In this addition of Sundt's Scribes, Hal Sundt sits down with three former Yeomen who have traded in their jerseys for a coaches' polo and a whistle. 

Good things come in three's, or so it seems. The Three Musketeers. The Big 3 in Boston. The original Star Wars trilogy. And this season, the Oberlin College football program has taken this philosophy to heart, with three former Yeomen football players on staff in Vorris Mayes '05, Greg Mangan '09 and Mike Law '11.

Gathered around in a makeshift circle in the main foyer of Philips Gymnasium, the four of us looked more like a book club having its monthly meeting than a group of guys getting ready to talk about their path into coaching Oberlin football: Mangan, who holds nearly every passing record in Oberlin history, was reclined back casually in his chair, with legs outstretched and his wavy hair tucked under a baseball cap, Law leaned forward, with his forearms on his thighs, and Mayes sat up straight, with his hands across his lap.

Upon graduating from Oberlin, Mangan returned to California and served as a volunteer coach at San Francisco Junior College before returning to his former high school to be the Quarterbacks Coach, the same position he currently holds with the Yeomen.

Like Mangan, Mayes, now the Linebackers Coach, moved around a bit after graduation, but he always stayed involved with the game as he coached at the high school level in Houston, Texas. When he decided to pursue coaching at the collegiate level, he was weighing options from all around the country, but little did he know that he would end up back at Oberlin.

“I actually called Coach Ramsey to get a reference,” Mayes says. “And he said 'I have a spot here for you. Would you like to come here instead?' And so he gave me the references for the other jobs, but he offered me this one and I chose this one because I thought it was the best opportunity.”

Law, who is currently the Running Backs Coach for the Yeomen, took a more direct route into coaching the Yeomen.

“Throughout my college process Coach Ramsey and I discussed the coaching option,” Law recalls. “It was something that I was interested in going into college and my interest grew as my time here continued and I continued my football career. Towards the ends of the fall semester last year we sat down I said I was interested in finding a spot at a college program and it just so happened that one opened up here and I was able to join the staff.”

As an athlete nearing the end of my own collegiate career, I can't help but wonder what it's like to be involved in the game when you can no longer play it at the most competitive level. What keeps these guys in the game, why are they drawn to coaching?

“The thing I love about it is I'm an education guy,” Mayes explains. “I'm working on my master's degree in Education and this gives me an opportunity to connect with young people in ways I really do enjoy. I feel like I'm helping them achieve something not just in the short term, but in the long term for lifetime goals.”

Law, who actually still practices occasionally as the team is dealing with a few injuries, admits that it can be hard at times.

“You're always going to miss Saturdays and going out against a different team and competing with your teammates,” Law says. But he adds that, like Mayes, the rewards of helping young men mature keep him coming back. “The player development. Not necessarily just skills athletically, but seeing them grow as people.”

This sentiment is echoed by Mangan:

“It's one thing to improve as a skill as a football player, but then I think if we're coaching well and doing it right then what they [the players] learn improving those fundamentals is going to translate to other parts of their life and I think we've all felt that at some point growing up in the game.”

Over the last ten years, Oberlin Football has evolved from program on the rise into a legitimate contender in the NCAC year in and year out. And much of this growth can be attributed to the work that Mayes, Mangan and Law, as well as all of their teammates over those years, put in to help Oberlin improve.

Near the end of our interview I notice the sun has nearly set. I get a chill looking through the window, that type of chill where you can almost feel the wind through the glass before it's had the chance to sweep down into your lungs. Mayes is sitting closest to the window, but he doesn't show any signs of getting cold, because inside a fire is burning, as it burns in Law, Mangan and the rest of the Oberlin coaching staff. Mayes looks down at the ground and says softly,

“Being able to take something and build it up is a beautiful thing.”