PAGE 4 — THE DECREE — FEBRUARY 24,1989
Wesleyan emerges as sports power
By DAVID PAYNE
In 1965, Wesleyan’s baseball
team had a record of 1-10, the
basketball team was 3-9, and the
soccer team was 2-2-2. Today,
Wesleyan’s baseball team is
picked number one in a presea
son poll, the basketball team is
number two in the south, and the
soccer team is a major power in
country. In just 24 years, North
Carolina Wesleyan College has
gone from a terrible school in
sports to a perennial national
contender in almost every sport
How, and why, did this happen?
Coach Don Scalf, who was
Athletic Direct(X from 1972 to
1977, says that the major reason
(Continued from Page 1)
tion,” he added.
Thomas and Howard, a distri
bution wholesale company in
Rocky Mount, donated a case of
paper cups, and coffee for 500
people.
Merita Bakery in Rocky
Mount donated 40 loaves of
bread, and Red and White, a gro
cery store in Dortches, donated
24 gallons of milk and 20 loaves
of bread.
“Marriott Food Systems spent
about $1,000 on food and
drinks,” Joyce Bobbitt, food
service manager said. “We fed
about 500 people at night and
500 people in the morning,” she
said. “In turn, we hope to receive
some money from Red Cross
donations.”
Bobbitt says, “These students
do not know how much they
impress me. Without their help,
we would have gotten nowhere.”
Sixty students helped provide
services for the people. Some of
the volunteers that worked
throughout the entire night were
Jo Beasley, Julie Koenecke, Jill
Skiles, Eric Schreiber, Jewel
Beaman, Stephanie Dennis,
Tammy Waters, Lorena Segura,
and Barbara Thornton.
As more and more people
started coming to Wesleyan,
Everett gym was available for the
people at 9:30 p.m., after the
men’s basketball victory against
Newport News.
At 10 p.m., cots and mats
were set up by the Red Cross in
we are so successful is the fact
that Wesleyan switched to full
time coaches. “In 1977, John
McCarthy became the schools
first full-time athletic director
and coach.” Although the records
did not change a great deal — the
basketball team coached by
McCarthy finished 4-19 — a new
generation had been ushered in.
The following year, McCarthy
hired Rick Helms to coach soccer
and Tony Guzzo to coach base
ball. Guzzo began to win games
immediately and the school's
reputation began to grow. “As
soon as we hired those three
coaches, the attitude towards
sports began to change here,”
states Scalf. Several coaches left.
the gym after athletic director
Mike Fox and ten of his baseball
players covered the floor with a
blue tarp.
“The people are spending the
night at Wesleyan because we
are anticipating worse road con
ditions,” senior Julie Koenecke
said.
“I really appreciate the service
that the people at North Carolina
Wesleyan College and the Red
Cross is providing,” a young
woman from Tampa, FI. said.
“I just think it’s wonderful
that food and drinks are avail
able. They even opened the col
lege bookstore so people can buy
souvenirs,” she said.
1-95 and 64 were opened at 6
a.m. on Jan. 19. The first people
left Wesleyan at 6 a.m., and the
last people left at around 11 a.m.
(Continued from Page 1)
Ray Kirkland, Dr. Joe Marron,
Corbitt Rushing, LaRue Elliott,
Kathy Smith, Belinda Faulkner,
Virgie Mwehart, Kim Sparks,
Frances Harrison, Dale Stevens,
Suzanne Payne, Ginny Wooten,
Pam Gourley, Tim Meeks, Ter
esa Harris, Tracy Sutton, Jane
Batts, Pam Derrick, Rachel Dor-
magen and Don Scalf. Student
tips for service were $123.10, to
be part of the college’s donation.
Sixteen students in Dr. Mary
Lou Steed’s social science meth
odology class designed a survey
including McCarthy, but their
positive influence on the school
remained.
Soon after, Mike Fox became
the athletic director of the school,
and a new coaching staff came in
with him. Bill Chambers became
the new basketball coach and
Tony Ferrell became the new
soccer coach. During Fox’s era,
Wesleyan has risen to new
heights. The baseball team fin
ished third in the nation in 1983,
the basketball team finished
eighth in the country in 1986, but
the soccer team struggled to win
games. Today, however, all three
teams are national powers.
Coach Fox says, “Full-time
coaches are the biggest reason
Wesleyan became so successful
so fast”
But why did the school decide
to switch to full-time coaches in
the first place? Scalf believes that
the school had a “philosophy
change.” He added, “The school
began to offer a physical educa
tion major and teachers had to be
found to teach the classes.” So
Scalf, Bauer, and Edge quit
coaching and became full-time
teachers. Scalf also said that the
school could gain a “good repu
tation through sports.” Fox
agrees, saying that good sports
teams were a “needed way to at
tract attention to the school and
to get students on campus.” In
1975, the school almost closed
down because of lack of students.
By gaining a reputation in sports,
the school could fill the dorms.
The athletic department
seems to be discriminating
against the women’s teams here
on campus. Womens basketball
has a full-time coach in Laura
Ferrell and a soccer coach in
to be used by the United Way to
identify and prioritize commu
nity needs. The survey will be
distributed to members of the
business and service communi
ties in Nash and Edgecombe
counties in January.
Wesleyan’s “loaned execu
tive” for the United Way effort in
the area was Dale Stevens, direc-
tOT of the Rocky Mount campus
Adult Degree Program. She as
sisted in the coordination, the
communication and the “leg-
work” which is involved in the
campaign. Stevens served as the
liason between the United Way
Rusty Scarborough. But the soft
ball team and volleyball team
have the same coach, Jetanna
McClain. Traditionally, the
women’s teams at Wesleyan
have not been as successful as the
men’s teams. Is it because of the
lack of full-time coaches or is it
something else? If the school
wants to be fully rounded in
sports, it would only make sense
to hire full-time coaches for all
sports.
In contrast to Wesleyan,
Methodist College has just two
full-time coaches. Methodist
might not be on the same national
level as Wesleyan, but they are no
slouches. So, are full-time
coaches necessary to produce
winners? It does not appear that
this is always the case.
Another angle of Wesleyan’s
success is the aspect of the price
for success. We are a national
agency in Rocky Mount and Tar
River Cable, Belk Stores, Abbott
Laboratories, Tar River Commu
nications and Wesleyan.
At the conclusion of the cam
paign, Ivy Richardson, executive
director of the Rocky Mount
Area United Way, was present to
congratulate the Wesleyan com
munity. He also conducted the
drawing fw prizes. Three staff
members were awarded prizes
donated by the College. Jane
Batts received a sweatshirt fr(Mn
the College Bookstore, Rachel
Dormagen won the right to be
the proud “employer” of Dr.
power on paper, but is there any
toll being paid by the athletes?
Their have been conflicting re
ports on this topic. Fox states that
athletes at Wesleyan are “about
on the same level with other stu
dents here at school.” However,
sources say that several athletes
are in trouble with grades and are
not on the same level academi
cally as other students. These
statements have yet to be denied
or confirmed, but if they are true,
is the price of success too great?
North Carolina Wesleyan Col
lege is, without a doubt, a na
tional power in sports. Full-time
coaches are the major, if not the
only reason, for this success. But
if the school is sacrificing aca
demics to have good sports
teams, maybe Wesleyan should
rethink the importance of athlet
ics and concentrate more on aca
demics.
Gamer for one work/study hour,
and Kim Sparks gained the title
to a reserved parking space for
the year.
Dr. Gamer congratulated the
faculty and staff for its unified
effort, “You have done it yet
again. The assistance provided to
the victims of the recent tornados
by the local and national Red
Cross, the Salvation Army, and
other members of the United
Way demonstrates close to home
that “it does work — for all of
us.”
(Courtesy of NCWC Public
Information.)
Stranded from 1-95
find haven at college
EXHIBIT OPENS — Marshall Brooks was among the faculty,
staff, and administrators attending the " Passionate Visions" exhibit
of North Carolina Wesleyan College's Outsider Art collection
which opened at the Green Hill Art Center in Greensboro earlier
this month. See story on Page 3. (Photo by Ron Sowers.)
College doubles help to United Way