by Brandon E. Weghorst, Associate Executive Director of Communications

Creating a legacy isn’t just passing secrets from one generation to the next. Sometimes you need to go outside of tradition to leave your mark on our society, and that’s a concept several brothers from Virginia Zeta have embraced this school year. They answered a greater calling – one for their community – by following our Eminent Supreme Archon’s Be the One campaign and serving as role models for boys half their age.

The story starts with an alumnus and a passion for coaching. Tom Bibbins, who attended Virginia Tech in the late 1960s, had been serving as football coach for a group of elementary-school students but needed more help. That’s when he turned to his son, a member of Virginia Zeta. The younger Bibbins put out an e-mail to his chapter brothers to see who might want to assist with coaching the kids, and the response was overwhelming. Within hours, more than a dozen brothers stepped up to the plate, offering their service and a chance to serve a critical peer role in the students’ lives.

A new opportunity lay before them, but at the time, the Virginia Zeta brothers did not realize how much they could leave their mark on students they were about to mentor. Their commitment meant shuffling some of their personal time to make room for practice. They’d have to forfeit some of their college lifestyle, trading social time or free time for a parental role. They’d be facing a young group of kids who need guidance, some of whom don’t have the best upbringings in their own families. Yet, the role offered the potential to help inspire today’s youth. They would teach them the same lessons their own coaches taught them years ago.

They started by deciding upon a name, although it would not be difficult to find one. The team would be called The Phoenix for obvious reasons. And, much like the story of the mythological bird, the team had potential to rise from the ashes. Even before the first game, brothers hosted a spaghetti dinner for the young team at their chapter house. And while they may have given them just a peek at what college life would entail, their actions weren’t intended to recruit future members. Instead, they’re focusing on a few basic notions for the students: serve as mentors, serve as father figures and serve as gentlemen who promote good sportsmanship.

“They see us as role models, and we can help teach them life lessons,” says Tony Rivera, a junior. “We’re not here for the praise. It’s the difference we know we can make in their lives and the difference we can make in the community that makes it worth it.”

Their efforts have also earned them publicity in the community – the positive kind. While many fraternities are labeled with stereotypical images, brothers from Virginia Tech help shatter the notion that fraternities do not seek to help their neighbors or send positive messages out to youth about the vital role membership in a fraternity can play.

Andrew Bibbens, Tom’s son, and his brothers see how their peer role has helped to foster development in the students, to see how their confidence soars once they begin to make a difference. “There are some kids who don’t have very good backgrounds,” he says. “Not only are we coaching them on the game, we’re coaching them on life. We’re helping them with their self-confidence.”

The brothers stress the importance of academics and will talk to the students when they’re having problems in the classroom. They also teach the young men that it’s not about winning or losing but about sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct. Jeff Goldblum, who has more or less stepped into the head coaching role among his brothers, says he wants the team’s members to learn about staying positive.

“The biggest thing I’m trying to impress on the kids is to make sure they keep their heads up,” Goldblum says. “They need to take pride in what they’re doing, even if they don’t like it all the time. They can’t give up.”

All of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers agree that since their football-playing days are over, they might as well continue to do what they love through coaching and impacting the young men’s lives. Moreover, they’re giving up extra personal time just to make the commitment to coaching and showing up for practices – while other students may be more wrapped up in their own lives. Chase Allen, a fifth-year senior, is a great example.

He appreciated what his coaches did for him as a young player, so he’s passing along his legacy as well. He wants to Be the One to give the gift of mentorship to another student who needs guidance. “By doing this, I thought it was a good way to give back to the community and to give the Fraternity a good name,” he says. “Turns out, it’s just as much fun for us as it is for them.”

And fun plays a big role in making the most of this coaching experience. While practice can be hard work, the little players and their parents appreciate the brothers’ caring nature just as much as their ability to serve as role models. “They care about the boys, which is great,” says Gwen Godfrey, one of the student’s mothers. “My son is actually excited to come to practice.” And the players’ parents aren’t the only proud ones.

“I’m just as proud of my son and the Virginia Tech guys,” says Tom Bibbens. “These brothers taught our little team how to focus. We appreciated how much they did for us, despite everything going on for them in college.”

At the end of the day, and at the end of each practice and game, one more lesson shines through in what the brothers want to teach the players: Much like the game of life, play to the whistle. Don’t quit until the game’s over. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers left their mark – by not only inspiring a community but by teaching the students to be the best they can be. The young Phoenix team finished its season 7-1, the best record in the league.