By Chris Rockwell

If you’ve ever watched the classic movie “Hoffa”, a film based on the story of legendary union figure Jimmy Hoffa and portrayed masterfully by Oscar winning actor Jack Nicholson, you might get a sense of the personality of Coach Jim Sweeney. He was a fiery, sometimes controversial, college football coach who led with his heart and possessed a charismatic drive that awoke a sleepy little town in California and turned it into a nationally ranked college football program (1980-96).

I am very lucky to have played college football for Coach Sweeney at Fresno State during one of his long stretches of championships. Next to the primary male influences of my dad and grandpa, I certainly would not be who I am without the influence of Coach Sweeney.

Coach Sweeney was forged from humble and hard working Irish Catholic roots in a small mining town in Montana, where his father worked tirelessly and died young as a hard rock miner. Coming from those circumstances forced Sweeney to grow up tough and fight for what he believed in. I vividly remember his heartfelt stories of struggle and perseverance at the end of practice or just before a big game, with tears running down his face. It was impossible to not be inspired. In this age of bailouts and complacent personal accountability, Coach Sweeney taught us to be responsible men who had to

“fight the good fight, never give up for what we believed in, and make no excuses”

This wasn’t “feel good” political rhetoric, he led by example and expected us to do the same.

I like to say Coach was an old school progressive because he had street smarts and an understanding that earned trust and respect from all kinds of people – athletes coming out of tough inner city neighborhoods in South Central Los Angeles, small town country boys like me, and an entire community of fans and alumni. It’s not hard to understand how that experience had a major impact on my life and my vision for uniting the King Duce family.

I have so many memorable stories about coach, but one that sticks out in my mind was the time we were preparing to play USC in the Freedom Bowl. Every sports writer, including the USC players and coaches figured that Fresno State didn’t have a chance. It was the classic underdog story; small town kids versus the mighty Trojans of USC; David and Goliath. How could a small town football program possibly beat the elite program of USC? Coach Sweeney took this personal and gave us a pregame speech that still gives me chills when I remember back to that moment. He walked into the locker room with an intensity that was palpable. The room was silent and full of uncertainty. Coach cracked the silence,

“Men, we are in a street fight! Our family has been disrespected. This is a test of your heart and resolve. You can either accept what everyone is saying about us or you can stand up, face the challenge and prove that we are champions. You owe it to your family name and all the players that came before you. How do you want to be remembered? How bad do you want it? Let’s march out there and hit these guys with everything you’ve got. Light em up!”

The locker room erupted and we ran out onto the field and beat USC that night. The feeling was unbelievable! What we didn’t realize at the time was that coach wasn’t talking about football. The lesson was that in life we must rise to the occasion, especially when times are tough and you feel like everything and everyone is against you. We all have the choice to fight or lie down and let our circumstances defeat us. There are no excuses.

So, in honor of Coach Sweeney, I challenge you to stand tall and fight the good fight through these tough times. Victory is yours for the taking if you want it bad enough. I wish you success and happiness.

Duce Up!!