'Coach Gills' provides support,
encouragement to players

By Michael McIntyre
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

The design of any athletic team is comprised of a basic formula. There is a head coach, along with a group of assistant coaches and trainers that form the staff. Of course, there are also the players.

In some cases, a team will have a secret weapon, as well. In football, the secret weapon could be a backup quarterback with the strength and speed of a halfback, who is used only in third-down situations. Or in baseball, the game-winning homerun in the ninth inning may come from that designated hitter that spent most of the season on the bench just waiting for his moment to shine.

The football team at Norwich University has a very special secret weapon, as well. It may be a secret to the spectators in the bleachers, or to the opposing teams. But to the student-athletes at Norwich, it is no secret where the extra support comes from.

Director of Learning Support Paula Gills, or "Coach" as she is often referred to by the athletes, is a great support to the NU student-athletes, not only academically, but emotionally as well, according to Athletic Director Tony Mariano.

"The thing I love most about Paula is that she isn't just a professor who works for a pay check; she is in it to help those who need it. Without her, I would not have made it," said Dennis Pearse, a 1999 Norwich graduate and former football player.

Gills, who graduated from Michigan State with both a bachelor's and master's degree, has been a football fan her entire life.

"My dad was a big sports fan, particularly of football," she recalled. "I grew up with sports in my house."

Growing up in a neighborhood that was predominately male only added to Gill's eventual love of football. Her earliest experiences consisted of trying to prove herself to the boys in neighborhood pick-up games.

"Football has always been exciting to me; I have always enjoyed it," Gills said.

For the past 23 years, Gills has in some way supported Norwich football. Even before becoming a full-time employee, Gills would often find herself among other spectators at Sabine Field, enjoying a Cadets' game.

Eventually her role as "number-one fan" significantly increased.

Former Head Coach Steve Hackett, predecessor to current coach Mike Yesalonia, began a program which integrated members of the football staff and the academic staff.

"Coach Hackett started having a couple staff members every week be honorary coaches. I did that one week, and the name 'Coach Gills' stuck," Gills said.

As a football fan and educator, it only seemed natural that Gills combine her passions for each to better assist the student-athletes. Thus began her working relationship with the team. A relationship which has become stronger with time.

"There are not too many people you will find in the world that give the kind of support that Coach Gills gives to the football team," said Henry Van Orman, 21, a senior communications major from Bennington, Vt.

Whether it takes place in the classroom, the locker room, on the field or over the phone, Gills provides consistent support for the team.

Gills is an amazing asset who describes her position as learning support director as "a unique opportunity for me to know some personal things about the students."

Gills spends her days in meetings and appointments, making sure students get the extra help and attention they need academically. She is also there anytime a student has a personal problem or just wants to talk. As if that wasn't enough, she has been to nearly every football game, both home and away, which Norwich has played since 1977.

She is extremely visible to the team at all times. Her love of football, and the education of its participants, has garnered a bond of mutual respect and trust over the years.

"The service that Coach Gills provides is one that cannot be replaced," Mariano said.

Along with being arguably the most consistent game-day spectator Norwich football has, Gills also frequents the team practice sessions. The more available Gills can be to the team, the better.

"She is always there, no matter what the case is, willing to talk to you," said Zach Dyer, 22, a senior communications major from Mechanicsville, NY.

The bond between Gills and the football team is one that continues to grow because it is a constant helping relationship. She is there to help the players in both their academic and personal struggles. That is what makes her so special, not how she helps students with homework, or how she listens to their problems; it is how she combines those characteristics. Because Gills wants to better them, the student-athletes in turn want to better themselves.

"It is really motivating to see someone like Coach Gills take such pride in us," Van Orman said.

"She is the type of woman that would give you her all, and if that was not enough she would give you more," said 1999 NU graduate Kevin Reen.

Pearse, who recalls playing on a team which experienced less success than the current squad, realizes just how dedicated Gills is to the team. Her presence at each game, even those on the road, is what Pearse describes as "real love" for the team.

Pearse and Reen are not the only alumni who truly appreciate what Gills has done for them.

From the days Yesalonia spent in a cadet uniform, to his assistant coaching job, all the way to his current position as head coach, Gills has been there. It was Yesalonia who wanted to continue the trend that Hackett had started.

Yesalonia furthered Gills' involvement with the team when he took over. He took her relationship with the team to the next step. The role Gills plays with the team became more specific at the start of the Yesalonia era. She not only became the team's permanent "academic coach," but she also started getting involved in player recruitment.

"I got into a higher level of involvement with the team when Coach Yesalonia took over," Gills said. "He has been really active about referring players to me for academic needs."

Players of both past and present, along with the coaching staff, agree that Gills has been a remarkable asset to them all.

"She is like a mother to all of us," Van Orman said.

Mothers of the players themselves agree that Gills has always been a positive influence.

According to Kathy Pearse, Gills was a mother away from home to her son and his teammates.

"While I was at home, Paula wore my shoes at Norwich. It was a relief knowing that my son was in good hands. Paula helped my son and his friends when they needed it, and for that I love her. She is a great person," Kathy Pearse said of Gills' relationship with her son Dennis.

Four years ago, Gills started bringing a camera to the sidelines. "I take each individual picture that I think is a nice representation of player on the field," Gills explained, adding that she then places the picture in an envelope, complete with a note on the back stating at which game it was taken, and sends a copy to the appropriate player.

Of all the pictures Gills has taken for the team, one that stands out is a photograph she shot this season. It was a team picture after a victory over Kings Point. The picture represents the first time Norwich had ever defeated Kings Point.

About the same time she began documenting the team with a camera, Gills also started the tradition of choosing her own most valuable player (MVP) each week. Gills makes her decision, based loosely on feedback from coaches and players, on an offensive and defensive player for each game.

"I started picking my own MVPs from each game, and this was based on my own impression of the player during the game," Gills said.

Once the players have been selected, they receive a pennant from Gills, along with a letter of congratulations.

"I believe you cannot reward students enough for their achievements," Gills said.

"The one thing you have to know about Paula Gills, or 'coach' as we and the athletes call her, is that she bleeds maroon and gold," Mariano said. "She is a Norwich person throughout. The working relationship she has built with the student-athletes has been very, very positive."

Back to Guidon index