Coach Athey

Hard to imagine. Right?

 

After all, Athey, who will retire June 30, has been a vital and vibrant member of the Collegiate Family for 43 years.

 

He’s filled a variety of roles in the physical plant department and, since 2021, has worked in the athletic department as fields, equipment, and transportation supervisor.

 

Since 2015, he’s also shared his expertise, experience, and love for basketball as an assistant boys varsity coach on the staffs of Alex Peavey, Del Harris, and Nick Leonardelli.

 

Never a clock watcher, Athey is diligent, industrious, dedicated, and detail oriented, but he’s much more than the guy who’s often one of the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave after the sun goes down.

He always has been, and always will be, a true friend, trusted confidant, brother figure, and father figure to so many in the Collegiate community, many of whom regard him as a beloved member of their family.

 

In all that he’s done, he’s been a voice of reason, the quintessential go-to guy for job-related issues as well as discussions about life, and a goodwill ambassador who’s represented the school with dignity, class, and grace.

 

“When you talk about the Mt. Rushmore of Collegiate mentors, you can’t have that conversation without including Wilbur,” said athletic director Andrew Stanley. “His impact as a coach can’t be overstated, but Wilbur was coaching and influencing students and colleagues well before Alex Peavey brought him onto his staff.

 

“He’s been a steadying force for generations of colleagues, students, and families, and he’s done it with no pretense, flair, or ego. With eyes forward but in the moment, he’s interacted with people in ways that sometimes seemed small but were seismic in the consistency of the institution.”

 

After graduating from Goochland High School where he was a standout point guard, Athey worked for his father’s logging company for a while, then signed on to do contract work for a masonry company at the facility now known as the Richmond Veterans Administration Medical Center.

 

His introduction to Collegiate occurred somewhat by accident on a Sunday in December 1982 when he accompanied his brother-in-law Douglas Johnson, a longtime jack-of-all-trades in the physical plant department, to campus to clean up after a water pipe burst in the Burke Hall kitchen.

 

“That’s when I met (maintenance supervisor) Jim Dreelin,” Athey said. “He asked if I was looking for a job. Actually, I was. He said, ‘When can you start?’ I said, ‘I can start today.’  On Monday, I started working cleaning buildings. I didn’t expect to stay long, maybe 10 years, then I’d try something different.”

 

Famous last words.

 

Athey went from housekeeping to grounds. In time, he moved back inside to assist with setups for literally 200-plus school-related events each year.

 

His responsibilities continued to increase.

 

“Glen (Dandridge, who oversaw maintenance, transportation, and physical plant) needed someone to help with payroll,” Athey said. “He asked if I knew how to do payroll. I said, ‘We’ll figure it out.’ That’s how I got into a supervisory position.”

 

Eventually, Athey became the logistics, setups, and special events supervisor while also doing payroll, handling the mail, and, for a time, overseeing the housekeeping department.

 

In the spring of 2021, he answered the call to fill a void in the athletic department created by a couple of staff departures.

 

So ended 38 years in the physical plant department. So began new opportunities and challenges which he embraced immediately.

 

“I make sure fields are ready for games,” he said. “Inventory uniforms. Get uniforms out. Do the laundry. Make sure teams get on the right buses. Greet teams and referees when they come on campus. A little bit of everything.”

 

Including coaching, which is a true calling.

 

For years, he coached a variety of youth sports sponsored by the Goochland County Parks and Recreation Department.

 

He later coached basketball at Goochland Middle School and JV at Goochland High, where he served for a while as the varsity assistant.

 

He makes it clear that he isn’t retiring from coaching. That’s a positive for Collegiate.

 

“Wilbur truly has a hand in everything we’re doing,” said Leonardelli. “He takes care of so many tasks so I can focus just on basketball. He manages all the logistics. He loves to work with the forwards, but I can throw him in with the guards. He works with offense and defense. A lot of times when players sub out, he’s the one who puts his arm around them and gets them reset.”

 

Following his official retirement date, Athey looks forward to spending more time with his large family in the area including his son Wilbur Jr., who goes by Scoota, as well as his daughter Shannon Roane, her husband Joseph, and their children Jalen (5) and Jada (3) in Atlanta.

 

That said, Athey has committed to return 20 hours per week to help train his successor, which means he’ll still be an invaluable presence on campus.

 

“Wilbur embodies everything the institution is about,” said Leonardelli. “He means so much to the student-athletes. When they see Wilbur, their faces light up. They know they have somebody who’s incredibly supportive and willing to give them the shirt off his back. His conversations are always about helping kids achieve their best. When something doesn’t go right, they know he has their back but at the same time holds them accountable, and they know right away that he’s a person they can trust.

 

“He has the unique ability that when he talks to a young person, he has their full attention. That says so much about the level of respect he’s earned. He has the unique ability to correct people and teach them lessons, and often a lot of his best work is when nobody is looking.”

 

During his tenure spanning four-plus decades, Athey has experienced many memorable moments.

 

“There’re a million things I could relate to you,” he said. “I know a lot of three- and four-generation families. I’ve watched people grow up from the Lower School and eventually send their kids here.”

 

What will he miss most?

 

“The kids,” he said. “The friendships. My co-workers. But I’m not going to ride off into the sunset. I’m coming to games. I’ll pop in and see my co-workers, students, and athletes.

“I have a lot of friends I’ll never forget. I’m just glad I have so many people in my circle. I have my family, and I have my Collegiate family, which I call, all family.”

 

Can you imagine, I asked him, what life would be like if you hadn’t ridden in with Douglas that Sunday?

“I don’t know what I’d have been doing,” he replied. “Whatever it was, I’m sure I’d be doing the same thing I’m doing here: giving 110 (percent).

“I’m glad I was steered in this direction. I remember telling my mom, ‘I don’t think I’ll stay long.’  She said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘I don’t know if I can work at a school for a long time.’ She said, ‘You’ll be all right.’

“It took me a while to figure that out, but here I am, 43 years later.”

~Weldon Bradshaw