@AuburnEQ @GregWilliams joins @ONTHEDMARK1 about moving into new role at Auburn University

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Boost. He's an incredible individual,just like my guest in the studio,

(00:04):
my good friend Greg Williams. Goodmorning, Code, Good morning. Are
you doing. I'm doing fantastic,man. It's good to see you.
That's good to be here. Yeah, I always enjoyed. YEP. I
saw miss Sandy the last time wewere at at the that she met George
that day Middle Mars. So thereyou go. All right, So yesterday
our university comes out that you haveretired and like you moving away. Yeah,

(00:27):
let's get this straight right here.All right, No, not at
all. Um. I mean,in fact, as my role may be
bigger, it's something that I've beenworking on for for quite a while.
And in getting things set up,you'll see some subsequent announcements coming out that
I make a little bit more sensesoon. But um no, they can't
get rid of me that easy.But it's uh, um exciting times and

(00:48):
you know our program is going toget better. Uh. It does allow
me to kind of work on someother programs at Auburn hopefully and just conversations
with President Roberts and uh with DotorPaul Patterson or Dean of Agriculture, and
um you also John Coing or adso I think it. So it gives
me a little flexibility on that.But I will, you know, until

(01:08):
I die, I'll probably always workfor all the questrian But it's it's you
know, I still keep a coachingposition, um, kind of we're creating
this, d Marcus. You knowyou were allowed three accountable coaches in the
NC double A, And so whenI started orchestrating this, um, i'd
be in there and I would justchange titles. And the truth is now
I don't even gonna have changed titles. Um, you know, unbannounst us

(01:30):
when we want I started this planis that you know, now we can
expand to four coaches. So reallyI'll still be accountable coach. But um,
you know, just look forward tosome fun announcements coming and it's uh,
um, you know, just dreaminga ways to make our program better
and it's it's about to happen,all right, Coach Greg Williams with us
in the house, the word retirement, would that be a fair yeah?

(01:53):
No now no, but I doget some I'm gonna have. Uh.
I probably will get a little bitmore flex time now with what I'm doing.
UM, and I don't know,I may be busier than I've ever
been. I you know, it'sit's uh, we're getting to add to
our staff. I mean that's thebottom lines. We're getting to add to
our staff. So going from threeto four. So I'm excited about that.
Now your staff, how long giveus the names of your staff and

(02:15):
how long may being with the coach? Um? Well so right now,
right now our coaches is uh,you know me as a head coach,
Jessica Braswell's associate head coach. Uhcoach Braswell. If you count her,
she wrote for me, She wrotefor me, and then she was the
first GA wherever we got to havingthat in our program. Um, she's
now in our twelfth season coach withme for so so if you count all

(02:36):
that, I mean she's been withme counting her riding years almost eighteen years.
Um, she'd be the next yeah, I think coach. Right.
Coach Searles has just finished her firstyear as coaching, but she rode she
wrote for us for five years,so she got the extra COVID years.
So she's very entrenched in what wedo. Um, you know the culture
that we've started, the culture wework, we're hard to maintain everybody's in

(03:00):
that. Our director of ops,uh, Morgan Dick. She was a
writer for us and has now beenbeen back with us. Fact is our
Workhorse Award is named after her.I mean it just says an undergraduate,
Um, Katie Renfro this runner ina barn. She's from very starting college
or a freshman year in college andstill with us right now. So everybody

(03:20):
in our staff is very versed inwhat we do and how we how we
want to keep doing it. Thereyou go. We're in the old Pete
Clinton studio. Coach Greg Williams joiningUS runner up in the national U this
year's national championship. In a questionand coach kind of recap what Coach Williams
is going to do whatever you're ableto say this morning moving forward if you
will, And I'll still be withthe team. But it does give me,

(03:42):
you know, I can, Ican. We were doing some of
this this year. UM, it'sjust hard to uh, you know,
work on some of the other pieces, whether it's fundraising or even working fundraising
for some other part of athletics orthe College of Agriculture, which I really
want to do. Um. Yeah, people really understand that this university you
know, and I love auburn Ilove our whole community. You know,

(04:02):
the delight growing up in the auburnO Black graduateself. Even I was speaking
to a chamber of house, speakingto the chamber of last night. It
was from people all over. Butyou know I did tell them. I
said, listen to anything I cando, you know. I mean,
actually, Ron Anders and I wentto lunch, and you know, he
knew about these upcoming plans, andI said, anything I do for this
this area, just let me know. So, um, I think that's

(04:24):
where I get just a little bitof flexibility on that. Yeah, the
word retiring, I think everybody saysthey says you could do that. Anyways,
I said, no, I justfeel guilty. You feel guilty,
and that's what I want to getrid of. Is so I need to
title change just so I can canwork on other other things without feeling guilty.
Bottom line. Now, Coach,if I'm not mistaken, when you
you and I were talking, thisis really almost thirty years right, coach,

(04:45):
with your with everything, I knowit's twenty eight, but when you,
oh, no, that's twenty eight. Just when after I started the
team at Yah'm I'm closer to Uh, Gigi counts sick days like thirty six
years. So I'm on my thirtyfifth year being back. So I got
forty somewhere in my mind what I'mtelling you, Yeah, because just look
that way. Yeah but you know, yeah, yeah you do. You
look only forty. But but thatwas your got just that Yeah, but

(05:09):
you you went, I mean youwent, this is the only job you
really ever have like me? Yeah, no, I mean I look professional.
Let me back up. Yeah,the only question coach Arban is everywhere.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,I kind of wanted it. Yeah
wrong, Yeah, I started itand started with a group of girls,
and uh, one of those groupof girls, yep, one of those
kind of posted on there that theyneed to have a reunion. I got

(05:30):
a touch base with her because that'dbe awesome. You know. They some
of them been back in pieces,and I'd like for them to all to
come together. They need to comeback and actually see what they started,
because I asked them to buy intoa lot. You know, the whole
thing that we talked about, thisplan of seeds for tree you never gonna
shade under. We did say thatthat day. I don't know where I
read that or why it's always meantso much. Plan a seed for a

(05:53):
tree, you're never gonna shade underit, And that's how I've always operated.
So, um, I get tonow I'm kind of cheating. I'm
gonna have my cake and eat ittoo. I love the championships with one.
I love every team I've been with, But my biggest driving force that
I've dreamed of, the most importantchampionship was to me, was going to
be after I was no longer inthe head coach title. And so now

(06:16):
I get to kind of cheat bothways. Still get to work on the
national championship, but I get tonot have that title, so that one's
next. But then I woke upthis morning and I think, Nan,
I'm already thinking about we got tomake sure that after this head coach is
gone, that we're winning national championship. So I'm already looking fifteen years down
the road on that. So,um, it's what keeps it fun for
me. That's what keeps it funfor me. But I asked these girls

(06:39):
to buy into it at eighteen yearsof age, and I heard one just
say that the other day. Theyyou know, she was being interviewed and
and she even said, you know, we're concerned about Auburn winning ten years
from now, and I just lovedit. Absolutely. We will announce a
new question coach win tomorrow, allright, tomorrow, Okay, so tomorrow

(07:00):
by announced the new Yeah, CoachWilliams is not going anywhere. He was
not retiring. He's going to behelping the university in many, many roles,
including the question. I was justsitting here thinking, Coach, how
much money have you raised? Overthere with a question, do you have
a dollar amount from the first year? To know, you know, look
at the facilities. I just tryto you know, I look him back,

(07:23):
really messes me up. So it'smillions. I mean, I mean
it's literally That's That's one thing we'rereally proud of is is that, you
know, it's people that support ourprogram and private money that does that,
you know. So I think that'sa that's a unique position. I remember
he I'm pointing to Coach that overhere, his picture that man loved you
and the way you ran in yourprogram, and well, how much money

(07:44):
you raised, how Jeffy the daywe were out there together, how much
money you raised, how hard youworked? Right? All You'll telling him
Jeff all your work telling him itwasn't. It wasn't even before it was
a university. And I may workthat hard again, but I will say
that we're sitting there talking. Youknow, it's kind of turned into three
titles. It's head coach, EmeritusDirector of Equestrian there you go, and

(08:05):
uh, special Assistant to the aD. And I did look at at
John and Rich McLean right there,said okay, just be really clear with
all these titles, I may notwork as hard as I did in my
thirties, forties and early fifties.Um, but I might. I mean,
who knows it, just I itwill. But it's it's a it's
new, and it's fun. Butthe most of you know, most important

(08:26):
things. I make sure that weget that. We'll keep Albur the equestrian
head the right way, um,keep winning and uh, you know,
keep keep graduating some superior athletes.And you know, I'm just so proud
of some of these athletes. Youknow, I've got one of ours.
The mark you would like this beingin sports. I mean she and and
people didn't even know this. Shewas doing it from Auburn. She was

(08:48):
such a hit up there. Sheis already, she's just graduating. We'll
walk next week. And she's she'sthe head HR director for the Milwaukee Bucks
ready, which in Milwaukee Bucks isbigger than just basketball because the Bucks actually
owned that whole stadium. So everyPBR, rodeo, concert and all that,

(09:09):
all the staff and that falls onher. She was doing that as
she was still competing. I mean, she's winning SEC championships and she was
already from from Auburn staying on computersand phones and running that. So you
know, it's it's it's people likethat to just you know, get me
excited. You know, I've gothandle of mill. It's Mattie Spack doing
that handle the mill headed to uhto medical schools. Got some of them

(09:31):
that are good headed out to thepros, and others that are, you
know, going to graduate school.I mean, that's that end result is
the fun part. Law unbelievable.They're driven group of girls. Oh,
obviously you wouldn't be competing over you. You have to get the right ones
to work with you coach. Howmuch money each year? What's the budget
question? Problem? You haven't thatyou haven't I don't even know if we

(09:52):
get to share that out there geta good program, though it takes a
lot of money because you gotta yeah, well you got you know, the
horses, and we get a lotof sponsors and and we've got great sponsors
to support that. But um,you know, you go back to and
I don't want to get a wholenil thing started. But I don't think

(10:15):
people realize the investment that athletic departmentsdo in each student athlete. Um,
it goes so much further than thantuition for scholarship, you know, just
the way that these that our studentathletes are taken care of. I mean
it's a it's a marketing platform theycould never afford. I mean, it's
a healthcare and nutrition pray, it'sunbelieving academics, yeah, tutor academics and

(10:37):
tutoring. But and then also thenyou just get into the tuition. I
mean it's an education so moving yeah, books, it's incredible, it's incredible
supports. So that takes a lot. That takes all it does because the
knowly of the days we just hada long time coaching coach Stallings from the
time when he coached to now,they didn't help, they didn't offer the

(10:58):
things when he was coaching they donow they had tutoring and the wreck,
and think about the mess, theway that they're treating the way they're now
so much different from them and coachyou know was was in football. I
mean, it's just the locker roomsor something that better. I mean,
we've got cathedrals compared to what lockerrooms, lounge, cheers, yea,
and all that is. You know, that's all for recruiting. But then

(11:18):
what this all plays into is everybody. It lifts our towns up, it
lifts the areas up. And it'salso I mean, COVID has proven that
you know, you if it's aboutbooks, you can do that online.
It's about college. Is about theexperience and what you can become there.
And I feel like athletics adds somuch value, uh you know, to

(11:39):
that piece, as do some otherextracurricular activities that Auburn does, whether it's
clubs and societies and um, youknow, whether you're a warrigral gal or
got something. You know, somethe extra pieces of what I tell everybody,
whether they're looking at question team ornot, get involved in college.
That's what it's about. It's uh, it's about the experience. It's about

(12:00):
being heavily involved and that's where youbecome. And that's what something I do
think Auburn is great at um.You know, if you take the top
of universities around the country, thetruth is demark it's pretty much the same
curriculum, same books taught all overthe country. You got to go somewhere
where where you're going to be ableto become what you want to want to
become. You get to reinvent yourselfin college. I agree with that.

(12:22):
I agree it's always good to beinvolved in high school and certainly even better
as you move on correct to meeta lot of a lot of people.
Coach Greg Williams in the house you'relistening to on the mark we're in the
orthopedic clinic studio. First grandkid.It was a minister that said it.
So that's the only reason to makeyou make it funny. I can't say
it without qualifying that a minister.Look to me, he said, well,
he said congratulations. He said,Now you're gonna find out way he
didn't kill your own all just toget your grandkids. You know what,

(12:46):
Coach, I'm gonna have to sayso much to say amen, though you
have a lot of fun, theygive them back. They wear you out
though, men, see you've learned. Hey, oh my word, my
wife, she's brilliant with kids.I mean that's that's her passion that.
I mean, she's been wanting tobe a grandparent. I think since before
we make kids, you know.I mean she's she been wanting grank here

(13:07):
and since our late thirties for sure. I mean she's that's all she talked
about grandkids. So she was bornfor that role. So she was born
to be sunny and uh so Ididn't try a little bit take they wear
me out, I said, Ilike them. Now they get up and
they've got my oldest. Now Iwant to start getting into fishing. So
I'm yeah, I'm with that.Yeah, I'm about to load him up

(13:28):
too. I mean the older oneyou can kind of handle more. You
you're seven year old, right,you gotta say no, he's he's about
to be six six. You can'tmaneuver him because you know, but when
you get into that young part whereyou gotta constantly it's kind of like put
a leash on him. And kidsreally really difficult for me. Yeah,
I mean they'll wear I mean it'slike when when talking you know what I
mean. You just gotta hey,we need a time out, not a

(13:50):
time out for a time. Weneed a full ye not that's right,
I popp and he's a time.Yeah, we didn't put the engine off
and just pipe. Well they isso good about not using screen time and
all that, so it Uh.The one thing is is if we do
give him thirty minutes a show andthey locked down because they don't get to
watch TV as well, and it'sfun. We get to go outside and

(14:13):
play. They all love outdoors,they love moving and that's that's well.
I'm thankful for that. The threeof us do that. We try to,
but there's a little bit of screentime, like you said, when
we need an engine offer Yeah yeah, yeah. They think it's for them,
but it's for me. Yeah,but I agree with you these I
just wish I could get him dosome of that. Watch the back of
the Adlid's time. Well that's kindof and they're not gonna miss the thing.

(14:35):
Yeah, so might miss anything.My one that's coming to he is
why he sleeps maybe just a fewhours a night. I mean, he
is wearing my daughter out, Imean it. And he's good. He's
really good. But he's extremely smartand thinking. So he gets into it,
can climb anything. Literally, Ithink cold climbed outside of this building.

(14:58):
And so his older brother just gota fish tank and all that she's
they're setting it up. She walkedout of the room to grab something.
She comes back in there he hasalready climbed up on a chair, has
the light fix you're off the quariumand is dunking it in the water.
It's flashing everywhere, and he's justholding onto it, you know, and
she's just screaming and just goes,ya, gotta get grand child proof.
I mean, she said, sheI said, you're that you are not

(15:22):
going to be able to proof theworld from Connor. I mean that that
kid can get into anything. Andin a split second. No, I
mean really, not really. Imean they were backpacking with with her friend.
He climbed out on one of thosechild carriers on her back and they're
looking over a waterfall, so shefeels different. He's hanging back and just
hanging off that backpack and her friendgrabbed him and she said, he just

(15:46):
gives me heart attacks all the time. He can undo anything, climb out
of anything, and yeah, someof them have a great knack for escapability.
Yeah, escapability, you know.Yeah, that's when my wife and
up to their babysitting. He wasjust like, you're old and his crib
and she's in there playing with theolder one after they put it into bed,
and he comes wandering in there andlike how I mean explain that he's

(16:07):
in a sleep sack in a criband gets at that when gets out of
a crib himself. For when Imean, yeah, I think that I
put him in a cage for thecorner or something, if they got to
keep him. They come over.They know where you keep everything, they
know where anything, and just actlike they shouldn't get into it. That's
where I mean, we're to everything. They know where everything you got.

(16:30):
You can't do that. You cansit it right in front of me,
okay if you put it away.I was telling my wife this morning,
I said, I think Duce comesin and he scans the room like like
it just same different you know,yeah, yeah, And I said,
because he'll he'll stuff that you don'texpect that I wouldn't even notice. He'll
notice. They like horses coach,they got to right, you know,

(16:55):
there are some um we'll just saywe're not pushing everything on them ones a
little bit. I mean the onesthat nashful art man and uh, you
know, my granddaughter lives out thereand notice aga right down for my mom's
I think she likes m Okay,but okay, you had I just excuse
for how let's say that's a goodidea, coach, I understand that.
But you're right, it is pricesand they will wear Yeah, yeah,

(17:17):
very How could you not like ahorse so coup? You know, I
don't get it. I mean evenif you just want to just I mean
every time. Yeah, I understandpeople might not want to be in that
business, they might not want totake care of and that the only one
wants to be different. Yeah,but appreciating them as just something else.
And it's it's even like dogs.You may not have to just love,

(17:38):
but you mean the attitude of adog is just gonna look at that preci
I mean, people just gravitate towardshorses when they see them in a in
a pasture or a pen. Yeah, if they come up to the fence,
man, it's even better, youknow, I mean, yeah,
that's nothing kind of shifting to thatyou don't have to go far right.
I hear the storybook farms to seewhat it does from them, what it
does from the outside of horse goodfor inside a man. Will Rogers said

(18:00):
that that's perfect. I mean itis. What was that movie? What
was that movie? Is battling thereover in Vietnam and they were, uh,
how to get to move? Butthey had one of this kind of
one of the they had interviewing allthese soldiers is a movie and and uh,
one of the guys a cowboy,and they're saying, what's the lat
bit of Vietnam's I don't know whatkind of there's not even many horses areas.

(18:21):
Why don't kind of country doesn't havehorses? Was that full metal jacket?
That's a different one. The guy'sname coo Cowboy. Yeah, I
guess it was kind of country upto horses. That is America. Coach
Greg Williams, we're talking grandkids rightnow actually, but uh, Coach Williams
yesterday's announcement that he actually said he'sretirement. Coach Williams is not going anywhere?

(18:42):
Are you coaching? Nope? Ihope not. Well, yeah,
coach is moving into what a threepart role? Is that kind of what
we've nailed it at three parts,but um helping the A d uh,
Yeah, I'm still with a questrianAnd what was the other one? I
be head coach of Meridus can stillbe accountable coach uh director of equestrian and
that's question. You know, hopefullythat's going to let I get to work

(19:03):
a lot more with you know,all aspects of the equestrian programs and teaching
programs out there and uh special assistantto the AD. So there you go.
You know, I think it'll beboth in college with doctor Patterson and
John Cohen want me to do youknow, it'll and and also President Roberts
hopefully we get to do some stuffwith him. So and when he said

(19:25):
accountable, what he's saying is youcan now have four. A question in
coaches right used to be three wasa let there you go, and coach
is going to let another one comein to have three. Yeah, we
get to make ourselves better right now. And that's an excited way. So
we just watch for announcements. Imean, it's we'll all it'll all makes
sense by tomorrow mid May. Bymid May, well tomorrow night's exciting announced
announced announce they head coach tomorrow anduh, mid May, and you know

(19:49):
our team's excited, they know theplan and uh we're we're we're about to
get better. No, I agreewith that, coach, and you had
a good year. Two things didn'twork out. We had gone into that.
Yeah, yeah, and it's Iknow everybody says should be more gracious.
I'm just not good when I lose. I were talking about yeah,
I'm it's not good as you saw, and again it was and you'd already

(20:11):
beat him. I know that wasfrustrating to you, but you a fan.
Happens, it happens. So Itold the girls, I said,
listen, you know you be proud. Said, listen, it's kind of
sting, it's kinda hurt. Isaid, just the only thing you're gonna
need to do is put a timelimit on your pity party. Then you
just lift yourself up. Had agreat call when you're feeling down. Bow
Jackson called me that night, anduh, I mean it's always good day
and both cost you, but hiswords were great and he just said good

(20:36):
things and helped take a lot ofthat sting out. Because you know,
you've watched somebody that's been through theups and downs and and but be the
greatest achievement. But he said something, he said, make sure you tell
your girls. I said, youwin with dignity and lose with pride and
this. You know, just bea little humble when you win, but
when you give your all, beproud. And he said, you keep
the chance that they've got nothing tobe ashamed of. So that helped that.

(21:00):
Sure it did win the same wayyou lose, you know, win
the same way you waitmen lose thesame way as you would win. Okay,
yeah, know that's a different oneI find I'm gonna have to work
on, well, you know whatI'm talking about. Work on that saying,
hey, when we win the footballgame, we want to act like
the same if if we win orwe lose. I want you to I
want you to do the same onthe field, very sexful, highspool coach.

(21:21):
It's gonna be the same. Onefeels off. So I mean that's
a good way of looking at It'skind of like, uh, act like
you've been there before. Yeah,like you made it. Yeah yeah,
So I said, you know,we will resurrect that feeling, yeah,
a couple of times next year,just I said, but right now,
I get past it, but thennext year we'll resurrect that feeling and that
that fuels your drive to get better. Is that a contract? Well,

(21:41):
okalla with the I know we talkedabout it three years. Yeah, but
three years and there are other facilitiesyou know putting in it's not dead.
It's really request for proposal and justgoing wherever it's cheapest, is where we
think we can get the best job. One more Yeah, say we got
we're contracted. We're definitely next year, and they're they're bidden for the next
three way go back in when theycome back into bid, I don't know.

(22:03):
I actually you know it's all thosegoing to our executive director. I
don't know who will actually turn inbids. Biggest situation with facilities is,
you know we can't if we're goingto put on an event. You know
we would have flexibility on dates.We don't have about a week window that
we can be flexible. So it'swhat facilities can even be opened during that
time is important? Did you hostit? Is it possible? Oh?

(22:23):
No, no way, no way. Near the stalls the National Championship,
I mean the horses, because Iknow you took twenty four Yeah, I
mean so you're because you're looking toget you got a house about one hundred
horses, so you know that's andsometimes even more. Uh, you know,
there's talk about dropping the number ofschools that qualify for championships, and

(22:45):
um, you know for everybody thatthey think we're the newest sports, it's
out there and um, so thesechanges really are just kind of natural.
And when people look about changing ourselvesand look at football. Football has been
around forever and they're still change changing. Baseball's change. And I said,
you got to do what what whatthe what the fans demand? Well,

(23:08):
it's good, just doesn't matter,you know. I went to that ambush
tour. It actually Hugh Freeze wasasked that. Coach Freese answer said,
you know, whether you like thator not, I mean, it's it's
this is what our our our donors, our supporters, our fan base is
requiring, you know. I meanthey need the game shorter. It's just
it's the way our lifestyles are now. And so I thought, I thought

(23:30):
Coach Freeze did a great answer,and that's what I talk about every change
we make. I said, itdoesn't matter what I like, It doesn't
matter what you like. I said, you've got to do what the fans
like. What's They're the ones thatmake the world go round. Are the
people that support you, and you'vegot to You've got to make You've got
to make this a good deal forthem. Tell me this. They want

(23:51):
to tailgate, They want to gowatch the game and get back to tailgates.
Right, do you do you do? You do you think it's a
good morning? Do you think it'sa better Do you think more is better
to end a championship? Or wouldyou like just personally speaking, Um,
well, it would take less horses, So I think that's the biggest piece.
Um, take less horses. Andyou know, if our if our
number of schools expands, and itmight, you know, then then you

(24:15):
could have an argument for keeping itor even going up. But um,
you know right now that they're reallynot going to be a big expansion in
any sports right now. It's justbecause we've got so much that we've got
such a head win right now thateverybody's trying to get through with the name,
image and likeness, and um,you know, the money's the money's
tight right now. The greatest takesin the house. Jeffrey Craig, doctor

(24:36):
Mars has join us. Anthony Turtlingshould be coming your way soon. On
the mark from the Orthopedic Clinic Studio