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Running Head: The Butler Way

The Butler Way

Matt Olinger

Liberty University

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Abstract

Building a successful basketball program at the collegiate division one level is not

easy and requires several needs. Obvious results would lend to money, talented

players, strong alumni support and a high level and experienced head coach. But

what if the money, history, and nostalgia just isn t available. Building a successful

program without those resources is just what Butler University has done. In this

study of the Butler Way, the following four things will be examined. What is

different from the Butler leadership, what has been Butler s path to choosing a

leader, what has Butler s leadership done to anticipate and meet challenges along

the way, and last, how has Butler success happened. The Butler Way was capitalized

in 2010 as Butler University played center stage in the NCAA National

Championship against powerhouse Duke University. This study will show over the

process and decision making of Butler and other NCAA division one institutions

from the leadership at the University level down to the leadership of the team,

including players and coaches from 1989 to present.

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Introduction

The flying wedge, a physical and terrorizing football formation, led to the

start of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1905 (NCAA.org). Broken

bones, paralyzing injuries, and even deaths from this radical formation almost led to

the disappearance of the entertainment of college football that is known today. Due

to the popularity of the sport, President Roosevelt called for university presidents

and leaders in college athletics to meet at the White House to discuss a way to clean

up the game and save the sport, this group of people became known as the NCAA

(NCAA.org). Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the NCAA has grown from a

group of 13 collegiate athletic leaders to a multi-billion dollar industry in 2010. The

NCAA s core purpose is to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and

sportsmanlike manner, and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher

education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount

(NCAA.org). Although these may be true, inter-collegiate athletics is a moneymaking

business as well. David Biderman (2010) conducted a study in the Wall Street

Journal on the 2008-2009 tournament run of the Ohio State Buckeyes, that the

school made a 243% return on the $4.7 million dollar investment into the men s

basketball program (Biderman, 2010). Such revenue s has not only turned collegeathletics into a fan favorite but also into big business. This revenue has led each

school to treat basketball as more than just a sport, but rather a corporation (Zinser,

2010). Unfortunately every decision made from the University presidents, coaches,

and player s can determine the success and failures of an entire university, nor just

the academics.

Set in 1951, the movie Hoosiers depicts a small-town Indiana high school

basketball team that makes an improbable run to the state championship game.During that age in Indiana high school sports, all teams competed in one large

tournament with the winner being crowned state champs regardless of the school

size or location. Based on the 1954 Milan High School team, which won the 1954

Indiana state championship, the fictitious Hickory Huskers gives all small schools

the courage to win the David versus Goliath matchup. Fast-forward April 6, 2010,

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the underdog, Butler University, located in the heart of Indianapolis, Indiana, is a

small private liberal arts school that enrolls just over 4,000 undergraduate students

(Wits, 2010). Competing in its eighth NCAA tournament in the last 12 years, the

Bulldogs are no longer just a Cinderella story, they are facing national powerhouse

Duke University (Trocchi, 2009). The favorite, Duke Blue Devils, were competing in

their thirty-seventh NCAA tournament, there fifteenth final four and tenth national

championship, were in a familiar place, battling for a national title. The twist was

not only the emergence of the small school Bulldogs in the title game, but also the

location, Indianapolis, Indiana. Almost the same setting, story, and location, this was

a nearly a dj vu of the 1986 Hoosiers film. But how did Butler topple all the

obstacles and challenges to make it to this point, what leadership led this run, who

was leading this charge, what challenges and adversity did Butler face along the

way, what did the Bulldogs do to achieve this plateau?

Wha t is Le a ders h ip?

The Butler Way, a widely used term by sportswriters over the last five years,

depict the Butler way of doing things. This way, is characterized by commitment,

denies selfishness and accepts reality, yet seeks constant improvement while

promoting the good of the team above self (Woods, 2009). This form of leadership,credited to Tony Hinkle, who coached at the University for 41 seasons and dedicated

over 70 years of his life to the University, was not just formed from one person, was

not just a style but rather a way of life for those who participated. Although the 41

years under Tony Hinkle, in which the popular Butler Fieldhouse was named after,

were very prosperous but the years to follow became very dark time for the

basketball program. Only five of the nineteen seasons after Hinkle s retirement

were winning ones, and the entire program, budget, and support had somewhat disappeared (Woods, 2009). In 1989, Butler s president made a change to bring the

universities image and its athletics, primarily basketball, back to recognition with

the hiring of Barry Collier (Fagan, . Collier took over a team who did not win a single

tournament game in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) from 1980-1991,

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an empty 0-12 (Davis, 2002). The task to turn around this program would not be

easy.

Lee Bowman and Terrence Deal (2008) define leadership as a process of

mutual influence fusing thought, feeling, and action. In their article on reframing

leadership, they discuss four different styles, structural, political, human resource

and symbolic (pg. 37). Symbolic leadership is compelled of leaders that inspire

employees with the big picture. These leaders use visions and future goals to

motivate and empower their mission. He can perform in a charismatic way that

makes others want to follow him (pg. 39). Coaching can often be spotlighted when

reviewing the character traits for symbolic leadership. The best coaches are ones

that walk boldly in the spotlight, use past experiences and current ideology to

mentor and inspire others. Characteristic of Leadership Effectiveness list the ability

to coach as one of the main characteristics and abilities in leadership effectiveness.

"Leaders (coaches), who help their employees (players) improve their renewal

capacity and resilience, positively influences organizational success" (Gilley & Gilley,

Dixon, 2008). The ability to question the status qua, approach situations from a new

perspective, and allow others to make mistakes and learn from them not only is a

summary of a coaches make-up, but also a key trait to symbolic leadership (Deal &

Bowman, 2008).Collier, when handed this Butler program embraced the characteristics to

symbolic leadership to help turn the program around to where it is today (Davis,

2002). The start was rough, going 6-22 in his first season at the helm of the Butler

program, but Collier didn t let a little adversity set him back. The son of an Air Force

navigator and Navy lawyer, Collier used his past experiences to put the program

together the right way. Collier states that the pieces of the puzzle fell together when

he placed Christian principles into the equation. Humility, passion, servant hood,unity, and thankfulness were what Butler teams were going to represent, and the

example was going to be set from the top (Woods, 2009). Through his leadership

and Christian example, the Butler program slowly began to change. Butler advanced

to the NCAA Tournament in 1997, 1998, and 2000 as well as the National Invitation

Tournament (NIT) in 1999. The Butler Way was revealed for the first time when the

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tiny Indianapolis school took the University of Florida to overtime in front of 30,000

plus fans at Edward Jones Arena in St. Louis. The game, which was nationally

televised on CBS, depicted a team that wasn t bigger, stronger or more talented, but

used teamwork and unity to compete (Woods, 2009). Although the Butler

eventually lost that game, 69-68, it was a sign of things to come. After that defeat,

Collier s symbolic leadership began to truly take its course. In the locker room after

the game the two senior co-captains, who would never play for Butler again,

charged the players coming back. Mike Marshall said its best when he exclaimed,

This program needs to be better than where it stands today (Woods, 2009). That

following summer many of the players stayed at the Indianapolis school and worked

out together, practiced together, all without the coaches instruction because it is not

permitted during summer months by the NCAA (Masin, 2007). A player leading

voluntary practices was unheard of in the college basketball world, especially at a

University whose team had just been the laughing stock of the Midwest just eight

years prior.

Barry Collier left after that 2000 season to coach at the University of

Nebraska, but what he did during the his 10 years to turn around the program still

lives on today (Barfknecht, 2006). The Butler Way is something that is summed up

to many times on the scoreboard but often times it is just a way of life. In 2003during a game versus the Louisville Cardinals, 6-10 center Joel Cornette dove out of

abound to save a loose ball spilling the water and Gatorade cooler on the sidelines

and soaking his shoes. Rob Walls, a reserve player that didn t score a point or even

play in the game, took of his shoes and offered them to Cornette so he would finish

the contest (Woods, 2009). In a game in Albany, N.Y. for the NCAA East Regional

Championship, Cornette again and senior Archie Miller were leaving the media

room headed back to the locker room after a season ending loss to the OklahomaSooners in the sweet 16. On their way back to the locker room, a janitor spilled a

bag of garbage on the floor right in front of the two seniors. Both stopped to clean

up the mess (Woods, 2009).

Leadership is not always about winning or losing in business or in sports. It

is often times about doing things the right way and leaving the rest up to God. When

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Barry Collier took over at Butler in 1989, the Butler way didn t just become a

success story overnight. It was a process of events, setbacks, and faith that led to

this change. 1 Corinthians 9:24 states You know all runners run but only one wins

the prize don t you? You must run in such a way that you be me victorious. The

outcome can not always be in control, but the preparation and this vision is what

differentiates the elite leaders from the unknowns. The ability to create a vision

and passion while as a leader living out what that vision is what symbolic leadership

is and what Barry Collier did to revive that Butler program. It is not just words on a

board, or dreams written in a manual, it is a way of life, The Butler Way of life,

carried out on and off the court.

How Does One Become a Lea der?

When Collier was hired in 1989 to resurrect an almost dormant program, the

university wanted a leader who not only had a passion for basketball, but also had a

passion for the University (Barfknecht, 2006). Collier, a former player and graduate

of the University in 1976, embedded his plans for his turn around in a 45-page

proposal to then University president Geoffery Bannister (Woods, 2009). The hire

however, as for most division one coaching searches, was not a smooth road

(Wessel, 2004). Collier had applied to the University of Pacific and also sought afterthe University of Idaho, twice (Woods, 2009). Despite not getting hired at either

institution, there were several factors that went into each search. In an article

released in 2007, University presidents are only one of over five factors in a hire

(Dienhart, 2007). Research actually shows that presidents and athletic directors

often take a back seat to headhunters, boosters and agents (Dienhart, 2007). With

fees ranging from $25,000-$100,000, headhunters have become some of those

powerful hands in coaches hires in recent searches. Dienhart (2007) states that anygood athletic director is already anticipating his next move, keeping a list of

candidates in preparation for any change. Although an athletic director may be

running the search, almost every university uses a search firm (Dienhart, 2007).

The Chronicle of Higher Education also reports on headhunters in college athletics.

Munger (2008) says that few universities are willing to put in the work to find the

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right candidate for the job. Munger (2008) believes that the university needs to

make the hire, headhunters are helpful, but at the core are only looking to get paid.

Of his five principles in doing an external search, he states that a University needs to

protect their interest. He says that a successful hire is one that goes out and finds

the best and most committed leader one fan find (Munger, 2008). Butler debunked

all of the headhunter methods when performing their search in 1989. President

Bannister found the man he knew was right for the job and pulled the trigger, a

move that has proved to be on the best decisions made in University history.

After Colliers defeat in the 2000 NCAA Tournament to the Florida Gators, he

was offered the head coaching job at the University of Nebraska (Barfknecht, 2006).

Collier had not only resurrected a program in 10 years, but had put Butler

University and Butler basketball on the map. Collier did not do it all alone, along the

way he had found a way to hire some of the best young talent in the game (Trocchi,

2009). When Collier took the Nebraska job in 2000, athletic director John Parry was

with out a headmen s basketball coach, a position the school had not been in for 11

years (Woods, 2009). Thad Matta was a part of Barry Collier first team in 1989 that

went 6-22, which tied a school record in losses (Tom, 2001). His career was cut

short due to a back injury, and after Collier persuasion, Matta turned down a sales

job to become apart of the administrative staff in 1991 (Woods, 2009). Unknown at the time, Matta said it was the best decision of his life stating that he learned how to

run a program from top to bottom (Woods, 2009). It didn t take long for Parry to

make a decision; he hired the former player and assistant coach in 2001. As

reported before, many colleges and universities use a search firm, headhunters or

booster to find the next big hire, Butler and John Parry did it different however, and

they did it their way, the Butler Way (Woods, 2009). Parry didn t interview

colleagues and to top search firms in the country, he picked the brain of hisdeparting coach Barry Collier and the current Butler players before making a hired.

Only two other candidates were even considered, former assistant Jay John and

former Air Force head man Reggie Minton, but in the end Parry kept it within the

family (Tom, 2001). The decision proved to be perfect in the beginning, Mata lead

Butler to a school then record 24 wins and 8 losses in 2001, but the season was

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highlighted with the Bulldogs second consecutive Midwestern City Conference

(MCC) title and a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament (Woods, 2009). The

Bulldogs received a higher seed (10) in 2001 compared to a 12-seed in 2000 but

were paired with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, another high major team from

the Atlantic Coast Conference. (Tom, 2001). Matta s Bulldogs had little problems

with the favorite, more talented, bigger, stronger, and more athletic Demon

Deacon s. Butler used tenacious defense and teamwork to build a 43-10-halftime

lead en route to a 79-63 first round win. Their stifling defense, which held Wake

Forest to only 10 first half points, was a first in tournament history, which begin in

1939 (NCAA.org). The excitement of the win however was short lived. Mata, after

only one year at the Butler helm, accepted the head-coaching job at Xavier

University on May 2, 2002 (Thames, 2007). What seemed to be a perfect fit for the

Bulldogs now had John Parry in the same position one year later.

Of the 96 coaching changes in division one basketball in 2001 and 2002, only

11 assistant coaches that were on the previous staff were promoted to head coach. 1

Matta was one of those six coaches in 200 and Parry didn t do anything different in

2002, hiring Todd Lickliter, Thad Matta s assistant, to take over the Butler program

(Woods, 2009). Only 11 of the 96 coaching changes in 2000 and 2001 filled by

assistants that were promoted from within the current staff, and Butler was two of those 11 promotions. 1 Parry didn t subscribe to winning the press conference or

making a splash in the media, he was going to do what was best for the University

and the basketball program (Woods, 2009). Lickliter, a 1979 graduate of the

University was very familiar with the Butler Way and Indiana basketball. Lickliter

had three separate stints as an assistant at the school under Joe Sexson, the

aforementioned Barry Collier and Thad Matta (Woods, 2009). To hire within in the

family proved to be successful again for Butler as Collier topped Matta and set aschool records of 26 and 27 wins in 2001 and 2002 as well as 29 wins in 2006.

Lickliter also continued the tradition in the NCAA Tournament leading the Bulldogs

to two separate Sweet 16 appearances in 2002 and 2007, in which he was named

1 Personal study conducted through the NCAA Coaches Almanac.

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the NABC National Coach of the Year (Woods, 2009). Although attaining success,

like Collier and Matta, wins did not keep Lickliter in Indianapolis. Lickliter was

introduced as the new coach at the University of Iowa in April of 2007, replacing

former Indiana legend Steve Alford who left for the University of New Mexico

(Batterson, 2007).

It wasn t long until the man who started the Butler resurgence to return to

campus. Barry Collier, two days after being inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame,

was introduced as Butler s athletic director in August of 2006 (Woods, 2009).

"When I walked on this campus for the first time 32 years ago, it captivated me, it

continues to do that today. This is my old school, and I'd do anything to help it out.''

Collier stated in his press conference from the Reilly Room on Butler s Campus

(Barfknecht, 2006). This promote from with-in strategy has not just been successful

in the coaching world, but in the business world as well. In 2006, Proctor & Gamble

started to use the promote-from-within strategy and is in the middle of their biggest

run since the Eisenhower campaign. Board member Scott Cook states that the

promote from within policy has served the company well over the years and

provides real competitive advantage (Neff, 2006). The Wall Street Journal also

reported recently that internal hires were at a high in 2009. In the study, Sarah

Needleman s research shows that more than half of the job openings in 2009 werefilled with existing employees. Internal promotions and transfers accounted for

filling an average of 51% of all full time positions that were filled in 2009, up from

just 39% in 2008 and compared to 34% in 2007 (Needleman, 2009). Collier did no

different, it didn t take him long to hire a coach after Lickliter left for Iowa, hiring

Brad Stevens within 24-hours of Lickliter s departure (Thamel, 2010).

Stevens, who grew up only 20 miles from Indianapolis, in a small town of

Zionsville, had lived the Indiana basketball dream. A standout at Zionsville HighSchool, Steven s played college basketball at a small Division III school DePauw

University before graduating in 2001 (Thamel, 2010). DePauw was not known

much for their hoops, but rather their academics, which helped Stevens, land a job at

Eli Lilly upon graduation (Woods, 2009). After a few short months at the high

paying pharmaceutical giant in Indianapolis, Steven s had another job that came

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calling Steven s name (Thames, 2010). After working at Butler s summer camps in

2000, Thad Matta had contacted Stevens to become a volunteer coach that season,

which was a slight contrast to the big money he would be making at Eli Lilly (Woods,

2009). Stevens did not hesitate taking that offer from Matta in 2001, and slowly

moved up the Butler ladder over time. The day before he was to start his job at

Applebee s to make some money on the side, Steven s was promoted to director of

basketball operations, a paid administrative position on Matta s staff (Thames,

2010). Then a year later when Matta left for Xavier, Lickliter who was promoted

from assistant to head coach, promoted Stevens to a full-time assistant (Woods,

2009). Fast forward three years later when Lickliter left for Iowa, Brad Stevens, a

young baby faced looking coach, was named head man at Butler University, the

second youngest in Division I at that time (Thamel, 2010). Steven s wasted no time

in his start, he won 30 games in his first season, a Butler record for wins in a season

while at the same time becoming the youngest coach in NCAA Division I history to

win 30 games. They did it beating high major teams such as Michigan, Texas Tech,

Florida State, and Ohio State in the process (Woods, 2009). The Bulldogs again

advanced in the first round of the tournament, something that was starting to

become a standard, beating South Alabama 81-61. However, the young coach and

nationally ranked Bulldogs could not get passed Tennessee in the second round,ending the story book season with a 30-4 record, the best among any team that did

not reach the final four that season. Stevens encored the 2006-2007 seasons with a

26-win season a year later. After the 2008 season, Stevens lost four seniors, three of

which were a big part of Butler s success in the 2007-2008 season (Extrude, 2010).

Predicted to finish in the bottom of the Horizon League in 2008, the Bulldogs proved

all the critics, naysayers, and the media wrong, despite the down year that was

predicted (Woods, 2009). The Bulldogs shot out to a 12-1 start and won their thirdstraight regular season Horizon League (formally the Midwestern City Conference

MCC). The conference tournament however was a different story, the Bulldogs were

upset in the title game by fourth seeded Cleveland State. Despite not wining their

conference tournament the Bulldogs still received an at-large in NCAA Tournament,

garnering a nine seed in the South Regional. Stevens s squad stumbled in the first

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round losing to Louisiana Tech 75-71, ending their season with a 26-6 overall

record. Collier, who hired Steven s in 2007, was looking like a genius (Layeden,

2010). The boyish looking head coach had completed the second best two year run

of any head coach in NCAA history with his 56-10 two year record. His start is

second to only North Carolina s Bill Guthridge who won 58 games in his first two

years (Taylor, 2010).

The Butler Way came full circle in 2009-2010, however the start was not

pretty. The Bulldogs struggled early, losing games to Minnesota, Clemson,

University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB), and Georgetown to an unfamiliar 9-4

start. Following the loss at UAB, the Bulldogs began their storybook run, winning 20

straight games from December 22 through the Horizon League Championship on

March 3. Stevens had kept the tradition going, taking Butler to its fourth

consecutive NCAA Tournament and a fifth seed in the West Regional, the highest

seed ever achieved by any Butler team (Beacham, 2009). The storybook ride took

Butler to just their fourth Sweet 16 in school history and a matchup with number

one ranked Syracuse. Steven s Bulldogs jumped on the Orangemen early and never

looked back in a 63-59 win, a game in which the Bulldogs only gave up the lead once.

After knocking off the number one seeded Syracuse Orangemen, the Bulldogs

traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to play the number two seeded Kansas StateWildcats in the schools first ever Elite Eight appearance. Butler led most of the

game until 4:50 to go when the Wildcats took the lead on a Denis Clemente 3-

pointer. ESPN s Tim Keown recalled the words spoke in Steven s time-out, "Play

your game. Just play your game" (Keown, 2010). That game or style was the Butler

Way , the way that had led the to four straight Horizon League titles, four straight

NCAA Tournament appearances and its first ever Elite Eight. The Bulldogs closed

the game on a 12-5 run, winning 63-56, propelling the Bulldogs to their first everFinal Four in their hometown, Indianapolis. The win notched several milestones.

Steven s was the youngest coach to lead a team to the Final Four since Indiana s Bob

Knight did so in 1973 (Thamel, 2010). Butler also set the benchmark for being the

youngest school, enrolment 4,200, to make the Final Four since the seeding began in

1979 (Woods, 2010).

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Wha t Must a Lea der do to Anticip a te C hall enges a nd Meet T h ose C hall enges?

James 1:2-8 says Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials

of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops

perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and

complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who

gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he

asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea,

blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything

from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. God s word does

not say consider it pure joy if you face trials and tribulations but rather when you

face them. Whether it is the loss of a job, a tough time at work, financial hardships,

or all of the above, it is God placing Christians in his weight room to make them

stronger. Those that put their trust and faith in God through those trials come out

better equipped for the next one to come. Everyone has a plan until they get

punched in the mouth, how one responds will be the true test of faith and character.

Dolitch, Noel, and Walker (2008) discuss adversity in chapter thirty-seven of

Business Leadership. Two main areas that Dotlich, Noel, and Walker (2008)

encourage those to develop are to use adverse situations as a way to learn and as away to place value on the real things in life (p. 483). In their study on learning from

adversity, Dotlich, Noel, and Walker (2008) talk about a Fortune 100 wizard named

Andrew who was tragically injured in an accident. This accident forced Andrew to

immerse himself in relationships with people that had a similar experience as him

rather than to immerse himself solely in his job. This adverse situation forced and

to learn and took advantaged of his situation. Often times a firing can propel many

people onto bigger and better things (p. 482). Harvay Mackay wrote an entire book entitled From Fired to Hired in 2005 that depicts the lives of successful people

that at one point in their careers were fired. It is not uncommon to face these

situations, and as Mackay (2005) writes and Dotlich, Noel, and Walker (2008) say, it

is all about what you do with you life after that moment.

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The second attribute that Dotlich, Noel, and Walker (2008) encourage is to

take important lessons from adverse situations and to place a value on failure (p.

482). They say that as professional coaches they can often tell the difference

between an executive who has had everything on a silver platter from an executive

who has had to overcome failures (pg. 483). They list 4 steps in their study that are

set to help someone who is enduring a similar situation. Step one is to identify

something specific that you failed at in your personal or professional life and then

follow that up in step two by describing your feelings immediately after it occurred.

Steps three and four encourage one to list the positives from those situations and

then identify how the failure has changed you as a person (p. 484). Dotlich, Noel,

and Walker (2008) state that most people recognize the value of failure months or

years later after the initial adversity has occurred. The goal of these steps is to help

some realize their failures in real time to not only them grow through the situation

but also capitalize on the mistakes and move forward faster (p. 484). Keith Bradley-

Adams (2010), a career development specialist, says that every experience, whether

good or bad, can be a learning experience. One of Bradley-Adams (2010) main

points supports what Dotlich, Noel, and Walker (2008) say in step four. He says the

reflection helps people make sense of their experience. Doing so helps one to adapt

and gain the best possible behavior so that they can learn and be better at the next job (Bradley-Adams, 2010).

Hedge fund investor Eddie Lampert encompasses this whole article in one

statement, Remember, failure can be temporary (Sellers, 2008). Lampert, who

bought Kmart in Bankruptcy and later acquired Sears, is fighting through several

problems with both corporations. Currently Sears s stock holdings have fallen 46%

in the past 12 months. Through all of that, Lampert says "It's been difficult, but I

keep remembering that Warren Buffett was down 50% or more two times duringhis career," Lampert told me over breakfast one morning this spring. Actually,

Buffett has been down three times. Nobody's perfect (Sellers, 2008).

The rise to the top for Butler has not been easy. The program has faced four

coaching changes in 11 years, the most of any tournament team in the last decade

(Woods, 2010). The biggest irony in the entire Butler dynasty is it hasn t done it

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with millions of dollars, high profile athletes, and the razzle and dazzle that most

winning division I programs have it today. Barry Collier, when hired in 1989,

designed a system, to is now referred to as the Butler Way, or a method of team over

self (Zinser, 2010). Although it was slow, the buy in of the school, its administration,

its coaches, and most of all their players, have led to Butlers success. In a article

writing on successful leadership, what was consistent in a study of the top CEO s in

business today is the constant resolve for the team rather than individuals (Collins,

2008). This behavior is what Landrum (2002) believes to be an attribute that

continues to lead years beyond the initial impact. Humility leadership is read

through leaders and passed through those who are in direct support of the

leadership. Humble leadership is almost a sickness, in a positive way, that can

spread and influence throughout and entire office, industry, and corporation.

(Landrum, 2002). Paired with humility, leaders are also defined by their

unwavering will. Inspired will and a unsetting spirit for mediocrity have helped

several CEO s such as Charles Cork Walgreen who turned Walgreens pharmacy from

a no name drug store to a company that outperformed the stock market 16:1 from

1975-2000. Abraham Lincoln, who in his first year in political office had to battle

the economic collapse of 1837, faced strong opposition in helping the state of Illinois

and the United States out of one of its deepest depressions. While many politicianssuch as Andrew Jackson, strongly opposed Lincoln, over time Lincoln s resolve

slowly produced results that began to help pick the American people back up on

their feet. The once poor farm boy from Illinois used leadership right to the Oval

Office which led to the abolition of slavery as well as developing efforts to save the

railroads and canals, which led to what we know today as the Trouble Asset Relief

Program (Drehle, 2009). That same unwavering will that Collins (2008) refers to is

what has led Butler to where it is today. Collier believed that Butler could drawsome of the best talent in the nation despite being a small school and not having a

monster football stadium on campus (Wetzel, 2009). Consistency has also helped

the small Indianapolis school that Collier brought to prominence in 1997, and after

his departure in 2000, the school has since promoted from within the coaching staff,

a style that has been few and far between in division I basketball (Wetzel, 2009).

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They have done it recruiting to their system and to their style. Their athletes are

normal students, attending classes and keeping a team GPA of 3.0 or higher since

2006 (Woods, 2009). They also do it with under recruited players. Of the 2007

Sweet Sixteen team, four of Butlers players, David Campbell, Drew Striecher, David

Graves, and Brandon Crone, came from a combined enrollment of 2,500 students,

about the size of one Indianapolis school (Woods, 2009) Butler doesn t need the

money, it doesn t need the fame, it doesn t even need the high profile players, they

win doing it their way and with the players that they want. Dan Wetzel (2010)

describes the program best when talking about the 2010 Final Four team,, It didn t

win with talent. It didn t win with defense. It didn t win with teamwork. It didn t

win with depth. It didn t win with superior coaching. It won because it had all of

those put together in a better team. (Wetzel, 2010)

How does a Lea der get T h ings Accomp l ish ed?

Although the life of a Division I basketball coach may seem to be all glitz and

glamour with nationally televised games and highlights on Sportscenter but none of

those things get accomplished without putting in numerous hours to make it all

happen (Brady, 2005). Running a Division I basketball program is more than just

coaching basketball games, it involves rigorous hours recruiting as well asdeveloping athletic skills and abilities as well as academics (Barber & Eckrich,

1998). Added on top of that, the NCAA has made things tougher as well, increasing

academics standards while reducing practice hours and length of some seasons

(Barber & Eckrich, 1998). Couple those factors with rising number in coaching

changes from 2002-2009, many coaches are fighting for their lives on and off the

court just to keep the locks from being changed (DeCourcy, 2009).

Stevens, who got his start in college basketball as a volunteer assistant andworked his way up to head coach, got a chance to learn how a program was run

insides and out (Gardiner, 2007). This, according to recruiting guru Dave Telep of

Scout Incorporated, has made Stevens one of the best evaluators of talent around.

(DiPrimio, 2010). Tracy Stevens, Brad s wife, says that Coach Stevens can get so

focused into his summer recruiting that he will have breakfast and then get so

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wrapped up in his day that often times he forgets to eat (Woods, 2009). As an

assistant, his wife says that Stevens would come home, spend some time with the

family, then stay up till 4 a.m. returning emails before taking a light nap and

returning back to Hinkle Field house to work the next day (Woods, 2009). Although

Stevens may not consider it work, the niche that he has carved at Butler is unlike

any other (Taylor, 2007). We're going to evaluate and recruit to who Butler is and

not worry about what everybody else says about it," Stevens says. "We'll try to put

together a team that can compete... (DiPrimio, 2007). The humble leaders get

things done with hard work and a humble spirit. As reported prior, a humble leader

can often get more things accomplished with hard work and humility (Collins,

2008). The Butler program, as long as Steven s is in charge, will continue to rise

because of his unwavering will to put team over self (Drehle, 2009).

Conc l usion

Butler took the court in front of 70,000 plus fans packed into Lucas Oil

Stadium in downtown Indianapolis this past April. Everything Butler, everything

Hoosier, everything Indiana basketball was on display that April night, and it

seemed as if whole country was watching. It was like a scene straight out of

Hoosiers, the 1986 film that has been compared so many times to Butler s storybook run to the national championship. From the tip, Butler showed that it was no fluke

and the Bulldogs where there to win a title, the game seemed to only get better as

each minute ticked away. The mighty Duke Blue Devils, coached by USA Dream

Team boss and future Hall of Famer Mike Kryskeskwi led most the second half, until

the underdog Bulldogs made their push (Thamel, 2010). It was the run that every

under dog fan in America was waiting for, the run that capitalized everything that

Butler basketball and the Butler way stood for. Concession stand workers gatheredaround televisions in the concourse, security guards left their post to watch from

exit tunnels throughout the arena, and the 70,000 plus stood on their feet for the

last for the final two minutes to see if Butler could take home the title. The game

went down to the last shot, literally, with sophomore forward Gordon Hayward

barely missing a 35 foot heave at the buzzer that rimmed out as time expired. The

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underdog Bulldogs Cinderella run had ended that cold Monday night in Indianapolis,

losing to the Blue Devils 61-59, but the clock hasn t exactly struck midnight on

Butler just yet. One might think there is no possible way that this could ever happen

again, but there is a formula that has been proven to be quite successful over the last

10 years. Despite coaching changes, despite player personnel changes, despite wins

and losses, there has been a way demands commitment, denies selfishness, accepts

reality, but yet seeks improvement while putting team above self. The way is the

Butler Way. 1

1 This excerpt is from personal experience of my attendance of the NationalChampionship game on May 5, 2010. Born and raised for 21 years in Indianapolis,Indiana, the thoughts, opinions, and views are solely based on past experience.

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