Muska brings vision to Oberlin athletes

If Oberlin athletics had a reputation in the recent past, it was rarely for their success on the field. The most visible sport of all, football, has posted a 1-59 record over the past six seasons. But all that may change under the leadership of recently hired Athletic Director Mike Muska and a re-energized Athletic Department.

"It's almost like we're supposed to lose at Oberlin. Everything else we do we try to do well, why not athletics?" Muska said. He has made sweeping changes to the coaching staff of Oberlin athletics over the past three months, hiring new football, men's and women's soccer coaches and working with the General Faculty throughout the spring to guarantee that softball would make the jump to varsity status by next year.

In January, Jeff Ramsey filled the position of head football coach vacated by Pete Peterson in December. Peterson had given the team five years, but failed to produce even close to a winning record. Blake New also stepped over from women's soccer to become men's soccer head coach in November following the departure of Chris Barker after four years on the job. Head track and assistant football coach Earnest Wilson recently accepted a position as head coach of the Arena Football League's Dayton Skyhawks. Finally, Mindy Manolovich, head field hockey and women's lacrosse coach, announced in March that this past season would be her last at Oberlin. These changes amount to a tornado of activity in an athletic department that saw fewer changes over the past several years than have occurred in the past several months.

Personnel changes are just part of the picture, though. Muska said that the entire attitude of the athletic department, student body and community must change in order to make success possible. Ramsey agrees, and sees a greater need for utilization of the local community as a recruiting base. "I believe strongly in keeping a national element," he said, "But the bulk of our football squad should come from Ohio."

An example of success in local recruiting is only as far away as the women's basketball team, which finished its season as the winningest team in the history of Oberlin women's basketball with a 15-11 record and a berth in the NCAC semifinals. Four of the team's starting five are from Ohio, and one is from Oberlin; seven players in all are from Ohio, all but one recruited in the last two years, with three players total hailing from Oberlin. And though he was not responsible for the composition of that team, Muska said that the women's basketball team gives other sports a strong example to follow, both in terms of on-field success and recruiting.

Muska also said that, especially given the 61 percent female composition of this past fall's incoming class, there should be equity between the sexes athletically, and that establishing softball as a varsity sport was a key part of that. And so he did. During the spring semester, Muska collaborated with Professor of History Heather Hogan, who also chairs the athletics committee, to guarantee funding and two possible coaches for a varsity softball squad that will conceivably enter the NCAC next spring. In April, the General Faculty approved the plan, ensuring that a new breed of Yeoathletes will be gracing our athletic fields in the near future.

But Muska also said that men's athletics cannot fall by the wayside and that there will be more emphasis on male recruiting. "It's important that we make the emphasis that we can be good at men's athletics. The days of accepting 0-10 teams are over. We should be proud of who we are," he said. "I don't want to see us losing games 70-6 anymore."

Ramsey agreed and said that success begins with attitude. "We need to create a positive, nurturing atmosphere. When the consciousness of those surrounding the team and the team itself is one of negativity, the conscious mindset can change quickly, but it takes time to change the subconscious mindset," he said.

Part of this process also involves utilizing the strong network of alumni, Ramsey said. "Once a student graduates from Oberlin, there are strong ties to the community," he said. But, he said, "It was never taken advantage of, in the not-so-distant past... As a student-athlete, it's reassuring to know that the network is there." In addition, Ramsey said, the support system is available more locally; "The same support system is in place here among the faculty... I don't think the bridges were built between the faculty and the football staff," Ramsey said. "I believe in trust, unity and togetherness," he continued, "But I wouldn't expect any student-athlete to have blind faith in me," Ramsey said.

Wildeman said that there were a multitude of factors that conspired to bring her to Oberlin, but that one of the most important was the new sense of direction that Muska and the athletic department display. She said that the transition has been an easy one. "I've only been here a week and a half, but overall I'm very pleased. One of the things that drew me to Oberlin is that all sports are on an even keel," Wildeman said. "It's important to understand this level, this conference and Oberlin - the delicate balance between athletics and academics."

It is this balance that has perhaps been the biggest impediment to fostering a serious attitude toward sports on campus in the past - namely, that nobody thought that Oberlin could become athletically successful without compromising its high academic standards. Yet this school of thought has existed despite the repeated and historical athletic success of such academic powerhouses as Duke and Stanford, and, more locally, Kenyon. For whatever reason, though, be it the fantastic success of the women's basketball team, the whirlwind restaffing, or a combination of those and many other factors, there is a new rededication to success in the administrative halls of Philips Gymnasium, and it is spreading.

Even so, Muska admits that there is still quite a bit of work to be done before the athletic department achieves the type of stability that is necessary for success. "I think we've made some real critical changes," he said recently. "Other changes, like the departures of Barker and Manolovich, weren't as well planned. So I think the first year was probably focused on personnel. But I think next year will be a bit more quiet on the personnel front and somewhat more stable."

Despite the many tumultuous personnel changes that have marked his relatively brief time here, Muska does not regret his decision to come to Oberlin. On the contrary, he remains enthusiastic about the program and its chances to succeed. "I've always wanted to get back to the college scene," he said. "Oberlin is the kind of place where I could be who I am and achieve what I want to professionally. So this is a pretty darn good place to be."

Ultimately, Muska hopes to build winning teams at Oberlin while giving all students an opportunity to participate in the college's athletic endeavors. Whether or not he accomplishes that goal remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: he brings a new attitude to a program that desperately needed one.

St. Jude: Mike Muska hopes to reinstall pride in our sports teams.