This retired coach, sports administrator and commissioner spreads his passion of sport through his talks with groups and through his new book.
Hometown: Lafayette
Now resides in: Baton Rouge
Degree: Master’s, science.
Career: I was the assistant basketball coach at Louisiana Tech under Scotty Robertson; I earned my master’s while coaching. After two seasons at Tech, I became the head basketball coach at Nicholls State University for 13 years. I then moved up and served as the Director of Athletics for 10 years. Then I became the Commissioner of the Southland Conference for three years before being hired as the Executive Director of the National Cutting Horse Association. This was followed by my job as Director of Special Projects for the Texas Rangers, under owner George W. Bush. I then served as the Commissioner of the Sunshine State Conference until my retirement.
Book title: "Boxing: Louisiana's Forgotten Sport,” a history of high school and college boxing from 1929-58; one portion of the book focuses on the former Tech boxing program. To purchase a copy, email werback@cox.net for information; cost is $25 including shipping and handling.
Why I decided to write my book: I was a high school boxer in Lafayette. When my wife and I moved back to Louisiana about four years ago, I learned that former boxers still met for a yearly reunion. I attended my first boxing reunion in Crowley. I realized that no attempt to preserve their rich history had ever been made. These old boxers were like World War II veterans; they were dying off and soon no one would know how popular and successful boxing was in the 30s, 40s and 50s. So I made the decision to write this book.
Tell us a couple of neat things we’ll learn when we read it: Eight colleges in the state had boxing teams, including Tech. Other colleges that had teams were LSU, Tulane, Loyola, Southwestern Louisiana, McNeese, Centenary and Northeast. Also, next to football, boxing was the most successful and popular sport in the state. Bouts were usually held before capacity crowds.
Next project: It will not be another book. I will continue to speak about boxing and the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
What brought you to Tech: I was a high school basketball coach in New Orleans. Scotty Robertson became the head coach at Tech. He hired me as his assistant. I also served as the tennis coach.
Why did you choose your career: When I was 13 I knew I wanted to be a coach; I just never dreamed that I would become a college coach. I loved coaching. I never felt that I was going to work. I was going to teach young men and coach a great sport.
What are your best memories of Tech: Working with Scotty, I learned so much about coaching, and the great players and managers that I worked with. I stay in touch with many of them.
What advice would you share with today's freshmen: Set high goals. I thought that I would only become a high school coach. I never thought that I would become a college coach, athletic director, commissioner, etc. After setting high goals, work hard to reach these goals.
If there's one thing I've learned, it’s: …Work hard and treat people right and it will pay off.
