Wittenberg University has an impressive track record when it comes to producing successful teachers and coaches. Former Tiger student-athletes can be found across the country winning games and shaping young lives.
Among the latest and most impressive success stories is the one unfolding at Marietta College, where Andy Waddle ’03 is slowly but surely building the Pioneer football program into a force to be reckoned with in the challenging Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). After leading Marietta to its first winning season since 2006, Waddle was recently selected as the 2017 OAC Coach of the Year.
Waddle took over a program in 2013 that had won just 10 games in its previous five seasons and had just completed a 0-10 campaign the year before. The Pioneers have shown steady progress under Waddle, improving their win total in three of his first four seasons before jumping from three wins to six in 2017.
“Once on the job, I realized I had a bigger task to pull this program out of the basement than I originally knew when I took the job,” said Waddle, the 29th coach in the 117-year history of Marietta football. “We did not have a quick fix or many of the pieces ready to go.”
One of the most important lessons Waddle learned as a student-athlete and coach at Wittenberg is that there are no shortcuts to success. He vividly recalls the important steps along the way, such as the Pioneers’ lone win in his first season, a 50-22 victory over Wilmington in 2013 that broke the program’s 18-game losing streak.
“From that point on, we slowly showed improvement each season, winning more games than we had the previous year, either with our overall record, our OAC record, or both,” Waddle said. “Last season, a few pieces started to come together, but this season we broke through with our first winning season in 12 seasons. We also had huge program wins versus Heidelberg, which was in the top 25, and Ohio Northern, which was receiving votes when we beat them.”
Waddle began his coaching career in 2003 at Mansfield University as the defensive backs coach, and he moved to Maryville (Tenn.) to coach the same position in 2004. He then spent eight seasons at Wittenberg, including seven as the team’s defensive coordinator. Wittenberg won four North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championships and made four NCAA Division III Tournament appearances in Waddle’s seven seasons leading the defense, including a run to the national quarterfinals in 2009 when the Tigers led all divisions of the NCAA in total defense and scoring defense.
While coaching is his passion, Waddle credits mentors at Wittenberg who work both in academics and athletics.
“Having played for or coached with Coach (Joe) Fincham for 11 seasons, I found someone whom I trust and look up to,” Waddle said. “Many of the things that I value are things I learned from Coach Fincham, both in the game of football and in life.”
“As a student, Wittenberg was a great learning experience on and off the field,” Waddled added. “I had to learn to manage my time, to write, to speak in public, and to communicate, which are all very important parts of my job today. I also had to learn to look at things critically.”
A native of nearby Enon, Ohio, Waddle earned his degree in sociology from Wittenberg after starting his collegiate career at the University of Findlay for two years. He earned multiple All-NCAC awards as a safety for the Tigers, who won two league titles and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament three times during Waddle’s playing career.
“Most people don’t fail or find success in the things that are black and white; it’s the gray area where our critical thinking and decision-making separates us,” Waddle said. “I felt my professors like Dr. Keith Doubt (who was my adviser and I had a special relationship with) often asked questions that didn’t have a right or wrong answer. It was up to us to find a side and explain why we felt that was the right side to be on. It was our critical thinking and explanation we were being evaluated on.
“As a football coach, I think X’s and O’s are the easy part. What separates average coaches from good coaches and good coaches from great coaches is their ability to think critically; to choose a side and get people to believe that side is correct and then follow them. It’s also extremely important to win over people and understand that people are our number one commodity, so treat them with love and respect. Many people showed me the importance of relationships in my 11 years Wittenberg as both a student-athlete and as a coach.”
Photo Credit: Nate Knobel Photography
