Father and Son: Bobby and Drew Wilder get valuable time together with Tech Football
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The bond between a father and son is a great one. As a father, one sees an extension of themselves, a continuation of their story, someone to shape and mold and teach. As a son, they see a role model, someone who will do anything for them and, deep down, has their best interests at heart because, more than likely, they’ve been there before. When the opportunity arose for Drew Wilder to continue his football journey at Tennessee Tech and join his father, head coach Bobby Wilder, it was an easy decision. It’s one neither of them regrets.
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The bond between a father and son is a great one. As a father, one sees an extension of themselves, a continuation of their story, someone to shape and mold and teach. As a son, they see a role model, someone who will do anything for them and, deep down, has their best interests at heart because, more than likely, they've been there before.
When the opportunity arose for Drew Wilder to continue his football journey at Tennessee Tech and join his father, head coach Bobby Wilder, it was an easy decision.
It's one neither of them regrets.
Bobby's done it before – his son, Derek, was at Old Dominion when the elder Wilder led the Monarchs. Now the family legacy continues as Drew is the starting center for the Golden Eagles.
"It's a dream come true," Bobby said. "I get that extra time as a parent. You always think when they graduate high school and move on, that's it. The fact that I got to live with Derek and be with him my last year at Old Dominion and now with Drew this year, it's just a dream come true as a father and a coach."
Between father and sons, football has been a family tradition.
"My dad was a quarterback in college," Drew said. "I always make the joke to them that he was a quarterback, my brother was a tight end and D-end, kind of big skill. I'm a lineman, so it's all kind of gone full circle. Football's been my life."
Drew's start in the sport came at a young age – not surprising considering his dad's career and his older brother's days in the sport.
"I started playing in seventh grade," Drew said. "I saw my brother playing and I was around ODU all the time with those guys, so I felt like it would be a fun sport to try and I loved it. I was playing lacrosse and basketball, and, in high school, I took up wrestling. I've always had fun with football and I really started to like it when I started to understand what was going on.
"I knew center was the best spot for me because you get to touch the ball, so it feels like I'm doing something, but I get to communicate a lot with the quarterbacks and the offense and really get to understand it more. I've been sitting in staff meetings since I was eight and now I play a part in running the offense."
Fathers coaching a son itself isn't too rare, but the way this situation works out is. Through research in conjunction with the Ohio Valley Conference and Stats Perform, the results led to only three coaches who have coached a son on both the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision – Deion Sanders, Brian Bohannon and Bobby Wilder.
Sanders did it at Jackson State and Colorado, Bohannon did it at Kennesaw State – but it was when the Owls reclassified from FCS to FBS. Sanders and Wilder are the only two to do it at different schools among the Division I tiers.
"That is remarkable to think because there are so many good dads out there that are head coaches," Bobby said. "When you coach at Division I, that's the elite level of talent. For the three of us to be that fortunate that our sons were talented enough to be accomplished at Division I and have that opportunity, it's a proud dad moment and a proud head coach moment."
Drew added, "That's definitely one of those cool little facts that pop up in college football."
What is it like playing for your father on the Division I level? Drew definitely sees it as a positive.
"It's a lot of fun," he said. "He's a good coach and everyone likes him. I'm just another guy on the team, you know – there's no difference between me and anyone else, so it's been an easy transition."
And it didn't take long for Drew to be accepted as a Golden Eagle.
"The transition's been easy," he said. "It's the same conference. Football's the same. It's just been pretty simple. My teammates on the line are great and they have a lot of respect for me and it helps that we've all played in the same conference. I've played against them and they respect me for how long I've been playing and how many snaps I've had."
Derek's pathway was certainly different than Drew's. He played his entire career at Old Dominion, earning two undergraduate degrees and a master's degree. Derek was a captain and earned honorable mention all-conference honors as a defensive end
"Also a very good roommate," Bobby said, "someone that I just enjoyed getting to spend that extra time with and that helped us maintain such a close relationship. Now to have that same experience with Drew – Derek did a very good job of talking to his brother about what it's like to live with your dad who's also your head coach. They compared notes, so to speak, which has been really helpful.
"I feel very proud that Derek was a really good role model for his brother, from how you handle yourself as a person and then having that incredibly busy schedule that sometimes can be 12 hours a day of school and football and training and recovery. For Drew to be able to see his brother do it at a high level, that's helped Drew do it at a high level."
It's also an interesting dynamic away from the field with Bobby and Drew's life away from the field as it's coach, father and roommate.
"That's the Triple Crown, as I would call it," Bobby said, with a laugh. "We've established the father-son relationship, which is very close. Then there's the coach. We've done a good job being able to separate those two, because it's so important from my standpoint. I want him to be a teammate and have relationships with his teammates that are going to last for a lifetime. He's done such a good job of separating that part of it.
"I've gotten to watch him grow as a person, as a student being a Dean's List student in grad school – which is tough here as this is a very good academic school. He's accomplished so much academically and as a football player. He was an all-conference player in this league last year. He's a starter and he's the leader up front of the offensive line, setting all of the blocking schemes and protection.
He continued, "Seeing that Triple Crown area, he's a good roommate. He helps clean, he cooks and he's very accomplished in those areas, which is a big bonus as a dad."
It's not surprising that Drew treasures this time with his dad as well.
"The best part is just being able to spend time with him and grow a connection," he said. "I just get to be around him and his element, what he's been doing for most of his life. When I go home, it's not like Coach is also home. He's, you know, just Dad when he gets home."
So how tough is it to flip the switch from coach to dad and back?
"It's much easier this time around," Bobby said. "Derek and I learned a lot going through it all together at Old Dominion. Drew and I established this right when he first got here. We talked about how we would both handle it. Every time I see him, whether it's at practice or a lifting session or a team meeting, I have such a sense of pride of what he's accomplished.
"What he and I have been able to accomplish is when it's football, let's be head coach/player. As soon as we separate from football, let's be father/son. Just last night, we were sitting in the backyard and just talking. We had some talk about football, some talk about life. It's so easy now to get in and out of conversations and we're both really comfortable."
That's not to say Drew doesn't try to have some fun with his coaching dad.
"There's been some times where I've tried to mess with him at practice," Drew smirked. "You know, he tries to fire us up and he does this thing where he says 'I feel like it' and he'll move the offense back five yards, because you'll have random things happen in a game like penalties and stuff you can't control. Every time he moves it back, I'll try to move back 10 more, just to try to get a laugh out of him when he's trying to be serious, but it's fun."
Drew's pathway to Cookeville wasn't a quick journey, going from Annapolis and the U.S. Naval Academy, to Thomas Nelson Community College, a championship run with Iowa Western, then to Charleston, Ill., and Eastern Illinois, then to his new home.
"Out of high school, getting offered by the Naval Academy was amazing," Drew said. "It was only three hours from home, so it was a perfect fit. Navy was a lot of fun and the military stuff was really cool. Football was fun – the triple-option was a different life, but it was fun. From there, going JUCO out in Iowa and being 20 hours from home, it was a great learning experience.
"Eastern Illinois, after that, was a perfect fit. I have a great deal of respect for the program and the coaches. Coach (Chris) Wilkerson, he was great to me from the beginning. It was a great two years there, then the opportunity to come here and play for my dad in the same conference – you couldn't have written a better script."
There were speed bumps along the way, challenges to overcome, but one thing is for sure – Drew Wilder has persevered.
"It's just a remarkable journey in this day and age, especially in the age of the transfer portal," Bobby said. "You see a lot of young men who have been to multiple schools. This is Drew's fifth school. He spent 16 months as Iowa Western and was on a team that won a national championship – that was such a good experience for him."
But in the regular-season finale last season in Cookeville, Bobby and Drew went through something unique as Eastern Illinois came to Tucker Stadium.
"I don't know how many head coach fathers have done this – I actually had to coach a game against him last year," Bobby said. "We were on opposing sidelines and, I'll be honest, I was watching the center a lot in that game. I wanted to win, but I had mixed emotions. I wanted Drew to play well and wanted him to stay healthy."
Tech ended up winning the game 23-6, clinching a share of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference championship and the program's 11th conference title all-time.
"That was such a unique experience," Bobby said. "Then, in December, he graduated from Eastern Illinois and chose to come here, to have that opportunity to play on this team and get his master's degree.
"So when I think of Drew, the one word I think of that describes his college journey is perseverance. He's overcome adversity and is always trying to be the best version of himself. That's what I'm most proud of. Unlike his brother who was at Old Dominion for five years, Drew has had to chase his dream and do it through some difficult circumstances. Some he created for himself, some were created for him – and he's just persevered. That makes me proud of him."
The biggest of those challenges and one that affected a lot of student-athletes of the time was the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world changed its approach to a lot of things to avoid exposure to the illness, it was truly a different time.
"Drew was a COVID graduate," Bobby said. "He graduated from Jamestown High School in Williamsburg in the spring of '20, when COVID was rampant throughout the country and the world. His graduation was actually in a passenger seat of a car at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, getting his degree in a drive-through line.
"At the Naval Academy, they had situations where there were days he spent 23 out of 24 hours in his room and they got out one hour for exercise. It wasn't just Drew, but it was what all of those students that went through COVID lived through and it was hard. For Drew and a lot of his teammates as the Naval Academy, that was just an incredibly difficult life situation. Take out school and football, just a difficult life and he persevered."
All the work paid off for Drew as he was a second-team selection on last year's All-Big South/OVC team and collected a couple of preseason nods this year.
"It was rewarding," Drew said. "I played 1,600 snaps in the last two years and being able to get recognition for that was really cool. Entering this season, I'm just trying to stay on my feet and try to learn something new every day."
Now that Drew is established with the Tech football team, the coach answer for what goals to have for his son are easy – earn all-conference honors and win a championship. But there's a bigger reason why, as a father, Bobby wants to see success for his son.
"Drew's established himself as one of our better players," Bobby said. "So to see him have success this year with this team and winning a lot of football games, you know, the goal is to win a conference championship and go to the playoffs – he's never done that. Other than his junior college experience, he hasn't been to the playoffs.
"Eastern Illinois had a good team two years ago and went 8-3 and missed the playoffs. So we both have that goal of getting into the playoffs, compete for a national championship and then personally see him earn his master's degree in project management, continue to be a Dean's List student and then set himself up for success in life."
Would Drew ever think about following in his dad's footsteps?
"I don't know if I would be able to do it," he said. "It's a hard life, but who knows? Maybe high school."
The moment someone becomes a parent, they know that time is indeed limited. Those children grow up before your eyes and become young adults with their own lives to lead. For Bobby Wilder to get that extra time with his son has been a blessing without a doubt.
"Drew's just such a good person to be around," Bobby said. "It's a joy every day to get to spend time with him. And the time we spend together as a father and son? I'm already dreading when that will come to an end, when he moves out and goes off on his own.
"But that time we get to spend right now, I just cherish every moment."
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
