Faith, Family, Football at Forefront as Andy Waddle Introduced as Valpo Head Football Coach
As Andy Waddle was officially introduced by Director of Athletics Laurel Hosmer and President Jose Padilla as the head football coach at Valparaiso University at Wednesday’s introductory press conference, it was incredibly apparent that faith, family and football hold important places in his heart.
Waddle, who led a successful turnaround at Marietta College, where he was the head coach for the last 12 seasons, seemed right at home as he introduced his immediate family to the broader Valpo Family with a smile on his face.
“I think it’s important that you align yourself with people who you match up with from a values standpoint,” Waddle said. “In the hotel this morning as I prepared for the press conference, I asked my wife where my notebook was, and it was outside in the car, but my daughter Hopelyn had her bag, so I used her notebook, and on the front it says, ‘Smile, it looks good on you.’ I hope to see a lot of smiles today. I’m excited to be here and excited to be a part of the Valpo mission.”
Community, athletics/campus leadership and academic profile of the student-athletes were among the items on Waddle’s checklist in what he was looking for in an institution. Those factors – along with his faith – helped lead him to the Valpo football program.
“Through the years, I would pray for God to guide me and direct my life, but as this season and this year progressed, I took up a new habit of praying every morning on my way to work,” Waddle said. “I often prayed that God would make me a good father for my kids, a good husband for my wife and that our team would stay healthy. I never prayed for wins. As we started to win games – and through the first eight weeks of the season, we won every game by at least 28 points – I asked that God would make my path very clear to me. As this process came through, I realized that this was the plan that God had for my life and that Valpo was where I needed to be. I needed to be a part of this Valpo Family. Even with the love from my Marietta Family, I knew that this was the right time and the right place.”
Waddle outlined the acronym F.I.G.H.T. representing values that he plans to instill within the Valpo football program – fearless, integrity, grit, heart and toughness.
“Our focus is very much going to be on going 1-0,” Waddle said. “1-0 on the day, 1-0 on the rep, 1-0 on the week. I want to be process oriented. I really believe that if you’re process-oriented and focus on the daily responsibilities to get better, those processes will lead us to the result that we have earned. If we’re process-oriented, we’ll get what we earn, but along the way, I promise you this, Valpo Football is going to fight.”
We’ve talked about football and we’ve talked about faith, but to fully understand Andy Waddle, it’s important to understand the role of his family. His wife Kerry Jean, daughter Hopelyn and son Spencer were by his side for the big day on Wednesday. The Waddles are involved with Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry and have registered over 2,000 potential bone marrow donors.
“My wife had a rare blood disease and we did not have a match in the family,” Waddle said. “Her only chance to live life was to go to the National Bone Marrow Registry. She had one match. That person stood up and said, ‘Yes, I’ll do it.’ He saved Kerry Jean’s life, and in a lot of respects, probably saved my life. The person who gave to my wife over 15 years ago was a man named Todd Spencer, so that’s why we have Spencer. We’ve signed up thousands of people, and in the past few years, we’ve had five students at Marietta answer that phone call and donate to somebody else and save a life. That is powerful, and that’s something we hope to bring to Valpo as well.”
Recent Comments