How A Division III Coach Built Stability, Traveled The World, And Led Through Adversity

A coach who chose roots over rungs. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with Case Western Reserve University head football coach Greg Debeljak, whose uncommon path in a nomadic profession shows what happens when you build a program—and a life—around staying power.

We dig into why Division III fit his wiring, how mentors like Tony DiCarlo and Jim Tressel shaped his approach, and what “family culture” looks like when it’s lived for decades. Greg opens up about their international tours to Italy and Greece, where club teams play for love of the game, the NCAA grants extra padded practices, and players come home with stories of the Vatican, Pompeii, and island sunsets that tighten a locker room more than any lift. He breaks down the season’s chaos, from back-to-back lightning delays and a tie at Rowan to finishing a road game at a local high school because the stadium had no lights—then the gut punch of losing star QB Aaron Phillips, the rise of Sam DiTilio, and a four-game win streak that kept them in the title hunt.

Leadership and relationships sit at the center. Greg shares how AD TJ Shelton’s people-first style turns mistakes into solutions, why admissions partner Johnny “Fiddy” Falconi proved invaluable for grad recruits, and what he learned coaching All-American Cam Brown, son of NBA coach Mike Brown. You’ll hear a vivid account of Mike’s visit and his film-backed talk on rebounding from heavy losses—a masterclass in resetting a team’s mindset. We also explore Case Western Reserve’s transformation: bigger enrollment, booming international presence, and a research ecosystem that launches careers across STEM, business, and beyond. Greg’s final message for families is clear: choose your circle with care. Fit is the multiplier that shapes who you become.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Coach Debeljak’s Unusual Coaching Journey
• 9:46 Why Division III And Building A Family Culture
• 15:11 Foreign Trips To Italy And Greece
• 23:01 What European Club Football Is Really Like
• 28:46 Spring Practice Benefits And Team Bonding
• 34:51 A Season Of Delays, Injury, And Grit
• 43:16 Working With AD TJ Shelton’s People-First Style
• 48:01 Connections, Mentors, And The Steve Thompson Story
• 53:01 Coaching Cam Brown And Lessons From Mike Brown

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 4:32

Welcome everybody to another episode of the Ride Home Rants podcast. This is, as always, your host, Mike Bono. I have a great guest for us today. He's coming to us from the Cleveland, Ohio area. He is the head football coach of Case Western University, and that is Greg Debelek joins the show. Greg, thank you for joining. Hey, Mike, great to be here. Great to be talking to you today. Absolutely. Uh for sure. We're happy to have you on. I know we've been trying to get this scheduled for a couple of weeks now. I'm glad we were actually able to make this happen, but you are the head football coach there at Case Western Reserves University, like I said, uh in Cleveland. How many years have you been coaching at Case? And uh can you walk us through a little bit of your coaching journey?

SPEAKER_00: 5:16

Yeah, I've been coaching at Case actually since 2001. I took over as head coach in 2004. So 25 years at the university. Uh before that, I was uh 12 years at John Carroll, two years as a graduate assistant, and 10 years as a full-time coach. And during that time, um, you know, I my journey as a coach, very, very different. I've been in two places in 38 years. Uh we live in the same house. Um, my kids went to the same school district, K through 12. I I I tell this to some D1 guys, and they they look they look at me and thinking like either like I don't believe you, or well, that would have been nice. Um so it it uh I I I love the D3 experience. You know, I I I I attended John Carroll and played football and basketball there, um and never really had any aspirations to be a Division I coach. NFL would have been interesting, but uh when I was at John Carroll, there was a man coaching there named Tony DiCarlo that uh was at John Carroll coaching for 40 years. Um he was the head wrestling coach and won a national championship there and eventually took over as the football coach. So that's kind of what I was kind of exposed to. And also I really admired Jim Tressel, was at Young Sound State for so long in Ohio State, and just felt that like the way I was wired, that was that was what was best for me to just kind of go to a place and kind of be there a long time and you know create a environment where you know it's it's just a like more of a family environment. And yeah, I've I've coached pretty much a generation of Case Western Reserve athletes. So I've I I feel that's pretty special.

SPEAKER_01: 7:16

That that is that's awesome to hear. I it it's it's rare anymore in the in the coaching world and the sports world to see a coach last at a uh a program as long as you have so kudos to you for being able to to last at one program. Um and you know, only ever really coaching at two, that's huge. Uh, you know, for you and your family, that's that's awesome for sure. You know, uh most families of coaches, you know, they're they're moving around a lot, they're finding the next uh opportunity, the better opportunity. I think that's that speaks volumes to your character right off the bat and everything like that. And having that in mindset, uh, this is where I want to be, this is where I want to coach. Um, and making that uh work for you. Um I mean that just reminds me, you brought up the NFL, it reminds me of the Pittsburgh Steelers, three coaches in in my lifetime that I've ever you know really got to experience. And it's been the only three. Um, so finding something that works that I mean that that definitely shows the commitment the case has to you, uh, for sure. And um yeah, that that it's just that that threw me for a loop. I was not expecting that answer. I'm not gonna lie to hear Craig talking to coaches. I'm normally used to like, oh, I've coached here, here, here, here, we moved there. You know, it's that so that kind of threw me for a loop, but in a good way.

SPEAKER_00: 8:37

Yeah, it's not a it's not a typical story. And and I I I coached uh, you know, John Carroll with uh all those guys that are in the NFL now. Josh McDaniels uh was actually a recruit of mine. Um Nick Casario, who's the GM of the Texans, uh Jerry Shaplinsky, who's with the with the Texans now. He is I think his title is passing game consultant. Um Jerry coached a case with me for five years, but was a John Carroll kid that that was really good friends with Nick and Josh, and Nick Josh gave him an opportunity with the Patriots, and and and Jerry had that typical. He was with the Patriots for six years, and then after that it was the Dolphins one, the Giants two years, Vegas two years, Rams one year, and now he's in his first year of the Texans, and he has four girls. And they're they've been moving all over the place. So hey, God bless them. And I I I I'm glad the Texans are doing well. They started off kind of rough, and I was concerned, like it's might be another move. Um so it's it's a tough business. Um, and and to survive in that business, you you have to be really good. Um, but there's you're sacrificing a lot of things too.

SPEAKER_01: 9:54

Right. Yeah, that that's one of the main things that a lot of people have talked about on the show, all the other coaches that I've had on the show, um, talking about the sacrifices they've made with their families and making it work. So it it's it's great to hear the other side of that too, for people who have made it work at one university and one program, um, and were able to have that success there uh too as well. Uh and this past spring, you know, your team and your staff went to Italy to practice and play an international game. Can you talk to us about that experience? Uh, how did that work? And you know, how did uh how did your game go uh as a resident uh Pizan myself here in America? I gotta I gotta hear the story about being able to go to Italy.

SPEAKER_00: 10:36

Yeah, so it it it definitely goes back to my days at John Carroll, um, where when I was a coach there, we went on three foreign trips, 94, 97, and 2000. And when I became the head coach, it was such a great experience. Um, you know, for for the kids, for the the coaches, um, and it was a great team building um experience. So I wanted to get that going at case, and it took a while because the the case kids kind of like didn't get it. Like I'd kind of try and sell them on it, and they're like, Well, why would we do that? I have I start my my co-op, you know, in May. And how am I gonna do this? And I'm like, well, just you know, ask them for a week off. I mean, like, let's let's find a way to do this. And right the first time we went, we went with uh just 24 players and a travel group of 45. Um the game isn't like the big deal. Um it they they're not good. Uh there are places in Europe that are that are pretty good. Germany and Austria, uh they put the most resources into it. Um, Italy is is not that competitive. These are club teams that you play. Okay, they don't have college football. So you're playing people at everybody's over 18, but they you have a lot of guys that are in their upper 20s, their lower 30s. You you'll you'll see a 40-year-old here and there. They're just people that really love American football and want to play. So the the teams that we played, and we've done four foreign trips at Case, um, the standard you know kind of format is they will have an American coach and they will have two American players uh that are just out of college. The the team we played this this past spring, um, they had a player from UCLA. He was a receiver for UCLA that they they played at quarterback because he was a high school quarterback. Um, and they had a linebacker from a Division III school. Um, and they had a coach that I was familiar with, and they had a couple of assistants that were young Americans, um, and they're just trying to teach the game. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 12:57

So more of a learning experience for uh the international players uh to get to know the game a little bit better. Is that kind of is that kind of a like what am I right in thinking that?

SPEAKER_00: 13:11

Yeah, and and they have a season, they have a 10-game season, and they play other club teams. Um, they have practices, but these these guys are you know, they have full-time jobs, they're not, you know, this isn't what they do, it's not as organized as a college where you're practicing every day. They they practice a couple of days a week. Um, and hopefully they get everybody there. So it again, it's it's it's more of a club thing. They do it for fun, but they're very passionate about it. Um you know, the the positives for us, football-wise, is the NCA allows you to train for this game and gives you additional practices in the spring. Um, and those are fully fully padded practices in division three. Uh spring practices are non-contact. Yeah. Um when you go on a foreign trip, you get 10 days to do whatever you want. You can play football. So we had a spring game. Um, we coordinated that spring game with a really big recruiting event. Um, so those are the positives. Getting over the game, you're not, you know, it's not competitive, it's fun. You get to know the other players. Most of the guys kind of connect with them on social media before they go. Um, and and again, some unique experiences after the game. One year, not not this past year, but the previous time we went in 22, uh, one of the players owned a bar in Rome. So that's where all the players headed after the game, they all went to this guy's bar and socialized with with the players from another team at this guy's bar. That's awesome. But uh yeah, but everything uh you know, we we were in Rome, we went to the Vatican, uh two days after they named the Pope. So that that vibe was was really cool. Um, we went south, we went to Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, uh, Naples, um, yeah, just just some some very memorable places, and then uh we flew from Naples to Greece and spent three days in Greece culminating with uh a boat tour of three Greek islands on our last day. So pretty cool experiences for our players, and and I do allow families to come. So our our total travel group was 190, the largest we've had. Yeah, it it's it's quite a logistical project, and I have a like a middleman that kind of sets up all those things, but still it it's a lot, it's a lot of planning um to make this thing work, but well worth it.

SPEAKER_01: 15:57

Yeah, I mean it's definitely sounds like it's it's well worth it with you know just the experience of traveling to another country. Most people aren't gonna get that opportunity uh in their lifetimes, it seems like, you know. Um, so being able to do that as a college student and getting to play a game over there too while you're at it, you know, just kind of the icing on the cake there. Um sounds like it was a lot of fun uh getting to see that and uh great experience for your players and their families that got to go with you with you on the trip. Um your 2025 season just ended uh with a four, five and one record overall. Can you walk us through this season, uh minus the game? Your first two games of the season seem to have quite the story attached to them, from what I've been told.

SPEAKER_00: 16:45

Yes, we um you know I've been coaching 38 years and maybe a handful of weather delays in my career, but we've always been able to finish the games. Um our first two games, we had lightning delays, and the first game we we couldn't finish it. We were playing in uh New Jersey. We were playing uh Rowan University in New Jersey, and it was a one o'clock start, and this delay there was lightning storms up and down the east coast. It became very apparent that like these were not just passing showers, it was going to be a significant delay. And you know, I wanted to finish the game, but also like we we wouldn't be able to get a hotel. You know, we had to check out of our hotel. We wouldn't be able to get rooms. I, you know, we it was a four-hour lightning delay before we called it. We didn't have any food. Um, last time we ate was breakfast. So to me, it it became it became sort of a uh a safety issue, and I had to get these guys back to campus. You know, I and I told the the the opposing AD, I go, look, we gotta set a time that's like if we can't get it in by this time, it's it's over. Um, and they weren't on board with that in the beginning, but then they kind of understood. So yeah, we never finished the game. We we mutually agree that it would go down as a tie uh for NPI rankings purposes, because if if if we just didn't finish the game, it's a no contest and neither team would get any points.

SPEAKER_01: 18:22

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 18:23

Um, and it was a close game, so we just we we kind of figured like this was probably the best for both programs. So we get back on campus 5 30 in the morning, and we have a game the next week. So, you know, our rhythms are off, our kids are, you know, we're trying to figure out what's the best way to make sure these guys physically are ready to go. And our next game is on the road, it's another seven-hour trip um just west of Indianapolis to Wabash College. And again, another lightning delay. And the unique thing there, you could see it was gonna, it was eventually gonna go, and we're gonna be hopefully able to finish it. The issue there was their home stadium had no lights. Oh so now we're thinking, can we get this in before darkness? And and I asked the, I go, guys, I I want to finish this game. We gotta, you know, are you guys on board and my guys, yeah, coach, whatever we gotta do. So we figured it out, and we play we finished the game at a local high school that had lights.

SPEAKER_01: 19:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 19:30

So it didn't go in our favor, but we we got the game in and again got back to practice five in the morning. So yeah, tough start, and uh what made it extremely difficult. I my best player, uh my quarterback, Aaron Phillips, uh senior, just one of the best I've ever coached. And we figure, hey, we're always gonna be in any game we play with Aaron. Uh, he went down with a season ending injury uh third quarter of our first game. Oh that that created some real challenges. Um, and Sam Di Tilio came in and did a great job, um, but just didn't we just didn't have enough firepower to beat the better teams on our schedule. And we played the uh all of our losses were to teams that are were in the postseason. So we played a really difficult schedule, um, but unfortunately came out you know at with a four, five, and one record.

SPEAKER_01: 20:28

Yeah, I was gonna say that the after after the start that you just told me there with two lightning delays, losing your start quarterback, you know, in the first game uh to a season ending injury, four, five, and one's nothing to shake a stick at. That's that's a pretty good bounce back for the issues that you had there at the beginning. Um, and it sounds like you guys play a brutal schedule uh with all the teams making the postseason that uh that beat you. Um so it's not like you were losing to some some slack teams. It sounds like you guys held your own this year.

SPEAKER_00: 21:02

Yeah, we and we were competitive in the losses. Uh, you know, four of the five losses were within one score. Um yeah, and and we did put ourselves in position uh after the tough start, we won four games in a row. And on on November 1st, we're playing WJ, who was undefeated uh in our conference. And uh it was basically a uh a championship game against them. If we would have beat them, we would have been in first place. So the kids bounced back great. I thought the coaches did a nice job uh changing things around with all the injuries, but yeah, it's just you know, you you coach long enough and play long enough, you know, things things happen, and you just have to adjust and make the make the best out of them. And I I thought our players and staff did did a nice job at doing that.

SPEAKER_01: 21:49

Yeah, definitely sound like you did that. Speaking of your staff, uh your current director of athletics there at uh case is TJ Shelton. Uh he has been on the show as a guest here. Uh, he's a big supporter of the show. We love TJ to death. Uh talk to us a little bit about working with TJ.

SPEAKER_00: 22:08

Yeah, TJ's uh a people person, and it probably comes through in the show. He loves people. Um he's a relationship guy. Uh I've coached, uh I excuse me, I've worked for uh if you count the interim, six different ADs um at Case, and everyone was different, and everyone had their pluses and their minus. I've coached with you know the policies and procedures and paperwork AD that that maybe wasn't as you know socially and person personal skills. Um, you know, I've coached with kind of hardline ADs. Uh boy, TJ's a a breath of fresh air because he is such a people-oriented person, um, you know, values relationships, um, has your back for sure. He understands if if people are gonna make mistakes and let's hey, let's let's try and solve the problem and let's not just blame, let's let's fix this problem. And um, you know, very supportive. Uh Case is is lucky to have him. I I know that the coach in the athletic department it really value him as our leader, uh, because again, we feel we have a guy that cares about us and has our backs.

SPEAKER_01: 23:24

Yeah, I mean, that definitely came through in the show, everything you said there about TJ and having him on the show. He was. I mean, it was it was a breath of fresh air to talk to him. You know, normally you get these these ADs that come on and they they seem pretty even killed, but you know, TJ was just you know all about wanting to help people, and and that's what you need uh in your ADs. Uh speaking of that, and former guests of the show that you know, um uh former guest of the show, you know, and athletic director at Baldon Wallace University, Steve Thompson. So, how do you know Steve?

SPEAKER_00: 24:00

So Steve uh worked for he was uh an athletic administrator at Case. Um, and I think he was our facilities director, I believe. Um super nice guy, and I and I I didn't know him, but when when he came, we figured out his father um was my physics teacher in high school. Yeah, he ran, we had a like a um, oh gosh, it's not a nadatorium. Um what do you what do you call it when the The the that projects the stars and constellations. Oh, um, what is that? I'm blanking on the word for it. Oh he he ran that planetarium planetary, yeah. Yeah. And he ran that and was a physics teacher. And so he taught physics in the planetorium, and they had these seats because it's an auditorium, there's it's like a globe on top, like a big dome that projects things, and so the seats had to go way back, and it was always dark, so like everyone would fall asleep all the time. Mr. Thompson's class. So, and then sometimes, you know, we he'd bring in like he put on these shows for elementary school kids, and he's just yeah, no class today. We got an elementary school coming in, so it was a unique uh class, and he was a unique guy. And years later, I get to work with uh his son. So that was that was pretty cool. And Steve's gone on and just done great things at yeah and tough places, you know, at Eureka, at Bethany, and now he's at BW. That's you know, that's you know, big time division three athletics. And uh I I know the coaches over there just love Steve.

SPEAKER_01: 25:42

Yeah, we we all love Steve. I I know I got uh know him a little bit uh with my time at Bethany College, uh, my alma mater, where I graduated from and everything like that. And obviously through uh Johnny, the the manager of the show here, too, as well. Um so yeah, we love Steve. Um, he's he's hysterical, but that that's definitely odd you know, uh a weird coincidence that you you you realize that uh you know uh his father was actually your your physics teacher. And yeah, those net those those planetariums, um planetarium, yeah, yeah, planetariums. Um that had to be a hard class to keep your students awake in it with those seats and being dark. Like I I there's no chance I was staying awake in that class if I was in there reclined back. Yeah, it's gonna be game over for me uh in a in a class like that. But that's that's just uh an awesome story. Um to hear, and yeah, Steve um reconnecting with with Johnny at Bone Wallace and everything like that there. It's great when things come full circle there. So uh we'd love to see it. You know, you you know a lot of uh people like you said uh in the NFL and that, but uh you got to coach uh Cameron Brown, who is the son of current NBA coach of the Knicks, Mike Brown. Uh what was that like coaching not only one of the the greats at you know case in case history, but the son of an NBA head coach?

SPEAKER_00: 27:14

So yeah, Cam was was an all-American for us, four-year starter. Um you know, and and the background we all knew. We recruited him out of high school and he chose to go to the University of Cincinnati and just go be a student. And when he was coming out of high school, like he was he was a good player, but you know, he was 205 pounds, he was babyfaced. You know, uh, you know, Mike came up and and Mike's wife, and it was great getting to know them. And you know, he chose to go to Cincinnati. And uh a year later, Mike called us again, say, hey, Cam wants to, he wants transfer, he wants to play football. So we got him as a transfer, and then now he's coming in and he's matured. He's 230 pounds, he's built, and it's like, okay, we're excited. What stood out to me um and what was very apparent, um Cam, you you wouldn't know by just talking to him that he was the son of an NBA coach. He was he was very, very shy. I don't know if shy is the right word, very humble, um, you know, didn't didn't come off as a big time guy, didn't talk about, you know, going to practice and watching LeBron James or any of those guys that he, you know, he his dad coached Kobe Bryant. Um so, but you've never heard about that. But what you saw was the discipline and the attention to detail that a son of a coach brings because he's been around it, he's seen it, um, he he understands it. And what what stood out to me is we would, you know, in in our preseason before school starts, we have these kids all day. So what we usually do is we have a set of morning meetings where we do our install, and then NCA rules we have to give them three hours off, and then they we come and we practice. So what Cam would do right after the meeting, he would go out by himself on the field and do all the footwork to the installs that we just did by himself, and go through everything we installed against air and pretending there was an offensive lineman in front of him.

SPEAKER_01: 29:31

That that's definitely a player you want. Like that they're committed.

SPEAKER_00: 29:35

And then Mike would would, you know, Mike would be there for our scrimmage and our first two or three games, and then he had to he had to go. He had he was at that time he was with the Warriors, so you know the season started, but he would come out and he would he would be there at a at a practice, like and he'd he'd just sit in a chair while while Cam would go through his his footwork, and it it was just something to see. Um Cam then coached with us um for a year or two, one yeah, for two years. He he volunteered one year, and then he was our intern the second year, and he was trying to figure out if he wanted to have coaching for a career. His backup, what he was trying to decide was between coaching and going to culinary school. He loves to cook, just loves it, and he would cook all the time for his teammates, he would invite them over. It just he loved it.

SPEAKER_01: 30:40

So it's just vastly different avenues to to to want to go to. That that's hysterical.

SPEAKER_00: 30:47

So um he makes that decision and he's he's coaching with us, and he he he's he tells me, and by that time his his dad's now the head coach of the Kings, and he says, Hey, my dad's gonna be in town, he's gonna have you know a physical at the Cleveland Clinic. He he says he'll be he'll be happy to stop by and talk to the team. I'm like, Oh, that that's great, Cam. Let's do that. Whatever he wants to do, hey, it'd be great. So we open up, we play our first game, and we get shellacked by Johns Hopkins. I mean, they annihilate us. So I go, hey Cam, could could you ask your dad to talk about like bouncing back from defeat? Because that's what we need. He comes in and he has a video presentation where he has, you know, Curry and Draymond, and I guess in one of their rounds of the playoffs in whatever year, they got beat by 40 by somebody. And you heard these guys talking about how they reacted after the loss, what they did to prepare for the next game, and then they went out and won the next game and won the series. Um 45-minute presentation. Um, just like, and he just like he looked over in the middle and goes, Hey coach, we okay? Are we cutting into practice? I go, Look, Mike, whatever we would be doing out there, we're getting way more out of this. Just keep going, take as much time as you want. Yeah. Um, so it he was tremendous, and you can tell why he's been, I don't think he's ever interviewed for a job that he didn't get. You know, whether it be Cleveland twice, the LA, the Knicks now, the Kings. He's an impressive guy, really.

SPEAKER_01: 32:31

Definitely, yeah, not that I can remember. I mean, pretty much anyone where he's wanted to go, he's he's pretty much landed at landed that job. So that that's just kudos to him. And it must have been nice to have a a coach's son on on your team, that's somebody that gets it, they get the mindset of what you're trying to do and to instill into them, and uh to be able to take that and run with it. That that had to be just miles above to help, and then that that that mindset is infectious. Other players are gonna start to see that, they're gonna start to do, and it just helps the whole program out. That's from what I've seen, is you get that one guy in there and they can change the entire program.

SPEAKER_00: 33:13

And Cam is now with um the 49ers, he's assistant defensive line coach with the 49ers.

SPEAKER_01: 33:19

Okay, so chose coaching over culinary, it sounds like for sure. Um so you know, you also know, like I mentioned there briefly, you know, the manager of the podcast, Johnny, uh Fiddy Falcone, um, who was doing uh some graduate admissions work there at Case Western. How did you meet Johnny and what was it like to get to know him during his time there?

SPEAKER_00: 33:46

Yeah, so I I think it was just during the recruiting process. Um, you know, Case has a number of graduate schools, and you know, we would occasionally get kids that had that extra year and you know wanted to continue playing while they pursued a master's, or I I had a kid in law school play. Um I had a kid, I've never had anybody in medical school yet, but it it's usually over at the Weatherhead School of Management. And Johnny was just invaluable because he had coached football. Um, he understood what these kids, you know, their passion for it. Um, and he was just he helped us with the process, he helped the incoming players with the process. Um, you know, and usually we gotta hunt these people down to help us. Like they're they've got a million things on their plate, and you know, they're not returning emails, they're not returning phone calls, and you know, Johnny was like, you know, so proactive, um, you know, letting us know about kids and where they're at without even being asked to. So yeah, he was a real help. And um, you know, we actually had two kids this year um that that he helped with that both started for us, um, that are going through the and getting their masters in finance. So yeah, he he's uh certainly a friend of the program and a friend of the athletic department for sure.

SPEAKER_01: 35:12

Yeah, John Johnny, anything football or sports related, uh, he is all on board for it. You know, his time coaching, you know, didn't go the the greatest for him to you know start out with in uh that but he he found a way to bounce back and anything that he's done, he he's done. And you know, he's just I mean, the I wish I could bottle up a half of his energy some of the times, um, because he's just I I don't think the the man knows the word stop. Um because he is I think that from the time his eyes open till the time he closes them, he is going 152 percent in everything that he does.

SPEAKER_00: 35:55

Yeah, he's certainly a uh and he and he's still you know now he's at BW working through admissions and you know I he just the people that that whose passion is to work with young people, um they're they're doing it not to get rich, you know, they're doing it because that they love to help people. And that certainly came out with my you know with our time with Johnny there and you know continue to have a friendship with them, and I I know he'd do anything to help out anybody.

SPEAKER_01: 36:26

So absolutely, he's been a big help to to the show here once I brought him on on board here uh with it. And I mean he's just for the past five years we've been working, you know, hand in hand with the with the show and and helping it grow and everything like that. And he does it just because he wants to. I mean, he I mean he could leave at any time, and I would I would let him go um if he he wanted to, uh, but he doesn't. And it it's great to see. But I wanted you to talk uh a little bit here as we wind down near the end of the episode about Case Western Reserves University and what type of university it is, you know, as a whole, you know, for students and aspiring students, and what can they offer them?

SPEAKER_00: 37:09

Yeah, so it's you know, it's a major research university and that that plays D3 sports, which you don't find a lot of those. Um it's changed dramatically. Uh I'm a Cleveland area native. Uh I grew up in Mentor, Ohio, and I I knew Case Western Reserve growing up because my brother attended Case and played football. So I was on campus as a 16-year-old watching my brother play football. Um back then, much smaller, it was about 3,200 undergrad. Um when I came into 2001, that's what it was, 3,200. Um I was surprised um that it was difficult to get into, but the not too difficult. Um now it's 6,200 undergrads, so it's almost double in size in in 25 years. Um our international student population has grown dramatically. Undergraduate uh international student population is about 15% of the undergraduate population. It was 2% when I first arrived. Um you know, major, major changes in facilities, uh, you know, not just athletics. You know, the the Weatherhead uh building is is basically 25 years old. Um, all of the development on Euclid Avenue, the Uptown Project, um, you know, those used to be parking lots when I came in 2001. So uh it has grown in stature. Uh it is extremely competitive to get admitted. Um and I've seen the other end when they graduate, our graduates are are scooped up. I mean, the the people out there understand that if if they get a case Western Reserve graduate, that they're getting somebody pretty special. So it is uh wide variety. We're known for STEM. I think the business school is higher ranked than any of our STEM programs. Both my daughters attended Case. My one daughter is a uh clinical psychologist, she went out and got her PhD. Um, so that that was an interesting experience. Never in a million years would I thought she would go on and get a PhD, but I think because she attended CACE and the people around her influenced her greatly to do that. And she had an experience, she did research at the Cleaton Clinic as a junior, and she had that research published as a senior, and that's what got her into the PhD program. She was the only one in her cohort that didn't have a master's. So I think that was directly from like Case Western Reserve, opened that door for her. So, and then my other daughter was an English major, she had the most non-case major ever. English and teaching certification. Like, like that, that was an unusual major. And um, she taught uh high school for three years and then got in. She's a uh coder, a computer programmer now. No, again, her her friends from case um greatly influenced her to hey, you should try this. And then she has a friend from the soccer team that's a big wig with uh Microsoft, and when anytime she wants to um excuse me, uh Google, big wig at Google, and there's I guess there's a five-step uh interview process at Google, and she gets to skip the first three steps because of her relationship with this this case Western Reserve women's soccer grad. So um I tell kids all the time, it's you this your decision to go to college is your first big major decision. You know, you couldn't choose where you lived or where you, you know, in most cases where you went to high school, you just lived where your parents wanted to live. It's your first big decision, and and you should make it based upon who you want to surround yourself with, because who you choose to surround yourself with uh is going to greatly influence the type of person and and and the success that you're gonna have as a person. So that's why I was so happy that my kids chose to go to Case because the people that they got to surround themselves with.

SPEAKER_01: 41:45

Yeah, that that's definitely awesome about the the everything there, uh, especially with your girls there too, as well. Good for them. Uh, hope to to see where they can go with all that and everything like that. Everything's great. I mean, that sounds awesome. Uh, but like I said, Greg, we are running down near the end of the show here, but I do have to get this one last segment in here. Um, and that is the Fast 55. Five random questions from the wonderful manager of the podcast, Johnny Pitty Balconi. Uh, these are completely at random. Uh, they're kind of rapid fire, but you can elaborate if you need to. Uh, they have nothing to do with what we've been talking about for the better part of almost 45 minutes now. So if you are ready, we can get going. Shoot. All righty. Question number one: what's a better fruit, a kiwi or an orange? Orange. Okay. Question number two: what's the most interesting animal at the zoo?

SPEAKER_00: 42:45

Oh boy, I saw a liger one time. That was the most interesting animal I ever saw at the Miami Zoo. For some reason, we went to a zoo and we were in Miami, Florida, and they had a liger.

unknown: 42:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 42:58

You know what that is? Is it a lying tiger?

SPEAKER_00: 43:01

Isn't it? Yeah, it's like a genetically like created animal. It's not in nature. They they create it genetically. Most people know it's from Napoleon Dynamite. That's his favorite animal.

SPEAKER_01: 43:16

Yeah, absolutely. The only reason I know what that is, is because of that. Never seen one. That's awesome, though. Uh, question number three What is the best golf course you have ever golfed at?

SPEAKER_00: 43:31

Uh Canterbury Country Club. It's actually, I live two blocks away from it. It's hosted major championships. They can't do it anymore because they just don't have the parking and it's it's not long enough anymore. But Jack Nicholas is one there, Arnold Palmer's one there. It's it's it's a classic old-style golf course that just they they still have some uh senior events there and LPGA, but that's the best one I've ever golfed at.

SPEAKER_01: 43:56

That's awesome for sure. Uh, question number four What's one word to describe Tom Brady? Driven. I like that one, uh, for sure. Last but not least, what's the most interesting place you have ever visited?

SPEAKER_00: 44:15

Um I I would say the the Vatican. Yeah, I've been there four times, and like we I just went back for the fourth time in in May of 2025, and I was excited to go. Um it It's a special place. There's so much history to it. The art, um, obviously the spirituality. You know, I've been in the, you know, the uh Sistine Chapel. Um it it's it is the most interesting place I've been.

SPEAKER_01: 44:48

Yeah, that's that's definitely gonna take the cake for for anyone there. That's not that's awesome. But that was the Fast Fitty Five. And I gotta say, Greg, I think I feel like I feel like you took it a little easy on you with some of these questions there. Uh because we we've had some some really weird random ones from Johnny. If anybody knows him or have listened to the show, you you've heard some of these questions here. Uh, but Greg, I get every guest this opportunity at the end of every show. If there's any anything that you want to get out there, um, whether it's about case, your football program, anything else you've got going on, or even if it's just a good message for the listeners out there, I'm gonna give you about a minute and the floor is yours.

SPEAKER_00: 45:29

Okay, you know, I I've worked in uh upper education my whole career, 38 years, worked at two very different institutions. Um, I've worked with a lot of families um to kind of help them pick their college choice. And what I see, the mistakes made, um, they don't research things well enough. Um, they go just to play a sport and don't consider anything else. Um my my advice to people, both parents and high schoolers coming up, is you know, have an idea of what you want to accomplish with your college career and athletics should certainly be part of that if you if you're passionate about that. Um, but also what is the best fit for you. And then go out and research it. Go out and make as many visits as you can, talk to as many people as you can, um, and try and make as educated a decision as possible. Um and just you know, find that fit because everybody's fit isn't the same. We think Case Western Reserve is an unbelievable opportunity for people, but it has to be the right fit. So that's as a recruiter, that's what I'm trying to do. Trying to find the student athlete that's the right fit for our program, and the families should be trying to find the best fit for their sons or daughters that's going to help them develop into the person that they want to be.

SPEAKER_01: 47:00

That is awesome. Uh for sure. I love it when people have a good message like that that ties into what they they have going on for themselves too as well. Um I kind of almost wish I didn't have to do a promo read after that, but I I do here uh for the new sponsor to the show in Web Western, uh, a clothing company designed for those who aren't afraid of hard work, for those who live off the land, who love hunting, fishing, and everything outdoors, uh, or just working the land. Uh, WebWestern is a no BS company and they support anybody who is uh in that. I am wearing one of their new hats here today. Uh the arrow reminds everybody to be a straight shooter. Once again, uh go to webwestern.com, use the promo code Mike Bono and save yourself 10% off of your purchase. Once again, webwestern.com. Promo code MikeBono, save yourself 10%. With all that being said, that is actually going to do it for this week's episode of the Ride Home Brands Podcast. I want to thank my guest, uh Coach Greg, for coming on here from Case Western. A lot of fun to get to talk to you and hear everything about uh what you got going on up there. I will be following the program even closer now for you, Greg. I follow everybody that comes under the show. So looking forward to seeing great things from you up there in Cleveland at Case Western. But as always, if you enjoyed the show, be a friend. Tell a friend. If you didn't, tell them anyways. They might like it just because you didn't. That's gonna do it for me, and I will see y'all next week.