Fall 2009

When the life-like sculpture of Thomas P. Van Voorhis `21 was unveiled as the first of nine statues to grace Yager Stadium’s Cradle of Coaches Plaza earlier this month, Miami University paid tribute not to a man known as an accomplished field general but rather, as the accompanying plaque reads, as a "legendary teacher, sportsman and friend."

During his 35-year career as an instructor, athletic administrator and coach at Miami, Van Voorhis shaped hundreds of the young minds that would go on to build Miami’s revered Cradle of Coaches tradition. His innovations in college athletics programming remain prominent on college campuses nationwide, yet, for more than two decades, the lone symbol of his achievements on Miami’s campus has been a simple plaque and boulder in the Roudebush Hall parking lot, marking the spot where the building that carried his name once stood.

Daniel Van Voorhis, the grandson of the late Thomas P. Van Voorhis, never met his grandfather but used to revel in the stories his father would share.

"I knew that he was the voice of Miami football for years … a real sportsman, a very outspoken, sports-minded guy," Daniel recalled. "And he could go out on the golf course with just four clubs – no bag – and beat anyone."

More than his exploits on the golf course, Van Voorhis is recognized as one of the original faculty members of Miami’s influential physical education and coaching program and also as one of the founders of college intramural sports – a distinction shared with Emory University. While the great names of the Cradle of Coaches often overshadow its roots, Miami’s four-year program in physical education and coaching – one of the first nationally – was integral in setting the stage for generations of successful coaches with Miami ties.

When Van Voorhis Hall, originally Herron Hall, was torn down in 1986, it left a void not only on campus but with the family, which has five generations of Miami ties. Through discussions with his father, Thomas C. Van Voorhis, Daniel realized the need to preserve his grandfather’s legacy, but identifying a fitting tribute required the right mix of chance and opportunity.

When Daniel’s son, Daniel Jr., was considering attending Miami University, Daniel was advised by his father to visit another Chicago-area resident with significant ties to Miami’s Cradle of Coaches. Bob Kurz `58, a former sports information director at Miami, is credited with coining the term Cradle of Coaches, and his book Miami of Ohio: The Cradle of Coaches is one of the leading commentaries on the tradition. Over lunch, Kurz not only sold the younger Van Voorhis – now a Miami sophomore – on the university, but reconnected Daniel to his grandfather’s legacy.

In ensuing conversations, Daniel became aware of a project Bob and his wife Marian Hummel Kurz `58 had supported with a lead gift in 2004, the Cradle of Coaches Plaza. Constructed just beyond the south end zone at Yager Stadium, the plaza was to recognize some of the greatest of Miami’s coaching legends. However, funding was still needed to erect the eight statues that would occupy eight empty stanchions.

Through discussions with Kurz and Miami Director of Athletics Brad Bates, a vision was created to combine the celebration of Miami’s Cradle of Coaches tradition with the recognition of a man who was at its very foundation. Through a gift of $1 million, Daniel, the founder, CEO and President of Continental Communities, provided funding for statues not only of the eight Miami graduates who received national football coach of the year or hall of fame recognition but also for one additional statue honoring his grandfather’s role in that success.

"The pieces just fit together," said Daniel. "Through helping complete the Cradle of Coaches Plaza, we had the opportunity to support something that is very special to the Miami community but also to my family."

So as visitors enter Miami’s Cradle of Coaches Plaza to view life-like sculptures of coaching luminaries Earl "Red Blaik, Weeb Ewbank, Paul Brown, Paul Dietzel, Ara Parseghian, John Pont, Bo Schembechler, and Carm Cozza, consider it fitting that the bespectacled presence of the "legendary teacher, sportsman and friend," Thomas P. Van Voorhis, greets them at the gate.