Trip of a Lifetime: Meeting Coach Welsh

On Monday, Coach Bill Mitchell and I traveled from Potsdam/Canton, NY to Raleigh, NC to embark on an incredible journey. We didn't know the full extent of what our two days there would entail, but we knew it was going to be special. 

For the past year and a half, we have been working closely together to round up as many people with connections to the Potsdam State basketball program as possible. The connections and roots of the program go in so many different directions... from current and former players, to fans, administrators, coaches, relatives, etc.  The Potsdam tradition runs deep. This project has taken me all over the place in order to capture the entire essence of what made their story so special. 

All along, Coach Mitchell and I knew we needed to make this trip happen in order to properly tell the story of The Bodacious Bears.  Through COVID, and all of the other complicated logistics on many different fronts, it was not an easy task. 

Monday, May 2, 2022

Coach Mitchell and I drove down from Canton to Syracuse where we caught a flight at 5:30p to Washington D.C.  Our road trip conversation shifted towards movies that we had seen recently.  Coach Mitchell said he watched The Godfather the other night. He said he's read the books and seen the movies countless times. In my mind, I reflected on that concept for a moment as it related to what we were doing.  

Deep within the storyline, The Godfather has strong themes of family and loyalty.  When you look at the walls of Maxcy Hall, you see the trophies, banners, and other accolades. The success Coach Welsh's teams had is obviously the focal point of his time at Potsdam.  However, Coach Welsh was not only the Head Coach, the leader, the mentor, and the one who made it all possible... He is "The Godfather" of that program.  He sees and knows everything, and everyone. 

Coach Welsh has lived in North Carolina for many years now since retiring from coaching. His involvements in that area have included scouting for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, as well as teaching coaching classes at Duke University. Still, more than 30 years after he moved away from Potsdam, he keeps his watchful eyes on the program and makes sure his people have what they need.  Through the 30+ interviews I have now conducted to this point, there is an overarching theme that becomes quite evident as you speak with anyone associated with the program: Coach Welsh is one of the most consistently authentic and caring people you will ever meet. 

Before Tuesday, I had never met Coach Welsh, so over these past couple of years there has been this incredible sense of mystique and wonder. I would hear all of these amazing stories of Coach Welsh from other people, over and over again.  I've spent hundreds of hours just pouring through the footage to try and understand how I was going to craft the storyline in a way that connected all the dots. As a result of everyone's immense respect and care for him in their stories, before this week, he has seemed like this bigger-than-life figure to me. It was like some magical combination of The Wizard of Oz, The Godfather, and Field of Dreams.  

However, with this story there are no smoke-and-mirrors, nor is there a curtain to pull away.  What you hear and see from all of his former players, coaches, administrators, colleagues, family members and anyone around him is EXACTLY what you get: A man who has changed thousands of lives for the better.

There was a short 1 hour layover in Washington D.C. before we were on our way to Raleigh, N.C.  We touched down at about 9:30p, picked up a rental car and headed to the hotel where we prepared for the big day. 

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

We started our days with a workout and breakfast at the hotel. Just a few days prior, I had reached out to some contacts in the area seeing if we could get an extra pair of hands to help film the whole experience.  I was put in touch with a young man by the name of Andrew Pratt, who attends Wake Tech and runs his own photography/videography business. He had heard of this project and was eager to help. We met him shortly after breakfast in the hotel where I discussed the strategy for our footage throughout the day and exactly what we were planning to do.  We then made our way to Coach Welsh's house, which was just a few minutes away from where we were staying. 

Coach lives with his wife Cathy in a lovely home. We approached the door and knocked. After a few moments it opened, and there he was. Immediately, Coach Welsh made us feel at home just by how welcoming he was. Coach Mitchell hadn't seen him in about six years, so it was a special moment seeing him open the door and the two of them reconnecting in such a way. 

We stayed at his home for about an hour, chatting and discussing our plans for the rest of the day. Then, he took us out on the town, showing us all over Raleigh. We made our way over to the golf course that Coach Welsh frequents for lunch.  

Following that superb meal, Coach Welsh then took us over to Duke University.  We parked just outside of Wallace Wade Stadium and arrived just as the Duke baseball team was boarding their bus for a game later that evening at Campbell University.  On our way over to Cameron Indoor Stadium, Coach Welsh walked us all throughout the athletic complexes and showed us the layout of the grounds. 

Coach Bill Mitchell and Coach Jerry Welsh on the campus of Duke University

We spent several hours on the Duke campus, then headed back to Coach Welsh's house. There we spent at least another 2-3 hours talking with him and conducting the interview we have all been hoping for. 

Following the interview, around 6:30p we met with some other significant North Country connections for dinner... Former Plattsburgh State basketball Head Coach Tom Curle and Potsdam basketball alum Scott Miller.  Again, many amazing stories were shared and it was incredible to see this group reconnecting in-person.

L --> R: Andrew Pratt, Coach Tom Curle, Scott Miller, Coach Jerry Welsh, Coach Bill Mitchell, Francesco Palumbo

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

We met Coach Welsh in the late morning at his house again. Before heading to lunch, I had a chance to show him and Mrs. Welsh many of the interviews we have so far and the progress that has been made.  

Following a great lunch, we said our goodbyes to Coach and headed back to the airport. 

Coach Bill Mitchell and Coach Jerry Welsh before we headed out

The return trip took us from Raleigh to Charlotte, and then connected us back to Syracuse where we arrived back in the North Country sometime after 1 a.m.  

This was such a special trip.  Coach Welsh was tremendously gracious, thoughtful, kind, and had enough stories to tell us that we could have stayed for weeks.  The whole trip down and spending time with Coach Mitchell, Coach Welsh, and Mrs. Welsh exceeded all expectations. The footage we now have will lead us down the final home stretch for the production of The Bodacious Bears.

We are still waiting on a few pieces of the story to come together, but for now, we are getting closer and closer to the finish line.  If you, or anyone you know, who has footage they would like to contribute, please reach out... We are more than eager to see what else is out there in the archives!

Many thanks to Tim Dempsey for making this whole adventure possible. Also, special thanks to Andrew Pratt who was a tremendous help with the additional footage he was able to capture throughout our visit. If anyone in the Raleigh area needs video or photo assistance, Andrew is a very capable, talented, and wonderful person to work with. Thanks, Andrew! 

And finally, thank you to Coach Welsh, Mrs. Welsh, and Coach Mitchell for this time together.