"I loved my time at Tufts," Athletic Director Bill Gehling said about his undergraduate years. With an earnest smile and affable demeanor, Gehling holds the responsibility of overseeing the entire athletic department including Tufts' intercollegiate athletics, intramural programs, recreational activities, and health and fitness center. Though this is only Gehling's second year as athletic director, he has been a part of the Jumbo tradition for far longer.
Gehling's immediate family has historic ties to the University - both his parents as well as his siblings are Tufts alumni. Gehling (LA '74), sang as a Beelzebub and played soccer, but never planned on coaching. A few years after graduation, he took on the role of head coach for Tufts' women's soccer team in 1979, beginning a long professional career at Tufts. His position at the University has evolved from student to staff member, and now, finally, to administrator.
Gehling speaks highly of his experience as a Jumbo athlete, and calls his old coaching job "an extremely valuable experience." He served as the head coach of women's soccer for 20 years and as a golf coach for five. He also acted as the associate director of athletics for ten years, during which time he collaborated with Rocky Carzo, his predecessor.
Gehling attributes much of his success to Carzo, who left Tufts in the spring of 1999. "I didn't inherit a program with problems," Gehling said. "This is a very good department with a strong staff, but any program can grow and improve."
Gehling plans to do a better job of meeting the fitness needs of the Tufts community, including all staff members and students, not just athletes. "Physical fitness and health is an important part of everyone's lives. As a department we want to reach out to everyone, not just those who play on the intercollegiate level," Gehling said.
With this in mind, Gehling appointed Branwen Smith-King the assistant director of athletics to focus more on the intramural and wellness programs for students, paying additional attention to faculty and staff.
Intercollegiate sports are still at the core of the athletics department. To Gehling, Division III has "a proper mix of athletics and academics." He cited a recent study he conducted that found that Tufts' athletes have an average GPA that is equal to, if not higher, than the average GPA of non-athletes on campus.
"Students come here for academic reasons," he said. "The student-athletes are true students." In Division I and II schools an athlete may lag behind academically, having been recruited without regard for his or her academic abilities. Tufts athletes are all suited for the academic workload Gehling pointed out.
Gehling called the NESCAC one of the strongest conferences in the country. NESCAC was formed more than 30 years ago as a loose alliance of schools that agreed to follow common rules. Now the organization operates like a league, with constant improvements, such as complete round-robin scheduling for the year.
Gehling refers to his main goal as having students leave Tufts "feeling that they were cared about here."
"I want Tufts students to leave with a sense of loyalty, a sense of respect for themselves and the school. I want the student-athletes to feel valued, but I want students to know they are not an afterthought," he said, adding that "when someone cares about you, you care back." It is a sentiment that runs through everything Gehling does.
When asked about the approaching Homecoming weekend games, Gehling said that Williams has been a dominant team in NESCAC for the past ten to 15 years. "I look forward to the challenge," he said.
