Joy, pride, and, dare I say, love, filled the Hamilton Center on the UW-Whitewater campus Sunday night. The spirit of the 2009 National Championship Football Banquet went beyond trophies and plaques. Far beyond. The smiles, the laughs, and the fist bumps were all expected and befitting in celebration of a truly dominant National Championship football team. However, hugs ruled the night and spoke to something deeper than on-the-field success of the 2009 football team. Much deeper.
Oh, the 2009 UW-Whitewater football team was good - check that - the 2009 UW-Whitewater team was great! When a team goes 15-0, outscores it's opponents by an average more than 32 points a game, and wins the NCAA Division III National Championship, there are a lot of awards to hand out. When that same football team sports 24 student athletes with a fall semester grade point average exceeding 3.4, it is a team that is easy to embrace and fun to celebrate. But the celebration on Sunday night ran deep into intangibles that surpassed even classroom performance.
Coach Lance Leipold spoke often about the Warhawk Family. Those in attendance can attest that the Warhawk Family is alive, well, and very, very real.
The atmosphere Sunday night parallels other gatherings surrounding UW-W football. From Back to the 60's, to other alumni events, to weekly Quarterback Club meetings, to Warhawk Golf Outings, people getting together in the name of Warhawk football is special.
Certainly a part of that "special" is the success of the football team. It's easy to smile when a program wins over 70% of its games over a 53 year period. It's easy to laugh when a program knows only 2 coaches from 1956 through 2006 and then hands it off to one of its own and the new coach begins his career with a record of 42-3 in his first 3 seasons. It's easy to fist bump when a program topples mighty Mount Union 2 times in 3 years, winning its first two National Championships in school history.
But Warhawk Football is about more than smiles, laughs, and fist bumps (Although they will always be a sweet part of the ride). Warhawk football is about the hugs. Warhawk football is about the deep relationships that form in, through, and around the program.
Warhawk football is about Coach Leipold paying tribute to former assistant coaches who left this world way too quickly and about a program that named awards after them.
Warhawk football is about a current team who genuinely love each other and who have undoubtedly formed lifetime friendships through their experience.
Warhawk football is about parents making 850 mile road trips to watch their kids play and the friendships that form with other parents as a result.
Warhawk football is about players standing and applauding each others' accomplishments without a hint of "What about me?" attitude.
A specific and personal story may best describe what Warhawk football is all about. Jeff Donavon, the starting quarterback won the Team MVP award on a decisive vote by his teammates. He also was a team captain and won the WIAC Player of the Year award. In his years at UW-Whitewater, Donovan formed a relationship with 89 year old former UW-W Coach Forrest Perkins. Donovan was told that Perkins thought the world of him and would love to have coached him. Donovan responded with a convincing, "I love that man." That's Warhawk football.
Perkins hasn't coached at UW-W for 25 years. At some schools, Perkins would have simply been a name on the entrance of the stadium to Donovan. But not at Whitewater. And Jeff, the Warhawk family loves you. And the Warhawk family loves every single player and family involved in the UW-Whitewater program. And we always will. You see, you aren't a Warhawk for four years. You are a Warhawk for life. And THAT is largely what was celebrated on Sunday night.
There will be a lot of smiles, laughs, and knuckle bumps around Warhawk football in coming years. But win, lose, or draw it will be the hugs that forever trademark the Warhawk family.
