Big Man on Campus

I keep hearing students talk about the "popular people". My question is: what makes them popular? They exclude others, they make fun of the less fortunate and hang out only with themselves. To me, their "popularity" is a figment of their own imaginations.

Here's the story of a guy who was genuinely popular; liked, admired and respected by everyone he met.

My first high school coaching job was at San Rafael High School, where I coached freshman girls, then JV girls and was varsity assistant. While I was there, the undisputed Big Man on Campus was a boy named Will.

The term "Big Man on Campus" (BMOC) usually refers to the most popular and famous athlete at a school. This is not an elected position. It isn't even a formal or real position. It is really just a reflection of how a school's population views a particular student.

Will's dad, Max, was a major league baseball player. Will was a basketball star. You might think that a kid with this kind of background and ability would be arrogant, or self-centered or a bully, but Will was none of these things. He was, in fact, one of the nicest kids I've ever met.


Whenever our paths crossed at school, he'd nod at me and say: "Hey, Coach," even though we'd never really met. He'd also say "hi" to the girls on my team (one of my girls practically fainted after he said hi to her. "Will knows my name!" she cried). If his teammates on the varsity team started to make fun of the kids on the lower level teams, he's just shake his head and say, "c'mon guys, just leave 'em alone."

During this time, there was another student at school named Ryan. Ryan was on the Cross Country team. Ryan wasn't very good, for he had Cerebral Palsy, a brain disorder in which a person cannot fully control his body.

Cross country practice consisted of running many, many laps around the school's track. Ryan was very slow, so he ran alone, far behind the rest of the team.

Will would also run laps to get into shape for basketball. One day, he saw Ryan running alone, so he decided to run with Ryan.

Soon, each day, Will would run a half lap with Ryan, then continue on his way.

After that, whenever Will saw Ryan at school, Will would give Ryan a little punch on the shoulder and say: "Hey Ryan, how's it going, man?"

Later that year a banquet was held for all of the school's basketball players. While the boy's coach was talking about his team, Ryan's dad suddenly stood up and interrupted him.

"No matter what kind of player Will is," he said, "he is alright by me. He is my son's friend. Because of that, my boy looks forward to going to school everyday, and that wasn't always true. If Will were to run for mayor today, he'd have my vote."

Will was a great player. He became well known because of his basketball skill, but he was genuinely popular because of the kind of person he was.

Will was such a good player that several colleges offered him scholarships (where the school pays for the player's education) in the hope that he would play basketball for them. Instead, true to his character, Will chose to go to Princeton, one of the most difficult schools in the country to get into and a school that didn't offer scholarships.

"I've always wanted to go to an Ivy League school," he said at the time.

While there, Will became a star basketball player, leading his team to an NCAA tournament appearance. He also played for the Princeton baseball team. Baseball was Will's second sport, but he worked as hard at it as he did at everything else.

Today, Will is an outfielder for the San Diego Padres.