VARSITY ATHLETICS

December 12, 2008

WHY OUR GUY - GREG DEBELJAK

VOTE DEBELJAK AND VOTE OFTEN STARTING DEC. 12

Unlike the recent presidential campaign, there is no need to vote for change here. It has already occurred twice over.

Until last football season, the Case Western Reserve University football team had only posted two winning seasons since 1991, finishing 6-4 in 2002 and 7-3 in 1991. The 2007 and 2008 Spartans, under the direction of Head Coach Greg Debljak, have posted back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, won consecutive UAA Championships and made two straight trips to the NCAA playoffs.

Along the way, Debeljak has coached them to 21 consecutive regular season wins dating back to the last game of the 2006 campaign and individually the team has had back-to-back Gagliardi Trophy [Division III Player of the year] finalists on both sides of the ball and Draddy Trophy [Academic Heisman] semifinalists and finalists. Not too shabby!

The Sports Information Office was going to put together a Top 10 list on why Debeljak should be named both the American Football Coaches’ Association (AFCA) and Liberty Mutual National Division III Football Coach of the Year, much like the one it produced recently for Gagliardi Trophy finalist Dan Whalen, but who wants to hear from a bunch of PR guys again and again about how great one of their own is.

Instead we asked two former players, who Debeljak coached and who have since left the collegiate gridiron, for bigger and better things to speak on his behalf.

Vote now by clicking here!

By Tom Telesco
Director of Player Personnel
Indianapolis Colts**Coach Debeljak coached Tom at John Carroll University

I have been lucky enough to work in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 years and I've had the opportunity to witness countless numbers of professional and college coaches at every level. Coach Debeljak is not only the best in Division III, he is one of the best in the country. Two things stand out to me the most:

1. He can communicate to his players and lead them to a common goal. This may be one of the most difficult traits to find in a head coach, but it is undoubtedly the most important. He has single handedly built a consistent Division III national powerhouse at a school that many felt it could never be done at due to the stringent academic requirements.

2. He is one of the best offensive minds in the country, and he can relate and teach his offense with great success. Coaching is knowing more than playbook X's and O's, it is about knowing your strengths and weaknesses and putting your players in the best position to succeed.

Coach Debeljak's offensive success at both John Carroll and Case Western Reserve speaks for itself.

Although Case Western Reserve's recent revival in Division III football does not garner headlines nationwide, I place it in the same category as what Joe Maddon and the Tampa Bay Rays did this year. Turning a struggling program into a consistent winner is more than just signing or recruiting better players… the whole culture of winning has to be installed. Coach Debeljak has done that without sacrificing academics in the process. I hope Coach Debeljak is recognized as one of the best at what he does.

By Tom Zagorski
Graduate Assistant Coach
John Carroll University** Case Football Alum ‘07

Coaching is one of the most rewarding professions you can ever go into and I am the luckiest man alive to have the position I have.

I recall sitting in Coach Debeljak’s office, nervous that my playing career was coming to an end and football was soon to become a faint memory in my life. “Coach Debs” took time out of his schedule to sit with me and discuss potentially becoming a coach. He discussed how blessed he was to work with so many talented individuals and have the opportunity to be on the sidelines for a college program every weekend in the fall.

That is the kind of guy he is. Coach Debeljak cares more about his players and his family than he does his own self. Coach always was willing to sit down and talk. Coach would play basketball with us in the off-season and would always ask how school and life were going. He understood we were student-athletes and he could recall the countless hours he logged when he walked in our shoes. Coach Debs wanted us to succeed in every aspect of life and wanted his teams to be more like a family; we did and took care of each other. He never embarrassed a guy when he did wrong. He had a way of letting you know what you needed to do without making you feel like less of a man. We embraced this as players and we all have memories and friendships that will last the rest of our lives because of this man. Coach Debeljak has given his life to countless young men throughout his coaching career and many of us are grateful today for his work. I know I would not be in the position I am in right now if were not for Coach Debeljak. He introduced me to his alma mater, John Carroll University. At John Carroll, everybody would talk about how great it must have been to play for Coach Debs. They would ask about his family and tell me to send their best wishes. It made me think back about how lucky I was as a player to have a guy that has had an impact on so many, including myself.

Everyday, I took for granted the little things. Such as, his knowledge of the game, his obscure television references and his way of making you feel like a valued member of the program. This is a guy who in his first year as a head coach didn’t have a home stadium. We would practice on a patch of grass that got exponentially smaller as the season progressed. By one point we had an area of grass that measured about 30-by-30 yards. He never let this become a distraction and that year we finished with two victories over very solid teams in the UAA. In a a season in which starters seemed to get more injuries than plays, he didn’t let this program die. He used his talents and the talented people around him to build off a season that most coaches would love to forget and built Case Western Reserve into a power in the UAA and on the landscape of Division III college football.

Coach Debeljak started his coaching career the same way I have, as a graduate assistant at John Carroll. I have taken many of the valuable lessons he has taught me about the profession and the sport with me everyday and I aspire to one day taste just a little bit of the success he has had and will have in the future as the leader of the Spartans.

Congratulations Coach Debs and good luck with your continued success, you have created something very special and I am one of the many that are honored to call you Coach.

Posted by: Creg Jantz December 12, 2008 01:37 PM | Category: Football

Posted by: cnj4 (Creg Jantz) December 12, 2008 01:37 PM | Comments (1) | Trackback