The Bulldog Way
What is the Bulldog way? The Bulldog way is something as transcendent and as hard to define as love. The Bulldog Way is the culmination of an experience with its infancy in Mike Jeppson’s equipment room learning about hip pads, and its maturity in Bill Ihrke’s pre and post game huddles getting goose bumps of anticipation on Friday nights in the fall. It is a culmination of lessons, experiences, joys, sufferings, dedication, and one -liners that mean the world to a Bulldog who has been through the two-a-days and stood on the fifty, helmet raised, chanting with his brothers.
The Bulldog way is about more than football, it is about life, dedication, honor, doing the right thing, brotherhood, and growing and becoming part of something that is larger and more important than the individual. It is an expectation but not an entitlement. An expectation that I will always give my best possible effort and that I can focus on that because each and every one of my teammates will be doing the same. Trust and love are at its core. Trust is the gift each Bulldog gives to his teammates, a trust that he will do his job, and that will free their bodies and minds to do the same. Love and respect are the derivative of this trust. No greater gift can be given to a teammate than unconditional faith. This unconditional faith born of trust and love are also what allows a Bulldog to admit a need or a weakness and ask for help without apprehension. A true Bulldog will give and receive help as one breathes or gets warmth from the sun, unconditionally and without anxiety or suspicion. All is for the cause and the cause is honor.
*Author’s Note: Over the course of the last fourteen years Bill Ihrke and staff have worked to develop what they call “The Bulldog Way.” It is serious business to them, for without it all the wins, the conference championships, everything would be hollow. For them, to coach without purpose, to pursue only wins and losses, is to denigrate the sport of football and the spirit of education inherently attached to profession of coaching at all levels. When the last second ticks off the clock in that last contest of an athlete’s senior season is when the call of a coaching comes to fruition. Most will never see the field again, but they will face difficulties that must be met with dedication and hard work. They will be put in situations requiring honor and respect. Their wills and their faiths will be tested, and they must be able to stand tall. They must be willing to love until it hurts and trust that it will never fail. They must be willing to give everything they can afford to give to accomplish something that is important to them, and be able judge how much that is. These are the lessons we strive to teach in the Bulldog football program.