Insights and Observations
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Henry's Highlights
Monday, February 13, 2006
By Henry Hinton |
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Motivation aplenty born of
special new alliance
Football coach looks to new
pal to inspire team and community
©2006 Bonesville.net
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Getting a Gatorade bath
has become a ritual for college coaches after a win. Most of them don't seem
to like it in spite of the fact that it signifies their team's victory.
Toward the end of the
2005 football season, Skip Holtz became accustomed to a special version of
the bath when the East Carolina Pirates won. Drew Steele would pour Gatorade
out of a can onto the head coach. Not only did Holtz not mind the bath, it
became a great show of friendship between the head coach and his buddy.
Say the name "Drew"
around Greenville and people know immediately who you are talking about.
Twenty-one-year old Drew Steele — the youngest son of Sandy and Mike Steele,
East Carolina's former basketball coach — is an icon around ECU sports.
Drew is special... in so
many ways.
Ask him and he'll tell
you. He might tell you about his success as state bachi ball champion in the
North Carolina Special Olympics. He might brag about being the weatherman
each morning during his Rose High School days on the campus in-house system.
He might even tell you about how proud he is of his family, which seems to
be the most important thing to Drew.
This past season,
however, it was his relationship with his new pal, Skip Holtz, that Drew
bragged about the most.
"I remember one year ago
when I first met Coach Steele and Drew," recalls Holtz. The new head coach
had been recruited to play in a Special Olympics fund-raising golf
tournament at Bradford Creek Golf Club in Greenville.
The day with his new
friend Drew seemed to offer a badly needed dose of perspective.
"I went out there with a
bad attitude," he said. " I had just taken over this program and I had a
million things to do. I went out there and it was cold and windy and I ended
up playing golf with Drew and Mike. Seeing how positive Drew was I realized
that I needed to change my attitude."
In fact, the new head
coach was enthralled enough with Drew he decided his whole football team
needed some of what the young man had to offer.
"I was so impressed with
Drew's attitude... what a positive young man he is," Holtz said. " I told
him that I wanted him to come speak to our football team. Changing attitude
was what this year was all about for our football team. We have so many
reasons to be negative in this world today and when you look at a young man
like Drew Steele it is very motivational."
As the coach recalls it,
Drew's acceptance of the coach's invitation wasn't a slam dunk.
"When I asked Drew if he
would come speak to our football team, he said he would have to check his
work schedule at Chic Filet (laughs), but he did come and he was terrific,"
said Holtz, adding that "Drew Steele has been great for this program."
Holtz was so impressed
with the attitude change Drew seemed to offer the entire team that he gave
him a job. During the season, Drew worked in the equipment room handling
laundry and putting out uniforms. He was there on the sideline for every ECU
game as a reminder to the players that positive attitude was the key to
their turning the program around.
Now, Holtz wants to pay
Drew back for the inspiration. This year's golf event will rival any
Greenville has seen since the days of the Michael Jordon Classic. Holtz has
personally gotten involved in an effort to raise a record amount of cash for
Drew and his friends in Pitt County's special populations.
Thus, on June 4th and
5th, the first annual Drew Steele-Skip Holtz Golf Classic will be christened
in Greenville. Already DSM Pharmaceuticals, the largest private employer in
Pitt County, has stepped up as the platinum sponsor of the event. Radio and
television commercials will soon air on Talk 1070 and Cox Communications
with details of what promises to be a huge fund-raiser in which every penny
raised will stay in Pitt County.
The event will be a
two-day affair complete with a star-studded dinner on Sunday evening and
golf the following morning. Sponsorships and golf foursomes will be limited.
More information will be forthcoming on how Pirate fans can get involved.
"Drew has meant so much
to me personally and to our football team," said Holtz. "This is going to be
a wonderful event honoring a wonderful young man and we're going to raise a
lot of money for Drew and his friends.
"He made such an impact
on so many of our players that we asked him to come work for us. ... He did
a great job for us and I'm excited to be involved with the young man."
It's going to be a great
thing. The power of Drew Steele... as many lives as he has touched.
Everybody knows Drew and knows how positive he is. With the impact he has
had on so many people for 21 years, this has the chance to be a special
event. Its only going to get bigger every year.
It will indeed by
something special for Greenville and the community's special populations.
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04/21/2008 07:04:04 PM |