Will Cummings’ Life Snapshot

Posted on October 20, 2008. Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 1978 gator bowl, 1984 olympic games, Add new tag, bill cummings jr., clemson, desert storm, earl bruce, eric james cummings, jerry page, jim parker, Ohio state buckeyes, will cummings, william cummings, woody hayes |

Will Cummings In a Flash

“A quick peek at my life” 

Hometown–Columbus, Ohio.
Height 6’4″  Weight 230 lb — still at my college playing weight.

Sports Played
Football (LB, TE) all-state; Track (Shot Put) all-state; Basketball (C) all-district. I also boxed, off and and on, from age 6 – 13–and here is why:

Father
My father, William “Bill” Cummings Jr., played for Ohio State University and was a member of Woody Hayes’ first national championship team in 1954. Drafted as a DT by Cleveland Browns 1956, he went on to became a prominent figure in the sport of amateur boxing.  Among other accomplishments in the sport, he was twice selected National Amateur Boxing coach of the Year. His first national champion was Bill “Dynamite” Douglas, father of Buster Douglas–the man who pulled off the biggest upset in the history of professional boxing by knocking out Mike Tyson. 

College
Recruited by Ohio State as a LB–I had no desire to follow in my father’s footsteps. However,  fate has its ways. Eventually, I accepted a scholarship to Kansas State University.
 
To sum up my K-State adventure: my sophomore year I transferred back home to Ohio State–fate.
 
I left one of college’s worst football programs to attend a University with a winning football tradition and storied past, I paid attention to what made the difference! 

Woody Hayes Hits Clemson Player
Shortly before the infamous 1978 Gator Bowl, my father and I sat down with Woody Hayes in his office at the Buckeye training complex to solidify my transfer and to go over rules and expectations.  Approximately a week or so later, my father and I are at home watching the Gator Bowl on TV and we see Woody hit that Clemson player and grab him by the neck. Oh Woody! 
 
Woody was fired for the incident, to my fathers’ dismay–he loved Coach Hayes. 

The Woody Hayes I knew was a great man who made sure to take care of all of his players long after their playing days were over. I often had the pleasure of listening to my father and his best friend and former teammate the great Jim Parker (in my opinion still the greatest offensive linemen to ever play the game) tell their stories about Woody. No matter how bad the incident–you could always see and hear the admiration and respect they had for the man.
 
Injury
In the fall of ’79 I underwent a–then–relatively new sports reconstructive surgery procedure for a torn MCL, ACL, LCL and and cartilage. 
 
The 1979 Buckeyes, under first year coach Earl Bruce, finished the  regular season undefeated and a few minutes away from a national championship title, until USC’s RB Charles White ruined our day at the Rose Bowl.

Boxing
In 1980, while rehabbing my knee, I started training boxers alongside my father.  It didn’t take long for me to make it a full-time endeavor and to forgo my football ambitions. My father became my mentor and my best friend.

The Golden Age of Boxing 
The 1970’s through mid 1980’s were considered the golden age of boxing in the USA.  The 1984 Olympic Boxing Team  is considered the greatest of all-time.  One of the gold medalist on that team was Jerry Page, who started boxing for my father at age 6. 
 
In 1984, I was selected to serve as Technical Adviser to the World International Amateur Boxing Federation President for the 1984 Olympic Games (fancy credential for a gofor, but hey–free trip to LA and the Olympics and to be in VIP!)

Later that year, I was selected the Head Coach for the International USA Boxing Team that toured Poland–at the time it was believed that at age 25 I was the youngest head coach for any USA international team. 
 
My father died in April of 1985.  A month later, I was elected to succeed my father as Commissioner of the Ohio Association Amateur Boxing Federation–it was the governing body for the sport of amateur boxing for most of the Ohio territory. 

Later that year, I retired from the position and the sport of amateur boxing.

Military Service
Joined the US Army in 1989–served in Desert Storm (1991-1992).

Children
Sons Born: William Alexander Cummings (1989) and Eric James Cummings (1990).

Moved to Omaha, Nebraska in 1994.

 Community Service In Omaha

• Former Volunteer coach for Omaha Boys and Girls Club track and Field.

• Co-founder and former vice president of Coalition Against Injustice.

    That’s a quick tour of my crazy life.

    Of course, there is much left out and a lot of details and tie-ins to be had, but the intent here is just to give the reader a little assurance that opinions expressed and the analysis presented herein are based on a lifetime of experiences of dealing up close and personal with all levels of athletes, coaches and administrators from the beginner to the elite and through some of the legendary athletes, coaches and administrators of our time.  Evenmore so, the observations and analysis expressed herein are a reflection of all the mistakes made and lessons learned through my years.

    My involvement with the Coalition Against Injustice and other community groups should also inform you that sports is not my only concern in life.  Nonetheless, I do truly love the art of athletics.

    Inasmuch, this site is dedicated to promoting athletes, coaches and administrators that excell through their sincere efforts to be the best they can be.