

During the fall, I experienced a near career-ending incident that still makes me feel vulnerable. We were playing in a fall game with Vanderbilt University and their pitcher was Doug Wessell, a flame-throwing right hander with a wicked curve ball. He was a freshmen at the time and his control was suspect. He had worked a full count of 3 balls and 2 strikes on me. I decided to prepare for the curve ball by opening up my stance and shortening my swing. He proceeded to throw a fastball that traveled up and in. I was able to quickly turn my head just in time. The ball came so close to my chin that the seams cut my skin. I was bleeding when I walked to first base.

It had scared me beyond words, but Coach Dugan's only reaction was to scold me for throwing my bat down. Doug continued to be wild, walking players, and wouldn't you know--I would find myself at the plate facing him once again with the same count as before--3 and 2. Needless to say, I was afraid!

 But I decided to aggressively approach the batter's box. Again, I choked up on the bat and opened my stance in preparation for the curve ball. This time that's what he threw. I lined a single to right center. That moment was pivotal for me. I knew that I could play and was not going to let anyone take my position from me. I now believed in myself. 

An interesting part of this story is that I faced Doug Wessell again in a regular season game with Vanderbilt and hit a homerun. Wessell had an outstanding career at Vandy and played three years in professional baseball, rising to the AA level. 

Coach Dugan's words continued to echo in my mind--scholarship back but no guarantee. I had very good junior and senior years. I was selected one of the captains on the 1971 team which finished National Runner-up in the NAIA College World Series, played in Phoenix, Arizona. We had a record of 44 wins and 15 loses.

Leaders understand this concept--keep the focus and quit making excuses. Upon reflection, sometimes I wonder what would have been the results if Coach Dugan had been very complimentary about my summer performance and had not challenged me. Or what would have happened if my jaw had been broken by the pitch from Wessell...or if I had not gotten back in the batter's box...what if I hadn't gotten that hit after being cut on the chin...?

 "Scholarship back but no guarantee" is still a monumental statement securely lodged in my memory. Coach Dugan was what I needed at the time. He challenged me to grow up. He told me the truth and for that I am thankful. He made me responsible for how much I would play. He is one of the five people who have strongly shaped my philosophy of leadership and life. Effective leaders will lose from time to time. But when they get knocked down, they get back up. He was a great leader of young men. Ken Dugan embodied what he challenged me to become.   

Remember, I believe we are all leaders regardless of our position.