The Visit
One time while recruiting for Purdue University’s women’s soccer, I was driving a recruit when Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” came over the radio. The recruit started singing along, then said, “I think this is the sexiest song of all time.”
I’d like to tell you I said something mature like, “Maybe so, but that isn’t a topic for discussion on your recruiting trip,” but I didn’t. No, I stared awkwardly straight ahead wondering who switched the sweet left-footed soccer recruit with this throwback adolescent from the 60s Sexual Revolution. “Yeah Marvin Gaye’s pretty awesome,” I finally offered, “But did you know that famous popcorn maker Orville Redenbacher graduated from Purdue?”
Recruiting is the name of the game in college sports. Back in the day, long before coaches started recruiting kids who still need babysitters on Saturday night, the recruiting visit was, oftentimes, the make or break event.
The recruiting visit story I’m about to tell you here is one of my favorites, and I’ve heard and been involved in some doosies. It’s not about a kid puking in the coach’s car, nefarious late-night activities, misplacing the actual recruit or any of the myriad recruiting disasters that can end programs, terrify parents and keep coaches up at night. This recruiting story is one of strange fantasies, unmet expectations, awkward exchanges, and the ability to cross your fingers and take a chance--hope for the best and let time reveal what it must.
David Nikolic, assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the time, remembers the first time he saw Fanta Cooper play. The soaked field looked like it had just suffered through a monsoon. None of the players looked good as they slipped and slid through a big puddle of mud, except for one girl from Oklahoma City, who dribbled effortlessly through the mess and her opposition. David needed no further convincing: “We need her on our team,” he said to himself.
After the game, David and his fellow assistant Mike Moynihan approached Fanta. “Hi, I’m Michael Moynihan and this is David Nikolic, we’re assistant coaches for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and we think you’d fit perfectly in our program. Do you know anything about Milwaukee?”
“Yeah, it’s the home of Jeffrey Dahmer and cryptosporidium,” Fanta replied. They all laughed, the two coaches thinking, “This girl’s sharp and has a sense of humor,” and Fanta thinking, “I believe Mike Moynihan and I are soulmates and that someday we’ll get married.”
And so, the recruiting process began: Mike lassoing a potential star for UWM and Fanta her future husband. In the following months, they spoke regularly on the phone. Fanta figured once a week was perfect; she didn’t want to come across as too aggressive. Mike thought once a week was perfect, because that’s what NCAA rules allow. Fanta was open and friendly, telling Mike about her seven siblings, favorite TV shows, school, soccer and goals in life – all the details her future husband would need to know as they begin their life together. Mike listened and asked questions, because that’s what coaches do when they’re recruiting.
Eventually Mike asked Fanta to visit UWM --the final piece in the 1990s recruiting process. Fanta looked forward to visiting her future home and spending quality time with her soon-to-be fiancé.
I know, this story is getting strange. Kind of like a Lifetime movie plot or maybe an after-midnight soap opera. Why is Coach Moynihan’s star recruit signing her name with his last name? Does she truly believe that one day she will marry coach? How far is she willing to go to make her fantasy a reality? Will coach give way to temptation and scandals erupt? Stay tuned.
Prior to the visit, Mike asked Fanta if she wanted anything special for her visit. She replied, “When I exit the plane, I’d like to see a sign with my name on it and a band playing, and during the visit, I’d like a homemade dinner.” Mike laughed at this incorrigible recruit with such a goofy sense of humor. Little did he know, but Fanta wasn’t kidding. She had recently watched the movie Blue Chips, which highlighted the flamboyant and unscrupulous world of college recruiting in men’s college basketball, so she had a blueprint for how her recruiting visit should play out.
In January, Fanta flew in to Milwaukee’s General Mitchell Airport.
She hurried off the plane listening for the band and looking for her name on a large sign held high by Mike, the future father of her children. Alas, no band, not even an out of tune guitar, just Mike standing next to some women holding a ragged-edged piece of cardboard displaying Fanta in barely legible black marker. Mike approached Fanta. “Great to see you Fanta, this is UWM’s head coach, my sister Sue.”
“Oh, hi, get my bag,” Fanta said dismissively.
Sue hesitated, trying to hide her shock, then replied, “You’re going to have to get your own bag.” Who the hell acts like that? Sue thought as she started walking away.
Mike tilted his head and chuckled while Fanta retrieved her bag. While he was a bit amused, he was also beginning to get concerned. He knew Fanta had a quirky and unique personality, but he didn’t know her to be rude.
On Fanta’s end, she felt disappointed there was no band, disappointed by the crappy sign and disappointed Mike brought Sue along. They made their way toward the car, Fanta chatting up Mike. When they got close, Fanta yelled, “Shotgun!”
“You can sit in back,” Sue said firmly.
On the drive, Sue and Mike made small talk, asking about her flight and whether she had warm enough clothes. Fanta answered their questions while fiddling with the cardboard sign, obviously Sue’s pathetic creation. A few minutes later cars passing them on the highway began honking their horns.
“Why is everyone honking and staring at me?” Sue asked.
Mike looked back. “Fanta, what are you holding up against the window? What does it say?” Mike responded.
“Honk if you love Jesus.”
Well I can live with that, Sue thought.
“Really, let me see,” Mike persisted. Fanta reluctantly handed it to him, and he read, “Honk if you’re horny, the driver is.”
Again, Mike tilted and half chuckled
“What?” Sue yelled, “Put that down.”
“It seems like a lot of people are horny,“ Fanta responded.
Mike giggled nervously, his confusion and concern mounting.
At this juncture of the visit, Fanta’s chances of attending UWM hover right around zilch. Her lofty teenage fantasies are disintegrating before her, Mike remains confused and concerned, and Sue can’t decide whether she is furious, horrified or terrified, finally settling on a combination of all three.
Fanta is dropped off to hang out with players on the team, further ruining her plans for an intimate weekend with Mike. The players remember little about Fanta’s visit. “She was quiet,” a couple of them said, “and a little demanding.” They took her ice skating, not a common activity for a girl from Oklahoma. It was snowing and their car got stuck on the way to the rink. All the players poured out of the car to push it free; Fanta stayed in the back seat. It’s cold out, she thought, and I’m the guest.
“Get your ass out here and start pushing,” they yelled and Fanta reluctantly obliged.
Later, she was discussing jersey numbers with a player, “My number is 16,” Fanta stated. “If I don’t get the 16 jersey, I’m not coming.”
“I guess you’re not coming,” the player replied.
The trip was not going as planned. The head coach was a stick in the mud and seemed to have no interest in wooing her. The players treated her the same way her seven brothers and sisters treated her – like she was nothing special. And Mike, well Mike was the biggest disappointment of all. He seemed way less interested in her than she had imagined.
The only thing left was the home-cooked meal. Mike seemed genuinely enthused about the home cooked meal. Fanta wondered what he might serve, what he would wear, what she should wear. He always looks good, she concluded. She ended up dressing the way she always dressed--men’s button-up shirt and blue jeans (definitely not a Lifetime movie wardrobe choice).
Mike picked her up on campus and drove her to his house. They talked soccer and school. Made sense to Fanta, save the romantic stuff for the meal. Made sense to Mike, because that’s what you talk about with college soccer recruits during their visits. They pulled up to a house, but it wasn’t Mike’s house; it was his family’s house. Sue lived there. Sue and Mike’s dad, Jim, lived there. Around 20 other people piled in for Fanta and Mike’s intimate homecooked meal. Foiled but not defeated, Fanta settled into the evening. The dinner guests included a mishmash of soccer players, neighbors, and various friends of the family. They came and went throughout the evening. Jim cooked, told stories and offered up opinions on just about everything. Fanta listened closely to the stories flying around the room, retold and corrected by listeners as they saw fit. Everyone laughed, even when they disagreed. Fanta remained silent, soaking it all in – apart from the snow, the night and the setting felt somewhat familiar.
Spoiler alert--Fanta Cooper never married Mike Moynihan, but she did play four years at UWM. She never had a band welcome her to Milwaukee, and no one ever made a decent sign for her. When asked whether she really thought she would marry Mike, she answers, “Absolutely!”
I asked Sue whether she wanted Fanta at UWM after that visit. “Not really, but, later, on the phone, she was nice so I gave her the benefit of the doubt, figuring she was just young and nervous.”
Did Mike know about Fanta’s plans for their future together. Mike giggles again, because that’s what Mike does, and replies, “Nope.”
Why did Fanta tell Sue to get her bag, “I don’t remember doing that,” Fanta responds, “But, wow, Jesus, that’s rude.”
Why did she hold up the honk if you’re horny sign? “I thought it was funny. My club teammates and I did it all the time on road trips.”
Why did she commit to play at UWM. “It felt like my family,” she reflected. “My seven brothers and sisters never put up with my attitude either. I didn’t marry Mike, but the coaches, teammates, professors and friends I made in Milwaukee made up for it.”
Finally, asked why they decided to offer Fanta a scholarship after the visit, Mike and Sue’s answer was simple, “Despite all her weird posturing, we still liked her. Plus, she ended up being a UWM Hall of Famer, two-time conference player of the year and future professional. So I guess we got something right.” Maybe they should have carried her bags.
