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Becoming UnDone
124 | Dick Tomey Part 12: Heart and Hustle with Arizona Wildcat Legend Kelvin Eafon
00:47:22
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- [00:04]
Toby Brooks
This is becoming undone. You'll be fine. I'm fine. That's what Bruce told me. My new Boss. I was 20 years old and had just moved about 400 miles from home to chase my dream of playing college basketball. I'd ended up at Anderson University, a small NCAA Division 3 school just north of Indianapolis. No athletic scholarships, but I thought it would be a place where I could thrive as a student and as an athlete. As a student athlete. Instead, I pretty quickly became a broke college kid coaching a sport I'd never even played for a bunch of 8 year olds. I wanted to be an athletic trainer. I started my college career at a community college. And for two years I'd kept hope alive that I could transfer somewhere else to play. Somewhere, anywhere. So I looked at the list of all the accredited athletic training programs and I made a list of my own of the schools that I had never heard of that were within a 5 to 10 hour radius. Now follow my logic here. If I hadn't heard of this school, then I thought I might be able to play for them. Not terrible rationale. The University of Illinois had a program. No way on earth was I good enough to play for the illini. Even nearby SIU had a program, but they were also D1, so they were out too. Ultimately, I narrowed my choices down to two schools. Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana and Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. I'd never heard of either one of them. At the time, I thought I had a blank check for my last two years of college. So the fact that either one of them was private was no big deal in my mind. My first two years I was on partial academic scholarship and also qualified for a Pell Grant, which if you're not familiar, it's free money that you don't have to pay back and it's given to students with the greatest financial need. So you may be wondering, and rightly so, how on earth was a kid on a Pell Grant suddenly going to be able to afford to go to either of these private schools? Not because I could suddenly afford it, mind you. We were a no income family at the time, but my dad was a card carrying member of the United Mine Workers Association. He'd been a mechanic at a coal mine for 12 years or so when he finally got laid off for good. At the time, the UMWA had a scholarship program for the children of displaced or laid off miners kids. I did some digging recently, like yesterday, and the Lauren E. Kerr Scholarship still exists, although it's a little different than it was back in my day. Now I don't know if my dad heard wrong or if my juco counselor heard wrong or if I misunderstood or whatever. But friend, I'll tell you. I was operating under the assumption that I had house money. My dad had been laid off and that meant my family was impacted. And because of that I could go anywhere I wanted and get as much financial aid as I could and the UMWA would kick in the rest like some kind of rich uncle to the rescue or something. Now I can tell you this as well. Having worked in higher ed my whole career, there is no possible way that that was correct. But that's what I thought. So that's how I acted. I applied to au, I got accepted, I spoke to the basketball coach, I signed up for classes, I was registered, was finally ready to go away to college and I'd be showing up in August as a junior. But before that, I got the letter in the mail in July. It was from the UMWA notifying me congratulations for your two thousand dollar scholarship. Two grand at a private school won't pay for snacks. I was screwed. It was too late to apply or go anywhere else. So my options were to sit out that semester or to go ahead and go take out every dollar of loan I could try to pay for that one semester. But either way, I knew I'd have to transfer to a cheaper state school. After Christmas I went to Anderson knowing that I couldn't afford to stay. I kept practicing and I had planned to at least try out. When push came to shove and the time came, I chickened out. I figured I couldn't afford to stay anyhow, so why put myself out there just to face the chance of rejection too? So I chose Plan B. I took out every dollar I could and part of my financial aid package was a work study so I'd actually have to earn that money. There was a big student job board in the student center at orientation. One of the guys on my floor that had become a quick friend, Norm, was on work study too. He snapped up a job helping the landscaping crew on campus. There were jobs in the library and stuff like that, but that seemed boring. One caught my eye however. The YMCA community programs. I grabbed a little note card and called to set up an interview. All I remember about the interview was that it was with this big dude named Bruce. There's more to this story. Maybe I'll tell you another time. But Bruce explained that I'd be coaching and refereeing the YMCA's Community Youth Sports programs. He offered me the job on the spot. And I took it. I was an athlete after all. How hard could it be? The next week he called, had the schedule ready for pickup. He didn't text it to me, he didn't email it to me. I had to go physically pick up this printed staple fall semester schedule. And when I looked, I thought it had to be wrong. I told him I could do pretty much any sport. Baseball, basketball, football, maybe even some speed and agility training. But he had assigned me to the 8U Anderson Community YMCA Youth Soccer League. I was the coach for the CO Ed Red Pumas. To this day. To this day, I have never played soccer. I tried to play it on a PlayStation one time, which was a disaster. I didn't know the rules. I can honestly say my only real connection with the sport, even up to this moment, is watching Ted Lasso Bruce. I can't do this. He'll be fine, he said. Totally fine. I don't know the rules, I don't know the positions. No idea about the strategy. I'm telling you, Bruce, this won't work. You'll be fine. He repeated.
- [06:48]
Kelvin Ifon
I don't know why it's coming out all loud and squeaky, because really, I'm fine, friend.
- [06:54]
Toby Brooks
I was not fine. If you're listening to this show now, or if some miraculous combination of occurrences has led to you listening to this right now and you were a seven or eight year old athlete or an affiliated parent of The Anderson Community YMCA Youth Soccer League league in 1995, specifically on the Red Pumas in particular, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Regardless, you for sure are entitled to my deepest apologies. It was. It was bad. It was so bad. Oh, good lord. So here I am being engulfed by these 12 rambunctious children every Saturday for weeks on end. We didn't win a game. I ran drills like a three man weave. We played catch with soccer balls. At the time, it wasn't like you could just hop on YouTube for ideas. So we did what people did in the 1900s when they didn't know what to do. We suffered through it. Except it ended up being kind of a high point. I had gathered up all the courage I could muster to move hours away, pursue a dream that at that point I'm pretty sure only I still believed in. And I'd failed Plan B. Being a youth soccer coach hadn't even been an option when I arrived on campus. But as it turned out, plan B ended up being pretty awesome too. Except for a record that that was still awful about a year later. Elsewhere In America, a real athlete showed up on a major college campus of his own at a school I'm guessing we've all heard of y'. All. His plan A was way better than mine. Dallas, Texas native Kelvin Ifon quickly became a recognized leader on one of the most successful college basketball teams in the nation, playing for Lute Olson, a Hall of Fame coach who led Arizona to the national title in 1997. But something else was calling. The Arizona football staff saw it. Arizona head football coach Dick Thomey saw it. And eventually Kelvin saw it, too. After asking for a while, Kelvin finally acquiesced and showed up to play for the Wildcat football team. It wasn't long before being named by his teammates as offensive captain. In 1998, Calvin became not just a fierce leader on the team, but a punishing, reliable short yardage specialist who complimented fellow tailback trunk candidates explosive burst. They were a potent one two punch. Kelvin ended the year with 16 touchdowns, over a thousand career yards, and a place in the iconic Holiday bowl victory photo that we talked about last episode that documented the highest point in program history before or since. Bruce told me I'd be fine with plan B. You will be fine. Totally fine. But Kelvin, he was more than fine with his plan B. He turned it into the stuff of Arizona legend. This is your first time joining us. Welcome. And if you've been with me from the start, you already know. I'm Toby Brooks. These days, I'm a professor, a speaker, a podcast host. In the late 90s and early 2000s, I was just a young, eager graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of Arizona. I had no idea I was stepping into the final chapter of Coach Dick Tony's legendary run with the Wildcats or how much it would shape the rest of my life. Coach used to say, you're either coaching it or you're allowing it to happen. Potential is never enough. It's what you do with it. It's who you become in the process that counts. And that's the thing about coach Dick Thomey. He didn't just recruit athletes. He developed men. And in some cases, he found them in some pretty unexpected places. Take today's guest, Calvin Ifon. He didn't come to Tucson for football necessarily. He was a basketball recruit, primarily part of that golden era of Arizona hoops. But coach saw something in him and more importantly, kept seeing it, even when Kelvin maybe hadn't even seen it himself. By the time that 98 season rolled around, Kelvin had become much more than just a converted basketball player. He was the heartbeat of a team that etched its place into Wildcat history. And he did it in the way Coach taught him, by loving hard, leading loud, and laying it on the line. That 98 squad was special, not just because of the wins, but because of the way they won together for each other, led by men like Kelvin, who embodied the values Coach had built into the DNA of the program. Toughness, humility, unity, heart. This podcast series is my way of honoring that legacy, one conversation at a time. We're remembering the man who made a career out of doing things the right way. From the early days in Indiana to LA to Honolulu to Tucson to San Jose and beyond, we've retraced Coach Tomi's impact by talking to those who let. So today we're going to hear from someone who didn't just play for Coach Tomi. He carried the culture, and he's still carrying it now. Coaching, mentoring, motivating, and making sure the fire Coach lit in him never goes out. This is Becoming undone. This is episode 12 in the Life Lessons and legacy of Coach Dick Thomey. And this is Calvin Ifon. Becoming Undone is a podcast for those who dare bravely, risk mightily and grow relentlessly. Join me. Toby Brooks is I invite a new guest each week where we examine how high achievers can transform from falling apart to falling into place. And if you've been following along the past 10 or 11 episodes, we've been doing a deep dive on the life, the lessons, and the legacy of the late coach Dick Tomi. Today, I am honored to welcome a true Wildcat legend to the show, Kelvin Ifon. He was co captain of the 98 Arizona football team. He was a driving force behind one of the most memorable seasons in program history. Known for his toughness, his talent, his heart, his grit. He was more than just a playmaker. He was a leader in every sense of the word, and he flourished under coach Dick Tomey. Kelvin helped shape a culture of grit, of unity and belief that still echoes through that Arizona football program. So, Kelvin, thank you so much for being here. It's great to have you on the show.
- [13:36]
Kelvin Ifon
Hey, thanks for having me on, man. I appreciate it.
- [13:39]
Toby Brooks
Yeah, I know famously you ended up in Tucson not to play football. You were a basketball recruit, so you show up. I mean, this is the heyday of Arizona basketball. They win the national championship in 97. Let's start at the beginning. Talk me through how you ended up in Tucson to begin with.
- [13:56]
Kelvin Ifon
Well, Coach Olsen, man, discovered me at a basketball camp, the ABCD All American Basketball Camp, in high school I was a three sport athlete. Football, basketball and track. But basketball was the hardest for me. Right. And so I wanted to prove that I could play college basketball. And having an opportunity to play at a high major school with a great coach like Coach Olson, I just couldn't turn it down, man. I mean, he could like again, he saw me at ABCD All American Camp. I played against some of the best, Stephon Marbury, T. Billups, you know, a bunch of the California guys that they had don't Jermaine folks in those guys. So yeah, man, he discovered me and gave me an opportunity to come out here and play point guard.
- [14:40]
Toby Brooks
Yeah, well, that era of Wildcat basketball was, was really in its golden era, like the national championship in 97. Miles Simon, Mike Bibby, the list goes on. And that ended up not being your story. You end up playing football. So tell. How do you transition from being a highly recruited basketball player on a defending national champion, to now being on a football team that really hadn't had sustained success, at least not on the scale that, that that basketball had?
- [15:16]
Kelvin Ifon
Well, well, basically what happened was U of A recruited me in high school as well. When they found out the basketball team was recruiting me to football, got in touch with me right away, was like, oh, you think it'll come with basketball? You know, we would love to have you as a two sport athlete. And I remember Coach Lunsford coming to recruit me. He had on the boots and everything, came out and recruited me and let me know all about Arizona. So basically I was on the basketball team for two years and I used to see Coach Hammersmith in the hallways all the time. And he would come up to me and say, man, be an NFL db, you'll be an NFL football player. Man, you need to get back out here to football. So he just kept that in my ear. And after a couple years on the basketball team, Coach Olson promised me that I'll get an opportunity to go play football if I still wanted to. And so went out there, man, hey, the rest is history, right?
- [16:08]
Toby Brooks
Well, I think that's telling of the culture and the program that Coach Tomi created. No one gave up on you. And whether that meant you were in Tucson wearing red and blue to begin with, or a recruit from across the country. That entire staff was pretty well known for their ability to not just create a relationship, but to maintain it, to build it, to keep pouring into young men.
- [16:31]
Kelvin Ifon
Yes, sir. I mean, and I go back to think of Coach told me, you think about all the undersized guys, all the guys that he found under the rocks in the white. The more he just found guys everywhere. The baseball players, Keith Smith, I mean, he just found guys and just bring them together. And I was just one of those guys on the basketball team. They saw me out there. I'm out there with all the muscles, 210 pounds around me. There's something else you could do with that ability. So yeah, Coach Tommy just had that eye and his staff as well, maintaining those relationships. And I felt comfortable being around the guys. As far as the football team, I mean, they were some of the coolest guys around campus. You know what I'm saying? I mean, we were basketball players, but, you know, we were all in Mikhail. So you got a chance to rub elbows with guys. And I noticed that, you know, I had something coming with a lot of the football guys.
- [17:20]
Toby Brooks
Yeah, well, one thing that has stood out to me during this, this series of shows, these interviews is there was definitely a, an idea of family that was cultivated and that started at the top and that was all the way through the program. Whether that's players, whether that's coaches, whether that's support staff. What did that family look like to you? The day to day, the experience of being a part of that program. How did he create that culture in the locker room?
- [17:50]
Kelvin Ifon
Well, you know, the way that coach told me he created that culture is he was great about letting the players be the leaders, especially in the locker room. I don't remember coach coming in the locker room. I mean, I mean, you know, sometimes assistant coaches come through, pat you on the back, just, you know, trying to, you know, make sure they show the love and whatnot. But he really let us be a player led team. And the Joe Saloves and the David Phipps and the Rodney Williams, those type of guys were, were always leading receiver. Richard Dice. Right. So you always had Terry Vaughns before I got. Cause, you know, I had a chance to watch from the, from the stands for two years and you know, so I had a chance to watch the Antoine Carters and the different guys like that. So my point is that coach let us lead the team. He always had his ear on it. He always paid attention to what was going on outside of the locker room. But at the same time, he really let the guys, you know, take control of the team and have that pulse. And he just made sure from the top, the coaches led us by being great men and great leaders.
- [18:52]
Toby Brooks
Yeah, well, I think there's no better illustration of that than the fact that the players elected their captains. And you're an offensive captain Chris McAllister, defensive CO captain Bear Baker, special teams co captain. And I don't guess I really realized it until I started this process. But famously, that photo at the Holiday bowl of coach Tomi and the three of you hoisting that trophy, like in that moment, and even talking to Barrett about this, there was a tinge of disappointment because we didn't go to the Rose Bowl. We weren't national champions, but we won Holiday Bowl. And in that moment, that photo clicks and that's the high point of Arizona football. Like, that's literally the zenith at which the program has ascended so far. I'll say that hopefully coach, Coach Brennan and staff can eclipse that. But in that moment, four men in that photo, Dick Comey, Barrett Baker, who's a walk on from Tucson, who didn't have a lot of opportunities to go anywhere else, you, who came to campus as a basketball player, and Chris McAllister, who's all world NFL everything.
- [20:00]
Kelvin Ifon
But even with Chris, he was. He had to go to JUCO for a year because he didn't have his grades together and everything like that. You know, came in with some different adversities and another guy, he probably would have been LA or something if everything had went through for him. So all those guys on there, you know, it's just like you said, it's people, you know, Tony guys.
- [20:22]
Toby Brooks
Yeah, and that's it. Glue guys told me guys, and, and I'll never forget, even at Cochise, I remember, I mean, I'm new to, to Arizona, let alone Arizona football. And I'm like, who is that running like that guy is fiery like you are. You are playing every, every snap like it is absolutely critical to win. And the takeaways and, and how the defense would celebrate when they would strip a running back of a ball. Things like that I just was not familiar with in any way, shape or form. How do you think he was able to take men, particularly men from all different parts of the country, even the world, and stitch them together into this cohesive unit?
- [21:05]
Kelvin Ifon
I just think it goes to the character who Coach Tommy is just as a man. I mean, I just think that just who he was, I mean, the fabric of the person that who he is, who he is, is what you saw. So I think it's, again, it's the way that he led his coaches. You think about Coach Keena, how long he been around Coach, Coach Babers, you just keep going down the line. There's a family aspect to all the men who we had around us. It was about they had their wives, they had their kids around us. So it was just so much family oriented that, you know, you ended up, you know, because we're all young men, we all know we weren't all going to be NFL hall of Famers. We all dreamed of in a Porsche. But it was watching these men lead their families and understanding the hours that they were having to put in away from their families and still having barbecues and bringing their families and making part of what we had going on. It made us realize that it was bigger than just football.
- [22:05]
Toby Brooks
It was bigger than just football. But make no mistake, friend, it was about football. Under coach Dick tell Me, the Wildcats enjoyed sustained success on the gridiron. His 95 program wins and seven bowl appearances remain the most in the University of Arizona history. He coached eight consensus all Americans. Tony Bowie, Teddy Bruski, Chuck Cecil, Darrell Lewis, Chris McAllister, Steve McLaughlin, Dennis Northcott, Rob Waldrop. Across his 29 year head coaching career, he led three different programs to a combined 183 victories. Good enough for 33rd all time and college football history. And his turnaround at San Jose State. That deserves a book all by itself. He inherited a team that went 2 and 9 in 2004, teetering on the edge of being eliminated from the university altogether. And within two years he had turned them around, posting a 94 season with a win in the New Mexico bowl this week. I read that the College Football hall of Fame recently low lowered its eligibility threshold for coaches from their previous.600 career winning percentage to.595. That change clears the way for a legend like Mike Leach to now be enshrined for coach. Tell me even that shift doesn't go quite far enough. His career record of 183 wins, 145 losses and 7 ties figures out to a.557 winning percentage. Mathematically, over the course of his career, he would have needed 32 more victories to meet the mark. A little more than one per year. Now, I could argue all day that coach's impact far exceeds anything on a stat sheet. Coach didn't chase easy wins. He took hard jobs, some of the hardest in the country. The ones that needed more than a coach. They needed a builder, a believer, a man who could create a culture where winning wasn't just a goal, it was a byproduct of doing things the right way. It's been said that statistics are a trailing measure. In other words, you don't see the fruit of your labor in the moment. It takes time and that's what coach did, he did that. Not just on a scoreboard, but in the lives of the people he led. Few people in Wildcat history had a heart and a motor like Kelvin Ifon. And here's the thing about Kelvin. He didn't need Coach Lunsford or Coach Babers or Coach Ionel or even Coach Tomi to put that heart in him. It was already there. The man's jersey was retired while he was in high school, for crying out loud. What he did need was a coach who saw it, who made room for it and gave him the freedom to lead with it. Like Coach Tomey, Kelvin was all heart, but don't mistake that for softness. He got it done on the field, too. In a loaded Arizona backfield that featured future first round draft pick Trunk Kennedy, along with a stable of other offensive weapons, including future NFLers Jeremy McDaniel and Dennis Northcutt. Along with Keith Smith, Ortiz Jenkins, Mike Luckey, Brandon, Manu Maliuna, Kelvin still made his presence known. In 33 career games, he rushed for 1,037 yards and scored 21 touchdowns. Sixteen of those came in 98 alone. And that was good for top 10 in the nation and number one in the PAC 10. But when Kelvin looks back, it's not the touchdowns or the trophies that rise to the top. It's connection. It's love. And that lesson that real leadership is rooted in love is one he's still living out today. I think it's easy to see to a certain extent how he was able to do that on a team level. It's maybe a little harder to see that on an individual level. It's not hard to see, but those are stories that don't get written about in the newspaper as often or on websites or whatever. Do you remember any particular moment? Maybe in practice, a meeting after a game when coach told me said or did something specifically to you that stuck with you long after your playing days were over?
- [26:06]
Kelvin Ifon
Oh, yeah, man, I remember. I remember one time he came up to me right before practice and, you know, he gave you the big hug where he plucked the back of your neck and he pull you, right? And he said, love you, I love you. And it was weird because, you know, a lot of times you don't hear other men say they love you, right? And. And so here comes to me say he loved me. It just, you know, you think about it, you know, I didn't say I loved him back at the moment because I was just surprised that he had said it. And, you know, it took time. And so what Happened was he went. He went into the practice, and all of a sudden he just started yelling at me in front of everybody. I'm the captain. Everybody look up to me on the squad or whatever. And he started yelling at me, getting on me, and I didn't understand what was really going on. And then. So when it was all over, he came up to me, he said, you know, Kelvin, all these guys respect you. They all look up to you, and if I can get on you in front of all them, I'll have all their attention. And, man, that just spoke a lot to me, man. You know, it helped. I kind of had a vision of who I was. I've been captain of every team I've been on all my life. I one of those guys who got his high school jersey retired while I was in high school. And a lot of it had to do with leadership, the way I led my teams in high school or whatnot. And that was who was on the wall. He had my school or whatever. But, you know, I just. It's just that he. He just made. He just showed me that, you know, being a leader and understanding that that leadership sometimes is more important than actually running the ball.
- [27:38]
Toby Brooks
Yeah, Such a powerful message. And, I mean, you got Trump Canada in the backfield. There are playmakers all over that roster. Such a huge void when you graduate, when you left the program. Your story doesn't end in athletics. When you leave Arizona, you continue to be active and work with young athletes. To say, tell us a little bit about what you're doing these days related to athletics.
- [28:05]
Kelvin Ifon
Well, I've been. I got right into high school. I coach high school basketball four years, JVM freshman, four years, high school varsity. Had some success there. And then I. And for years, over 20 years, I've been doing AAU and club basketball and training individual football and basketball players. It's been a dream all my life. I wanted to go to the NFL so I can get money so I can build my own gym, because I always wanted to be a skill development guy because I realized what it did for my life. And a lot of the guys that I grew up with, coming from my neighborhood, it brought so many different people. The sports bring so many people from so ways of life together that would have never even thought of speaking to each other. And you have a chance to realize that you have so much in common. So, you know, having the chance to be able to coach and give back that way. The coaches in my life, all the way back, I was very lucky. The coaches, all the Way back from elementary school were guys that either played Division 1 or played in, you know, a little bit of pro and had to go into teaching or something. So I had a great coaches from, from, from what, kindergarten through third, middle school, high school. I mean, I was just lucky. Then I got Coach Tommy and Coach Olson, like, come on. So I have to, man, this is, this is, this is my passion, man. This is my life. Yep.
- [29:30]
Toby Brooks
Famously, coach would say, I love you so much. I'm going to tell you the truth. If coach were to walk in on one of your practices or games and watch you coaching your young athletes, what do you think Dick Tomi would say to you in the debrief after the fact?
- [29:48]
Kelvin Ifon
Well, you know what? I was lucky enough at Pueblo, me and Brandon Sanders. Brandon Sanders was athletic director there and he had football coach. So coach told me frequently, I schooled a lot. So after he pulled me over twice, once with the boys, he told me, he said, you know, relax a little bit over there. He like, you know, you do a great job at your practices. So relaxed a little bit. And then with my girls team, because I coach girls, AAU teams as well, he said, remember that those are young ladies, Kelvin.
- [30:19]
Toby Brooks
That's great car.
- [30:20]
Kelvin Ifon
And he reminded me, say, just remember that those are young ladies, though. You know, coach was just always about the person and always about the people, as you know. You know, he said it's not about the X's and O's, it's about the gems and joes and how you treat people.
- [30:34]
Toby Brooks
For sure. Absolutely. So I think another thing that's come up in this, and, and I know you know, this, he was not a, a CEO kind of head football coach. We see a lot of that in this era of, of college football. He was an everyman and yeah, he was tough and he was hard nosed, but man, if you listen really closely, he had some zingers like he, he was hilarious in moments. Any humorous stories you remember about Coach Tomy, things that he said to you?
- [31:03]
Kelvin Ifon
I mean, one day? Always, I think I tell the story a lot. We went to Oregon to play Oregon and you know, we still have won that game, but we lost. But on the way there, I tell you, we had the best flight. I mean, we had charter flight, we had the best food. Everything was laid out, hotel and coach was upset that we lost that game. And he said, you guys deserve beans. You don't deserve great meal, you deserve beans. That just always make me laugh. And then the other thing, you know, when he would get angry, you know, he Used to just get, you know, frustrated, be like, you know, you, you big, you got to fight harder. You got to bring it, you know. So coach was very intense. You know, he was a, a short guy in stature, but if we had to measure him in heart, probably eight feet tall.
- [31:53]
Toby Brooks
Yeah, absolutely. Well, sadly, we lost coach Tomy in 2019 after a brief pavilion battle with cancer. If Coach Tomi were sitting in your office right now, what would you want to say to him? What do you think would be something that he would be most proud of you about?
- [32:13]
Kelvin Ifon
That's me. Got me. I love you and thank you for believing in me and telling the world who I was with. You know, sometimes people wouldn't have believed that I was that guy believing in me.
- [32:39]
Toby Brooks
Man, this moment right here, this is what it's all about. Kelvin Ifon last played for Coach Tomi on December 30, 1998. At the time I'm recording this, that's just a couple years shy of three full decades ago. And still that moment brought him to the edge. I've spent years in athletics locker rooms, sidelines, film rooms. I've heard a lot of coaches talk about family. It's a word that gets thrown around a lot, but living it, that's way more rare. So when here a man like Kelvin, a gifted, multi sport athlete recruited by some of the biggest schools in the country, pause to gather himself, choke up and say, thank you for believing in me, that's not just a quote, that's everything. Calvin will go on to chase his NFL dreams briefly as a free agent signee with the Oakland Raiders in 99, later with the NFL Europe's Scottish Claymores in 2000. Don't forget, this is a guy who was handpicked by Luke Olson, hall of Fame, national championship winning legend, basketball coach, to play hoops at Arizona. But ask Kelvin what mattered most. It wasn't stats or stardom, his belief. It was being seen. It was love. And in that way, Coach Tomey will always be with him. Kelvin, you were the heartbeat of that 98 team. And I know you've heard this before, but certainly leadership starts at the top. But you were empowered by a powerful leader and he allowed you to lead your brothers. And there, you know this. In teams, there are things that you cannot say to some of your players that your team captain can. And there are places they can go that you as a head coach can't go. And so I'm thankful that our paths have crossed and I'm thankful for coach Tomi.
- [34:40]
Kelvin Ifon
Man, to me it was more about. I didn't care about individual stats. All my life, all I ever wanted to do was win. I'm a big brother of four other brothers that are younger brothers. And my father wasn't around, but my grandfather and my uncle was. So I had great male role models, but I felt like in my home, I had to be the role models for my little brothers. And that's the way I felt when I got any team that I played on, even on the basketball team. I won Most inspirational player 2 years in a row. That's a big award for me. If you go and look at the people that was on those teams and other people that won that award, I, for example, Steve Kerr won that award twice. Twice. Steve Kerr won it twice. Josh Passer, Reggie Gary. So my name on great people, as far as, you know, being leadership. So, yeah, just having an opportunity, man, to lead those teams. As you said. Coach told me, man, letting you lead because a lot of time coaches acquired you, like, hey, I don't need no nobody talking to my team. I got this. Coach Tommy trusted all of us, but he really, you know, trusted me with the guys and trusted what I said and bagged me up 100%. I mean, so bad that till this day, the guys called me Coach Tommy's son. To this day. To this day, y' all was your pop, bro. So, yeah, I mean, I love him for every thing that he g. Absolutely.
- [36:01]
Toby Brooks
It wasn't that your stats weren't impressive. It's just that the. The intangibles that you brought overshadowed those in so many ways. And I think there's a parallel there, right? Coach Dick Tomi was not the most successful coach in terms of wins and losses in NCAA history, but there were men who got in cars and drove for 16, 18 hours to be at his memorial service. That doesn't happen unless you're impacting people's lives. The. The depth at which he impacted people. I think we see the same thing in your career. Yeah, you were successful, but the legacy that you left behind, what Kelvin Yifon was known for. Yeah, it's great that you can score touchdowns, but you can motivate men to dig deeper, to power through things in a way that few people can.
- [36:53]
Kelvin Ifon
I agree with you. I agree with you. Sometimes when I was younger, I used to think that people are throwing my leadership, you know, more than they did my play. But as. But. But as I thought about it, I said, but not none of my teammates. And. And. And then I thought about it as well. That was A great honor. What greater honor could you have? I mean, it's one thing to run the ball. I mean, I'll say this. Turum was our guy. We had some great guys on that team. But I hear my name more than theirs a lot of the time because of the leadership. So. Yeah, man, I. I totally agree with you, man. When I look back on it, my intangibles as a leader was way more important than anything that I did as a player.
- [37:33]
Toby Brooks
Yeah. There's still a part of me that. That is, frankly, a little pissed off, though, because we can't give a coach like Coach Tomi his flowers. He doesn't reach the threshold. He didn't win 60% of his games. But if you look, I mean, he goes to San Jose State and takes a team with no budget to a bowl game in three years. You know, it's not like he inherited an Ohio State roster and an Ohio State budget. And, you know, you show up to work and you win nine games. Like he worked in a program where if you don't do things better than the other, other places, you're going to get demoralized. And there are seasons within which, if you were to pull those out, he easily reaches that threshold. But because of the way the College Football hall of Fame structures their rules, they say he doesn't qualify. But you can talk to any of his players, and they will tell you, this guy, you know, he's. He's one of the most impactful guys, other than maybe my dad or maybe my high school code, whatever. Like, he's right there near the top.
- [38:32]
Kelvin Ifon
And. And I'll say this, if he wasn't so loyal, I mean, you know, he had so many opportunities, could have left for bigger schools, that he probably could have impacted that winning percentage a little bit better at the Miamis, the different schools that offer him to come. He could have left and probably did a bunch of winning and, you know, got close to some national championships at some of those schools, especially with that defense that he built and having some of the athletes in Florida or Texas that he could have had. But no, he was such a loyal guy. He was such a guy that was about. Again, name is Hawaii, Arizona, San Jose State. You look at the names of those schools, and those are schools that needed somebody that was going to come in and be more than just a football coach, because none of those programs, when he took them over, were football schools.
- [39:16]
Toby Brooks
Right.
- [39:17]
Kelvin Ifon
I think that the biggest thing that the legacy he has, he may not have that hall of Fame, but you talking about A Hall of Fame human being. You talking about a Hall of Fame type of character. And for us young men who, again, most of us didn't get, you know, long NFL get, a lot of guys didn't even get opportunities. You can look at a guy like coach told me, getting shortcoming, not getting all the respect that he should get, but you look at his life and the things that he was able to accomplish and say, you know what? I can, I can follow that. I can fault that. And I think that's probably more important than some of the hall of Fame coaches, you know, that's probably in there, you know, and all it was was CEO, not, you know, player coaches, you know.
- [39:59]
Toby Brooks
Yeah. Well, Kelvin, I certainly appreciate your time. Again talking about Kelvin Efon, co captain of the 1998 Arizona Wildcats, Holiday bowl champion. And I'll say that hopefully some of your athletes are listening now. They need to realize, like, I'm ready to run through a wall for you right now. Like, the motivation, the passion, the power that you bring. I think it was there when you showed up at Arizona. But coming together with. Maybe it's even unfair to just say Coach Tomi. I mean, Coach Aquina could get fiery. Coach Babers, I mean, that staff could, could motivate men in a way that is unlike most any other organization I've been a part of. And you can't help but. But be your best and give your all in those circumstances. And I see that legacy living on in you, and it's exciting, man.
- [40:47]
Kelvin Ifon
I appreciate it, man. And again, man, I was. It was an honor to be around. Coach told me and the staff and all the great people. I mean, because again, to support that everybody were just all great people. And it helped me grow to be the person that I am. And you know, I hopefully Coach Tommy looking down, man, and, and I know he proud of me. I ain't going to lie. I know it because, you know, I live to. To still, you know, impress coach. You know, you all coach, you always watching and I always want to do the right thing. One of the things said was there's a good angel and a bad eight on your soul. He said, choke that devil out, right? And so, man, you know, that's cold. And I always think about stuff that he said. He just was a guy, man, that just always had your back, especially if you brought it and had his. What you do speak so loudly can't.
- [41:39]
Toby Brooks
Hear what you say.
- [41:41]
Kelvin Ifon
My name is Kelvin Ifon and I'm a guy.
- [41:49]
Toby Brooks
Foreign. What a conversation Kelvin Ifon's story isn't just about a switch from basketball to football, from plan A to plan B. It's about transformation, the kind that happens when a young man with heart and motor and drive meets a coach with vision. It's about leadership that's earned, not given. It's about love that you shows up loud on the field, in the locker room, and long after that final whistle blows, you heard it in Kelvin's voice. The pride, the passion, the reverence. Even decades removed from that Holiday bowl win, the bond between player and coach is still alive and well. Because Dick Thomey didn't just develop athletes, he entrusted them to lead. He believed in their potential. And when they couldn't see it yet, he saw it for them. That's the kind of impact that doesn't fade, and that's the kind of legacy that lasts. You don't have to be a D1 football coach to take inspiration from that model. Whether you lead one person or 5,000, whether you're a small business owner or the CEO of a major corporation, those are leadership lessons that can serve you well. Today. Kelvin Ephon still carries that fire in the way he coaches, the way he mentors, the way he loves. And every young athlete lucky enough to cross his path, they're stepping into that legacy that began under the watchful eye of a coach who saw the whole person, not just a jersey number. That's the Dick tell me way. And Kelvin is living proof. Next time on Becoming Undone, we'll visit with San Jose State head football coach Kenny New Matalolo, who sees the lasting impact of Coach Tomi not just in his career personally, but everywhere in his current job with the Spartans. After that, we've got author Nancy Kincaid, who has some incredible stories to tell about her late husband. After that, we'll circle back with coach's son Rich to wrap this whole series up. And I might have one more surprise for you before then. Stay tuned. Quick update to share. This week we cracked the global top 20 list, so thank you. Came in at number 19 on Apple's Education Self Improvement improvement category rankings for Apple Podcasts. So do me a favor, share the show with a friend. Come along for the ride if you're listening. You've been moved by Coach Tell Me story. Or if you've got a story of your own to share, I'd love to hear from you. Whether you're a former player, coach, student, someone whose life has been shaped by leaders who saw more in you than you saw in yourself, this show is for you. Let's tell your stories. And hey, if you're leading a team, shaping a culture, or trying to do things the right way and you want to bring this kind of resilient people first leadership into your world, I'd love to be a part of that journey myself. I work with organizations, athletic departments, schools and businesses to help leaders build cultures that last. The kind rooted in purpose, sustained by trust, driven by heart. Whether you're looking to re energize your team, develop stronger leaders, or create a more connected, values driven culture, I can help you get there. Offer keynote talks that inspire and challenge audiences to lead with purpose and resilience. Interactive workshops designed to equip teams with tools to build trust, improve communication and strengthen culture. If you're looking for something more one on one, I also offer executive and leadership coaching for individuals who want to lead with greater clarity, impact and heart or are just committed to accountable growth. Each offering is built around the same values Coach Tomi modeled every single day. Love your people. Lead with integrity. Leave something that lasts. If that sounds like the kind of leadership you want more of in your world, let's talk. You can reach out@tobyjbrooks.com I have a totally new website launching in just a couple weeks, or you can reach out via my socials at linktr ee tobyjbrokes we're nearing the end of this series, but the impact that's still unfolding. We aren't done yet. This is Becoming Undone, the life lessons and legacy of Dick Tomi A Toby Brooks passion project. Becoming Undone is a nitro hype creative production written and produced by me, Toby Brooks. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn at Becoming UN pod and at Toby J. Brooks. Find all those links on Link tv. Subscribe and leave me a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. Till next time. Be purposeful. Be relentless. Love somebody enough to tell them the truth and above all else, keep on becoming undone. Sam.