‘Head Hawk’lands at Cabrini

Martelli was comissioned by Dr. Dennis Dougherty for the Leader Lecture Series as the kick- off speaker.

Phil Martelli, head coach of the men’s basketball team at St. Joseph’s University, questioned the audience.

“Do you have a dream? Do you have an ego? Do you listen? Doyou act alone? Do you organi ze, plan and get excited?” Martelli said. “If you answered yes to any of these questions you most likely would make a great leader.”

Martelli engrossed many Cabrini student-athletes and faculty members as a part of the Leader Lecture Series on Monday, Sept. 19.

Martelli, a graduate of Widener University, has coached all over the Delaware Valley, everywhere from Cardinal O’Hara to Bishop Kenrick. He has been coaching at St. Joe’s for 20 years; his first ten years, he was an assistant, and his final ten years as head coach.

“I even coached here at Cabrini, many years ago,”Martelli said. “When Kathy Rush used to hold her basketball camps here at Cabrini. The campus is definitely much bigger now.”

Martelli explained how fortunate he is and how thankful he is for his job.

“All coaches are ordinary people with extraordinary jobs,” Martelli said. “Coaching is overrated. The only difference between that and a real job is that we’re the first ones fired.”

Two of Martelli’s philosophies are education and respect. He talked about how there is only one team rule and how important it truly is.

“Respect. Respect is the only rule. Respect your name, respect the game, and respect your teammates,” Martelli said. “Being on time is a part of that. Now, as far as Iam concerned, has the right to anyone’s money. Therefore, you don’t have the right to anyone else’s time.”

According to Martelli, there are several characteristics a leader must possess. He explained that every leader should be willing to listen, have a dream, be willing to act alone, and be a person who gets involved and gets excited.

After many of sport’s greats, such as Joe Nameth and Vince Lombardi, Martelli spoke fluently and eloquently about what it takes to be a leader and some of the greatest leaders he has ever had the privilege of coaching at St. Joe’s.

“Jameer Nelson and Dalante West were two of the greatest leaders, two years ago, because they were energizers,”Martelli said. “If Idrove past the field house at 1:15 a.m. and Isaw the light on, Iknew it was them. I knew it was them because they were the kids who were willing to be alone in the gym when everyone else was out partying. That’s what made them good leaders.”

Martelli closed by talking about an inspirational quote he has sitting in his office since he first started coaching.

“‘Success of the group assures that success of the individual,’” Martelli said. “The only thing is that it can’t work the other way around.”

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Mark Messier decided last week that his time was done in the NHL. On Monday, September 12, Messier announced that he would be leaving the New York Rangers. He is ending his career just before his 26 season in the NHL. “There was nothing left for me to really acheive. It was time for me to move aside and go into something else.”

He began his hockey career playing in the World Hockey Association (WHA). He was drafted in 1979 by the Edmonton Oilers as their 48th overall pick. Messier was just 18 years old. He started out their fourth string left wing and worked his way up the ladder to captain of the Oilers. After teammate Wayne Gretzky left the Oilers, Messier soon decided he wanted to move on. He went to New York where the Rangers had not won a Stanley Cup since 1940. Messier led the Rangers to a Stanley Cup victory in 1994. The Rangers will be retiring Messier’s number, 11, along with Rod Gilbert 7, Ed Giacomin 1 and Mike Richter 35. In his career,Messier has won six Stanley Cups and is the second all-time leading scorer, behind his former teammate, Wayne Gretzky.

The Saints aregoing to do some renovations

Due to the catastrophic devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the Saints are going to have to play their home games somewhere else this upcoming season. The Superdome has been damaged so badly that it may have to be torn down. Reports say that 70 percent of the Superdome’s roof had been ruined and there are three gaping holes to reinforce. The Superdome did hold up well enough to save thousands of citizens of New Orleans. There have been no discussions about a possible new stadium. There is only talk of the upcoming season and the Super Bowl hopes that flood the players’and coaches’minds.

Out of their seven home games, four will be played at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LSU’s home field and the three others will be played in San Antonio at the Alamodome.

Lynn Swann: Governorof Pennsylvania?

Hall of Fame wide receiver,Lynn Swann, has been tossing around the idea of running for governor of Pennsylvania. Swann, a resident of Pennsylvania, says that he wants to see a change: “I think we can be much better than we have been in recent years. Ibelieve Pennsylvania needs leadership from outside the box.” Swann is not the first candidate who wanted to bring help from outside the box. Not too long ago, Jesse “The Body” Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger were elected governors of Minnesota and California, respectively.

-courtesy of ESPN.com and KRT