Dave Fairbank - dailypress.com

Proposal to expand FCS playoffs is a good idea

Dave Fairbank — Sat, 6 Aug 2011 16:18:00 -0400

Patty Viverito, the commissioner of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, caused a ripple recently when she said that she's working to expand the Football Championship Subdivision playoff field.

Tomlin puts Super Bowl loss behind him, uses it as teaching tool

Dave Fairbank — Fri, 8 Jul 2011 20:35:00 -0400

As Mike Tomlin entered the Ferguson Center auditorium Friday afternoon, a couple hundred kids and several dozen parents watched the end of an NFL Films video that concluded with the Green Bay Packers celebrating last February's Super Bowl win over Tomlin's Pittsburgh Steelers.

Newport News native Barefoot officially takes over for Larry at ODU

Dave Fairbank — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:46:00 -0400

Karen Barefoot arrived at the Ted a half-hour before her official introduction as the new Big Whistle for Old Dominion women's hoops. If she didn't personally greet all 200 people who attended, rest assured, their phones will buzz or their doorbells will ring any moment now.

Former W&M standout Schneider aims to teach, give back through his skills business

Dave Fairbank — Wed, 1 Jun 2011 16:55:00 -0400

Injuries make professional athletes nervous. They made David Schneider think.

Richmond's spring race is an indicator of Chase qualifiers

Dave Fairbank — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 23:00:00 -0400

Pencil in Kyle Busch for a spot in NASCAR's Chase for the Big Doorstop. Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards, too. Use soft lead, and keep an eraser handy, just in case.

May 13, 2008: William and Mary got Mike Tomlin started

Dave Fairbank — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 10:22:00 -0500

As a proud alumnus, Mike Tomlin was understandably disappointed that William and Mary didn't secure a better commencement speaker. Honored, but disappointed. "Like always, we'll make the best of the situation," Tomlin said Sunday morning, shortly before he addressed the Class of 2008. "Hopefully, this guy stands up to his end of the bargain." Tomlin, W&M Class of 1995 and head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers (still stunning that those two facts appear in the same sentence), recalled his own graduation 13 years earlier. Sort of. The commencement speaker that day: former president George H.W. Bush. Tomlin's recollection of Bush's remarks? "Nothing," he said with a chuckle. "And really, that's a comforting thought for me today as I prepare to deliver my address. Because chances are the vast majority of those students sitting out there won't remember a thing that I say, either." Tomlin's commencement address at William and Mary was his second of the weekend. He spoke Saturday afternoon at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., site of the Steelers' summer training camp. When Tomlin was introduced there, nearly all of the 300 graduates cheered and waved Steelers Terrible Towels. "It was a Steeler Nation message," he said. "When you're in western Pa., that's how you deliver it." The message he delivered at St. Vincent, he said, was similar to what he intended to tell the 1,700-member graduating class at William and Mary. "You don't know what life has in store for you," he said, "and you have to attack it. You've got to remain unwavering, and success is not always measured in the outcome, or the scoreboard, if you will." For Tomlin, Sunday was a day for reflection and reminiscence, about lessons learned and applied. It was a respite from the 12-month grind of the NFL ... So what the heck was he thinking going for a two-point conversion from the 12-yard line in the playoff game versus Jacksonville? "You know me," he said. "I throw caution to the wind. I play to win. I haven't gotten where I am today by playing it conservative, and I'm not going to change." The Steelers failed to convert that two-point attempt, as well as a second one later after the go-ahead touchdown. An epic comeback became a footnote in a 31-29 loss. "If we had made it," Tomlin said, "you would have said, 'What a great coaching decision,' wouldn't you?" Probably not. That topic, however, prompted a riff on the magnifying glass under which he resides. "We're going to be judged," he said. "I'm paid to be judged. I don't care about the elevator music. I hear it, but I don't. My goal is to coach my football team and put us in a position to win. "I don't mind it. But when you have a head-coaching job, your family is subject to that scrutiny, that analysis. They have to deal with it the way I do. I'm paid to deal with it. I understand that's the nature of the thing. As a parent, at times it's challenging to explain some of that stuff to a 7- and 6-year-old. That's probably the biggest challenge." So what's more difficult: coaching an NFL team or being a parent? "It's not even close," he said. "A parent is who I am, coaching is what I do." Tomlin, who turned 36 two months ago, never envisioned that just 13 years after he grabbed his own diploma he would be the Steelers' head coach. But chances are that his goals didn't fall too far short of that. "I'm a big dreamer, always have been," he said. "And that's what life is about. But more importantly, the message I'm going to tell these young people today is that it's OK to dream, but you have to make the day-to-day choices to make those dreams a reality. "I've been blessed to be around people that nourished that and encouraged that, those actions in me. I've been blessed." Tomlin said that he still uses lessons from longtime Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock, as well as professional mentor Tony Dungy. They taught him the value of remaining emotionally level, of not permitting success or failure to determine your mood and your approach. "I think you have a chance to have long-term success when people know what they're going to get," Tomlin said. "When you're consistent in how you prepare, when you're consistent in the culture and environment that you put in the building. And really, a big portion of that starts with me and the tone that I set on a day-to-day basis. That's probably why we had some success in year one and hopefully we can continue that." Tomlin said that being an NFL head coach consists of more than most folks can imagine. More exciting, more difficult, more invasive, more intense, more rewarding. And the launching pad was a 315-year-old college nestled in the colonial capital that provided a kid from Newport News with an education and a place to play. "This place, although small, it prepares you to deal," Tomlin said. "The level of professionalism within the football program, the things that are required of you outside the football program, interaction with people, all those things prepared me for what I do on a day-to-day basis. "I'm extremely comfortable with what it is I have to do for a living, whether it's directly related to my job or the things that go with my job. And the reason that I'm comfortable is because of the experience I gained here as an 18-, 19-, 20-year-old. That's what makes this place special." Dave Fairbank can be reached at 247-4637 or by e-mail at dfairbank@dailypress.com

July 7, 2007: Mike Tomlin is favorite son, fortunate son

Dave Fairbank — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 10:09:00 -0500

He began by telling the crowd of family, friends and gawkerazzi that he is no different than they are -- an accurate, if incomplete, assessment. Mike Tomlin is indeed a Peninsula guy. He can navigate Mercury Boulevard and can get to Patrick Henry Mall and Darling Stadium and Paul's Deli. His deep roots here mean that he is never more than three minutes from someone he knows or someone who knows him and his family. That Tomlin is different speaks to the reason he was at the banquet lectern Thursday night at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. It's the reason he is the marquee presence this weekend at the Peninsula Youth Football Camp at Christopher Newport University. People want his autograph. They whip out cameras and camera phones to have their photos taken with him. They want to shake his hand and wish him luck. Such is life when a hard-working, fun-loving kid from Denbigh High becomes Mike Tomlin, comma, head coach of the five-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, thank you very much. "The funny thing is," Tomlin said Thursday evening, "there's a perception that I left here in May of '95 when I graduated from William and Mary and this is my first time back. But I come home every year. I guess it's just more of a story this time." It's enough of a story that a couple of Pittsburgh medioids have combed the Peninsula in recent weeks for background. It's enough of a story that the NFL Network sent a camera crew to shadow Tomlin this weekend during this particular homecoming. Tomlin joked with the NFL Network crew at Thursday's banquet: "You might have to do some editing if I run into a crazy cousin or something." To watch Tomlin this weekend is to see someone completely at ease with himself and his surroundings. He exudes both joy and passion, evident in his keynote speech at the Hampton Roads Youth Foundation pre-camp banquet Thursday and with kids Friday at the camp itself. Tomlin ran around with the kids Friday, going from station to station, and offered running commentary. As the kids filed into an auditorium at CNU's Ferguson Center for a brief talk, he was at the door greeting and slapping hands, along with a stream of chatter: "Doin' alright?" "Let's go." "You havin' a good day?" He didn't talk to them about football. He talked about the importance of listening, how listening is a skill that needs to be developed, just like running a pass route. At Thursday's banquet, Tomlin told stories on himself. He credited his good fortune to a nurturing family, the toughness required to be a successful athlete on the Peninsula, and a loving God. "I'm not the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers at the age of 35 just because of me," he said. "I'm not that good. Nobody's that good." Tomlin challenged those in attendance to do more to help kids. For him, youth camps and organizations such as All Pro Dad are obligation more than voluntary. Paying it forward, as he put it. He knows he has the opportunity and the platform he does because of successful African-American head coaches Tony Dungy, Lovie Smith and Herm Edwards -- "My uncles," he called them -- but he downplayed the notion of race as an overriding factor. "I recognize the importance of it," he said. "African-American is what I am; coaching is what I do. They're two separate things." That said, if he inspires someone else, then all the better. Funny thing is, the person least impressed by Tomlin seems to be Tomlin. He has simply plowed ahead, listened and learned. Most important, he has been true to himself and will use all of his power to remain so. That's why he is undaunted about taking over one of the league's signature franchises and replacing a Pittsburgh icon in Bill Cowher. "One thing about this business, at this level, it humbles you," he said. "We're all replaceable. In terms of replacing Bill, I wasn't concerned about that. I was just going to install the foundation of what our football is going to be about and be true to my vision. "I can't be Bill Cowher. I'm not going to try to be. I'm just going to be the best that Mike Tomlin can be." Which, so far, isn't bad for an ordinary Peninsula kid.

Seth Greenberg's mantra at Virginia Tech: 'Underdog. Respect. Us against the world'

Dave Fairbank — Thu, 6 Jan 2011 20:06:00 -0500

Seth Greenberg's lemonade stand of a basketball roster isn't what he envisioned, though it does provide him with familiar slogans and marketing opportunities.

Virginia Duals a local sporting fixture

Dave Fairbank — Tue, 4 Jan 2011 18:12:00 -0500

Thirty-one years after a handful of local wrestling enthusiasts decided to stage a combination fund-raiser and college audition, the Virginia Duals continue chugging along.

Virginia resumes difficult early schedule against Oregon

Dave Fairbank — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:25:00 -0500

Following a break for semester exams and hot chocolate, Tony Bennett's Dribbling Road Show resumes Virginia's lengthiest homestand in 12 years.