By COOPER RATHMANN
I arrived at Beloit College on a scorching hot day in August. After organizing my dorm room, I met my teammates, but there was someone who stood out in that group. Was he someone’s parent lingering around a bit too long? However, I quickly came to realize who he was. He introduced himself to me as “assistant cross country coach” Brian Bliese.
Why did I never know about him prior? I never received emails or texts from him during my recruiting process. He later mentioned his true title of Head Track and Field and Cross Country Coordinator. This signified I would be creating a strong relationship with him and Coach Ellie Waddle.
Bliese is a man of tall stature with a welcoming personality, yet at times it can feel stern. The feeling of intimidating energy dissipates after talking to him for more than two minutes. He rocks a silver combed side part, paired with a well maintained goatee. He wears knee-high cargo shorts all year round, no matter the temperature outside. One could pick him out in a crowd because of his vibrant selection of Beloit Buccaneers gear. I am under the belief all of his wardrobe flaunts the yellow Beloit “B” or the justifiably copied buccaneer logo.
I grew ever more curious to get the bigger picture of his grand career. Bliese graduated from the now-closed Milton College in 1976 where he was their star quarterback. Attempting to emulate the talent of the late Bart Starr, he led his team to an undefeated season in 1975. They were the only team in the country to do so. His success on the field granted him the chance to show off his skills in the pros with the Saint Louis Cardinals, now the Arizona Cardinals. One of his dual-sport athletes Ayouba “DK” Sumoaro’27 said that he would lock Bliese down on defense if he was put in the modern era of football, and that “he ain’t going nowhere with DK on him”.
After the pro leagues did not pan out, he aspired to follow in the footsteps of his father, who was the former director of the National High School Athletic Association. The coaching opportunity arose when Milton College established women’s athletics, in which he administered every women’s sport. That job also acted as a “foot in the door position” to coach football as well. His time at Milton only lasted for five years, but his accomplishments are off the charts. For instance, Bliese brought the women’s basketball team to the national championship with only seven players on the roster.
Once Milton College closed its doors in 1982, Carthage College hired him as head coach for football and XCTF. However, the coaching at Carthage was a temporary gig due to the expressed interest found at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. This is where Bliese really began to shine. His sixteen-year tenure created dominating teams for all his opponents to fear. Opposing women’s track and field teams like Lacrosse and Oshkosh were second to none when he was at the helm for Carroll – coaching hundreds of all-conference athletes and even a two-national champion in cross country. His work at Carroll would get his name solidified in the history books when he was inducted into their athletic hall of fame in 2013.
In 2000, the culture at Carroll was being called into question. Earlier in the year, the Beloit College coach contacted Bliese for an opening. There were many athletes with great potential, and it seemed like it was time for a culture change at Carroll. Although the decision was not easy to leave a legacy like his behind, there were great education opportunities for his daughters the older they got. This became the primary reason for Brian Bliese to lead the Beloit Buccaneers to glory.
The culture and teams he would be coaching were so diverse in terms of athletes and their personal backgrounds, and Bliese enjoyed it in its entirety. He was coaching athletes from all over the world, whether they be from the Caribbean all the way to Asia. He ended up telling me a story of Djuvane Browne’04, a Jamaican high jumper pictured on one of his shelves. Browne was one of those “special athletes” that could catch the attention of all other athletes and fans in attendance. Although he was “a bit cocky on the podium”, Bliese remembers him most for his work ethic, and now Browne acts as one of the many inspiring examples to tell future athletes about.
Bliese’s coaching style is hard to replicate because the formula to its success relies on team dynamics that many other coaches do not implore. It first starts with playing into the strengths and weaknesses of the individual. While there is more of a push towards mechanics in sprinting, there is not necessarily a “rubber stamp” for the perfect form of running. He says it best when he tells his athletes “You get out what you put in”, which is the most effective mentality for becoming the best runner, jumper, or thrower one can imagine themselves being. Izzy Zewedie’26 says he dedicates himself to appreciating the unseen hours of work that comes with what you put in and “what the people see validate that hard work in the end”.
Competition days are one of Bliese’s greatest joys in life. At meets, he roams the inner track or is always heard yelling “GET OUT” to his athletes in the blocks. Max Muszynski’26 loves “the stare”. “The stare” is when Bliese locks eyes with the scoreboard at the end of races, “mouth agape, hands on hips”. Muszynski says he has never seen so much focus in one man’s stance before.
The meet schedules and Bliese’s personal connections around other teams has created lasting relationships and sometimes rivalries with other colleges like Illinois College or Monmouth. Drew Arhebun’26 mentioned how Monmouth demolishes Beloit in the 4×400 meter relay every year and that there is some “bad blood”. However, these colleges are bringing forth rivalries in a positive direction and bringing out the best in athletes in contrast to one that would be more hate fueled. Bliese’s teams are built upon the principles of “respecting everyone and quality citizenship” so there has luckily been no heated rivalry that many expect in small, collegiate conferences.
In terms of toxic or inflated egos within a team, Bliese preaches the idea of it being “difficult to have a big ego in such a competitive conference”, basically meaning that an athlete can get humbled very easily. It would be more advantageous to use the ego to strive for your goals, rather than projecting it onto other teammates and diminishing team morale.
Over the past years of his coaching career, Bliese has racked up hundreds of achievements and he has truly immortalized himself in the colleges he sacrificed so much to coach. This has led to his office in the sports center functioning like a museum of vivid memories. Ellie Waddle’17 says the office serves two purposes: to show the history of the program to recruits and to be a surrounding reminder of the happy memories, even though at times it can be a bit messy. The dual-purpose office keeps luring me back, making me want to know about every piece of a collective Beloit story.
Although every item tells a story in what I only describe as a living archive, there are two that are his most precious. The first is an array of hats and visors hung on the back wall. These hats and visors all have their own unique story to them, whether they be from national trips or individual athletes going to nationals. The second is the jersey and medal of the memorialized athlete Darth Winkler’15 that hangs on the wall adjacent to his cluttered desk. Winkler was an athlete taken from us too soon, and before his tragic passing, he sought to use his last year of eligibility to compete. His name is placed on a plaque at Strong Stadium and the initials “DW” lay on one of Bliese’s visors.
In the humorous words of Jeremy Mueller’27, Bliese is “getting a bit too old for this, but he’s still going strong”. At the end of the day, he is a coach who simply asks for two things – something all his athletes can immediately name – attitude and effort. He says his job is “ninety percent fun and enjoyment while the remaining ten is professional work”, and that he gets to bask in the experiences of coaching athletes from all over the world. He highlighted the joy he feels through his current school record-holding 4×400 meter relay team, which consists of men hailing from Minnesota, Miami, Las Vegas, and Benin. He recognizes and appreciates that a unique combination of gifted athletes cannot be emulated anywhere else.
It is now April and the outdoor season has kicked off and the Beloit Relays is right around the corner, a historical and lasting competition. I have experienced a beautiful metamorphosis at Beloit throughout the cross country and indoor track seasons. My two sports have improved my leadership skills and have allowed me to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences like a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach. Bliese has created many success stories through his rigor and dedication to sports, and I could not be more grateful to be a part of his uniquely crafted program.
Featured image: Picture of Brian Bliese (Cooper Rathmann’28)
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