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Coach Holloway inducted to the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame - by Andie Tibbetts - USTFCCCA Convention 2016 - DyeStatFLPublished by
If You Give a Mouse a Trophy… Andie Tibbetts This is not the first article written on Mike “Mouse” Holloway, and it will not be the last. I can say this with such confidence because of his induction to the NCAA Track Hall of Fame, happening this week at an Orlando convention that spans the width of three days. He’s already been named the National Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year, which happened in June. Despite nabbing the title in both 2012 and 2013, he still sees it as a “huge honor,” and credited both the staff and the students for the win, saying that it was “a testament to all of their hard work.” (See http://floridagators.com/news/2016/6/16/track-and-field-holloway-tabbed-ustfccca-national-mens-outdoor-coach-of-the-year.aspx for more information) Being inducted is a big deal for Coach Holloway and for coaches and teams across the state. It’s one of the- if not the highest- honors a coach can be awarded. The official USTFCCCA Hall of Fame website boasts that the Hall of Fame exists “to recognize coaches who have brought great distinction to themselves, to their institutions, and the sports of cross country and track and field” in big, black, all caps letters that take up the top half of the page. Below begins a list of all the inductees spanning back to 1995 (not including special inductees) - a list that Mike Holloway’s name will soon be on. As an article on www. Homemagazinegainesville.com , written by Nicolle Buchbinder (go read it- it’s amazing!), stated, Holloway knows that he’s good at his job, but remembers “that a man can be the greatest coach in the world, but without great athletes, none of it matters.” It’s humbling to read, especially when I remember that this is the man who helped coach the Team USA Track team in the 2012 London Olympics- a team that reigned victorious. (http://homemagazinegainesville.com/themousewhoraiseschampions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UstfcccaFromTheWire+(USTFCCCA+From+the+Wire) ). He knows his team. It’s plain to see it in the various interviews he gives to reporters across the state, the way he rapidly dives into describing their strengths and weaknesses and how they’ll work to overcome them. As a coach, he’s always working to help them realize their talents, but Holloway feels that the most reward he receives is from the way that his student athletes feel comfortable messaging him, speaking to him about their problems and lives, and generally come to and go from his office with ease (www.homemagazinegainesville.com). He knows his staff, too, given from the way he described his coworker Coach Spangler to DrBob way back when Spangler was hired in 2012. He described Spangler and his duties with ease, describing the attributes that his new coworker would bring to the program and the role that he’d play working with the team. It’s not just them that the Coach is familiar with- it’s incredibly important to him that he knows himself, too, as the same man who started the journey down this path all those years ago. At the end of the day, he tries to remind himself that “my address is changed, I drive a bigger car, but the guy in the car is still the same guy” (www.homemagazinegainesville.com ). He even joked to the reporter that he “[didn’t] even remember where the trophies are kept!” Paul Nowicki, an old friend of Holloway’s from way back in the 80’s, told me a story over the phone that has stuck with him through the years. “At every regional meet, there’s this one they call the Region of Death,” he explained, “ and people complain about it all the time. It changes- it’s not always the same one. Well, when Mouse and I were running the Tallahassee meet, our teams came 5th and 6th. We were 8th and 9th out of the top ten boys. And in those days they only took the top 4 teams to state.” That meant that both Nowicki’s and Holloway’s teams didn’t advance to state that year. “Anybody else would have complained,” Paul remembered, “but Mike just turned and looked at me and said ‘we just gotta get better.’ So we did.” It was a moment, Paul stated, that described Holloway’s whole person. “He built his coaching around it. No one defeats him or gets him down. He just goes into the next one ready to do what it will take to win. He’s one of the most resilient human beings I’ve ever seen, personally and professionally, and you can quote me on that!” He chuckled. “He’s one of the classiest guys you’ll ever meet, and he’s more than deserving of what he’s receiving,” Paul said, right before we hung up. So by the end of this week, Coach Mike “Mouse” Holloway will have climbed a stage. He will have spoken fourth in a line of coaches, and he will have received his induction into the NCAA Track Hall of Fame. He’ll credit his students and his coworkers; he’ll say that it’s an honor to have them believe in him. He will accept his award with grace and dignity, and at the end of it all, he will descend the stage the same man he was when he climbed it- the same man from all those years ago when he first started coaching. And in the end, that’s what matters the most. Congratulations, Mr. Holloway, from me and everyone here at DyeStat. We wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors. Quotes and other information taken from: http://ncaaoutdoorchampionships.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=150&do=videos&&video_id=179989 About the Author
Andie Tibbetts graduated from Oviedo High School in 2016 and is attending the University of South Florida as an English Major in the class of 2020. In addition to writing, she enjoys running and did her first triathlon when she was a sophomore in high school. She would love any critique her readers may have to offer and thanks all the athletes for the inspiration they continually bring her. Contact Andie on Twitter at @andietib. Follow her on Tumblr at somethingold-somethingnew or on Instagram at @Andietib. More news |
