外流影片

 

By Jim Prime (鈥�69)

John Huard knows something about impact. As a former NFL and CFL middle linebacker, it was more or less his job description to both initiate and absorb it. Later, when Huard swept into Nova Scotia from the state of Maine with the force of a raging sou鈥檞ester to take over the football head coaching reins at 外流影片, he made a different kind of impact that continues to be felt by his former players to this very day.

To honour the coach whose influence shaped their personal and professional lives, his players, who proudly refer to themselves as 鈥淗uard鈥檚 guys,鈥� have established the John and Helen Huard Football Awards at Acadia.

Huard鈥檚 on-field record speaks for itself: a Vanier Cup in 1979, his first year as coach, and two within three years, including the undefeated 1981 campaign. David (Acadia) had felled two football Goliaths (Western and Alberta) and each time Huard鈥檚 fingerprints were all over the slingshot. His three-year record was 27-3 and he was named league coach of the year twice and captured CIAU Canadian Coach of the Year honours in 1981.

Leadership skills

Newly arrived recruits soon learned that Huard鈥檚 football instruction wasn鈥檛 of the mind-numbing 鈥渟chool of hard knocks variety,鈥� although hard knocks were certainly a compulsory part of the curriculum. His approach was centered on mental toughness and instilling leadership skills that also applied in real life: preparedness, teamwork, loyalty, punctuality, making adjustments on the fly, and respect for yourself and others.

Tony Munden (鈥�85), an offensive lineman on the 鈥�81 Vanier Cup team, is one of countless players who have credited Huard with providing the tools to succeed in business. 鈥淭he players from the 鈥�81 team have had a lot of victories in life,鈥� says the head of Munden Enterprises. 鈥淎ll of us, to a man, got a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Acadia, but we all agree we got a PhD in life from the coach down on the Dyke fields.鈥�

Munden points out that the 1979 and 1981 teams produced an incredible number of future leaders in a wide range of professions. 鈥淭he success stories are quite staggering,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey claim that football players aren鈥檛 that smart, but we produced so many future CEOs, company presidents, company owners, and doctors. We figured out once that together they generate ten to fifteen billion dollars鈥� worth of business.鈥�

He attributes much of that post-football success to John and Helen Huard. 鈥淓very one of us (former players) has talked about being in a business meeting with our company and words coming out of our mouths and you realize, 鈥極h, that鈥檚 the coach talking.鈥� He brought out the best in you, continually challenged you, and took you to the next level in whatever you were doing. There was a strong mental component that allowed you to reach beyond your physical limitations. In 1981, I think we had six offensive penalties in over 500 plays. We weren鈥檛 the biggest or the fastest, but we didn鈥檛 beat ourselves. We were prepared.鈥�

Secret weapon

In the interests of full disclosure, it should be pointed out that Huard had a secret weapon during his time at Acadia: his wife, Helen, who was an integral part of what he was able to achieve on the field. She worked tirelessly to provide a positive experience for the student-athletes enrolled in the football program. Many lived in Chipman House, where the Huards were dons during their five years on campus.  鈥淢rs. Huard was forever helping the football guys,鈥� Munden recalls. 鈥淪he was a stabilizing force in residence; always there for the guys, like the time a fire burned one of the players鈥� homes. She was instrumental in helping out, scouring Wolfville for clothing and other needed supplies. To be honest, the coach scared the crap out of most of us, but Mrs. Huard was right there to help. She made such a lasting impression and her name belongs next to the coach on this award.鈥�

The 1981 national champs featured 27 players from the Maritimes, amazing for a region with few high school programs. 鈥淛ust because you come from a small place doesn鈥檛 mean you can鈥檛 achieve your hopes and dreams,鈥� Huard said once. 鈥淚 always felt as a coach you try to help the players achieve their personal dreams. What they do after that they have to produce themselves, but along the way you help them a little bit, maybe mentor them a little bit, maybe discipline them a little bit 鈥� set the path right so that when they come out, they have solid values and they are people you can always count on.鈥�

Not surprisingly, his recruitment goals keyed on attitude as much as athleticism and his recruiting trips were anything but conventional. Instead of cajoling prospects to join his program, he made them prove they were Acadia-worthy. His approach was brutally honest. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking for the type of kid who wants perhaps the biggest challenge he has ever been associated with in his life,鈥� he said in 1982. 鈥淚 try to discourage them. I don鈥檛 make promises we can鈥檛 keep. I tell them up front that if they come to Acadia, I鈥檒l go out next year and try to find someone better than you are.鈥�

Embraced the challenge

Don Clow (鈥�83), once a glue-fingered Axemen receiver, was another player who embraced the challenge. 鈥淗uard understood the value of teamwork and discipline,鈥� said the CEO of Crombie REIT. 鈥淚n fact, he breathed them. He was a tremendous influence on me and continues to inspire me as I move through life. He showed us what we were capable of and what the outcome would be if we did it 鈥� that you can look at goals as being achievable. That was thanks to John鈥檚 vision.鈥�

Over the years, Huard has watched like a proud father as his former charges pursued their dreams. 鈥淲hat I found out immediately at Acadia was that you were dealing with very smart individuals 鈥� really smart student-athletes 鈥� and as a coach that enabled you to do things that typically you could not do, especially as fast as we did it. Look at what these student-athletes have become afterwards, after they graduated. Look at where they are and the positions they hold. That speaks volumes for what Acadia did to bring them to that level and how they progressed as good, sound, solid citizens that are running major companies and giving back to their institution, province and country.鈥�

Munden says the Huard award is much more than a recognition of athletic prowess. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about leadership, bringing the best out in your teammates and identifying those guys who bring out the best in you. Leadership is our measure of success. The program is a leadership program 鈥� that鈥檚 where the real impact is. Yes, you鈥檒l have a handful of great athletes who will go on to play professionally, but if you want to gauge the successes of Huard-coached teams, you look beyond the playing fields. That鈥檚 what we want this award to be about 鈥� leadership and bringing the best to team members while identifying those who bring out the best in you.鈥�

Huard has excelled in every field of endeavour he has tackled, including the manufacture of literal 鈥榝ields of endeavour鈥� like the turf at Raymond Field, the site of so many of his past glories. As CEO of Northeast Turf, and with the support of 鈥淗uard鈥檚 guys,鈥� he donated the surface to the University in 2007.

In a written statement, John and Helen said, 鈥渋t is with great honour and pride to be part of the Acadia Football Scholarship Fund. Our hope is that these deserving young men will experience and share the treasures that 外流影片 and the football program provide. The football family, Chipman House, and the Wolfville community will always remain in our hearts.鈥�

He and his family have given back to Acadia in every conceivable way and the John and Helen Huard Football Awards will ensure that the Huard legacy of leadership and service will continue to inspire future generations of Axemen players.

To date, over $140,000 has been pledged or donated by over 30 former football athletes and friends of John and Helen Huard. If you would like to make a gift, please click HERE.

Pictured (top), legendary football coach John Huard with former Axemen Stuart MacLean (鈥�83, left) and Tony Munden (鈥�85).

Pictured (above), former Axeman Don Clow (鈥�83) with John Huard in 2014, when coach Huard was named an Honorary Alumnus of 外流影片.