By Roscoe Nance
Don't let his name fool you. There's nothing angelic about first-year Florida A&M men's track and field coach Wayne Angel's coaching style.
And he makes no apologies for his demanding approach.
With his accomplishments as a track athlete at the University of Illinois and in the military and his record of coaching success at Tennessee-Martin, Illinois, Iowa and Wichita State, none are necessary.
Angel was a two-time Big Ten Champion as a member of the University of Illinois 4x400-meter relay team. He was also a three-time gold medalist at the World Military Games and still holds the Armed Forces record in the 400-meter hurdles.
He produced 30 Big Ten Champions as coach at Illinois, 17 All-Americans, 17 NCAA qualifiers, two Olympic Trials participants, a Canadian National champion and an Olympian.
"I push the envelope,'' Angel says.
Angel says he sees no reason that he can't have similar success by pushing the envelope with the Florida A&M men's track program, once one of the crown jewels of Rattler athletics and synonymous with speed and winning under long-time coach Bobby Lang.
"I'm mindful of the tradition,'' Angel says. "We want to get back to that stage where we have the reputation for being one of best in the MEAC.''
Angel took over the Rattlers program in August 2010 and didn't have the benefit of a recruiting class. Still he says the program has made in roads with the holdover team members.
Sophomore Shuaib Winters won the MEAC Cross Country Championship last fall, setting a course record and personal best time of 24:31.30 in the process, and Leon Hunt won the long jump title at the MEAC Indoor Championships.
Angel says his expectation for the outdoor season is for the Rattlers to improve on their performance of a year ago when they finished seventh in the MEAC Championships.
"We're making baby steps,'' Angel says. " Those things mean a lot. If I can take youngsters like (Winters and Hunt) and get 3-4 more we can be knocking on the door. I hope that within the third year that we're where we need to be in terms of battling for the championship."
Given the fact that Florida, along with California and Texas, is among the top three states for producing high school track athletes, Angel anticipates being able to recruit well. But he realizes that challenging for supremacy in the conference will be a monumental challenge.
"This is a tough conference,'' he says. "Many teams are shaking and baking. It's not a conference where you can come in and rest. You have to be about your business. These coaches don't play. You have to do your job. We want to do better than we did last year, be respectable and competitive. We're not looking for a quick fix. We're looking for stability, growth and a championship.''
Angel says he is optimistic that the Rattlers will continue to make strides during the outdoor season because of the way team members have bought into his coaching philosophy of pushing them to do things better than they've ever done them before.
"There are no free lunches, especially when you're trying to be the best,'' he says. "The training is very tough. I push the athletes to a level they've never been to. I call it inoculation to pain. They've got to feel what it is to get to a situation and be afraid to run. You find out if they want to do it. I tell them if you come to practice to have fun, you can't be in my practice. Time is precious.''
Angel is from a military family -- five of his six brothers, his father, grandfather and several of his uncles served in the armed forces - and his approach to training is a by-product of his military background. He spent 10 years in the United States Army - six as an enlisted man in the Military Police and four as Infantry Officer. He was also an Airborne Ranger and a distinguished honors graduate of the Army's Air Assault School.
"I was always in a disciplined environment,'' he says. "Leadership played a big part in my development.''
Angel says Col. Jesse Lipscomb, his coach in the military, pushed his discipline and training intensity to a higher level.
"I was just an average athlete,'' Angel says. "He taught me I could be whoever I wanted to be and run with anybody. He worked the devil out of me. I owe my drive and desire to him. He shaped my philosophy and work ethic.''
Angel says he was pleasantly surprised that not a single athlete quit the team despite his demanding ways.
"I knew some had never trained at this level,'' he says. "They had to do a self-analysis why they were part of the program. They had to realize there is a cost. After the first 3-4 weeks I knew I had a good group. They were willing to do what it takes.''