Alumnus and Former NFL Coach, Sam Wyche to speak at NLI

The Number I’s Leadership Institute is the Order’s premiere educational experience and empowers new Number Is with the tools, talent, and information, to perform their duties as the chapter president. Each year, a faculty is selected to conduct presentations, small group discussions and facilitation, and break out sessions. The Order aims to have high-powered, energetic leadership speakers who can relate to our undergraduate leaders and provide and inspiring dialogue. In January 2012, we will be fortunate to have alumnus Sam Wyche (Iota – Furman ’66) to address our newest crop of Number Is.

In 2009, Sam spoke at the Order’s Emerging Leaders Academy and Crusade RoundTable in Lexington, Va. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Loyal Order and lead a membership campaign  encouraging alumni to support the Order through the Loyal Order, helping endow The Kappa Alpha Journal.

Sam remains a loyal alumnus of Kappa Alpha Order and we look forward to his presentation at NLI and the impact he will have on the Order’s future.

BIO:  Sam Wyche was a successful head football coach in the National Football League for 12 years. In 1996, he was a sports analyst with Marv Albert on a weekly NFL game for NBC. In 1997, he was promoted to the studio on NBC’s weekly pre-game and half time shows. After NBC lost the contract for NFL games to CBS, Sam was employed as an analyst by CBS with Kevin Harlan on the weekly NFL games.

NFL Films ranked Sam as the 9th Motivational Coach of All Time

Sam was considered one of the most innovative coaches in the NFL as well as a master of motivation techniques. Sam’s inspiration was the key to one of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history when the Cincinnati Bengals went from 4-11 in 1987 to the Super Bowl the next year.

Sam’s playing and coaching career in the NFL spans 27 years. He was one of the original Cincinnati Bengals in 1968. He later played for the Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, St. Louis Cardinals and Buffalo Bills before retiring as a player in 1976. He began his coaching career with Bill Walsh and the San Francisco 49ers in 1979. He was the head coach at Indiana University for one year before taking the same post with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984. Sam ended his coaching career in 1995 after four years as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Sam was born and raised in Atlanta and earned his BA degree from Furman University and his MBA degree from the University of South Carolina. Sam and his wife, Jane, have two children (Zak and Kerry) and three grandchildren. Sam has been a private pilot for many years. He also enjoys golf, tennis, jogging and riding his Harley.

He spent one year with Marv Albert as a color analyst and one year in the studio pre-game and half time shows with NBC. He joined CBS in 1998 as a game partner with Kevin Harlan until 2000.

In January, 2004, Sam became the Quarterback Coach with the Buffalo Bills.

Sam is an accomplished speaker and magician. The lessons he has learned on the field can be helpful to everyone. He presents them with a delightful sense of humor and a personal appeal that keeps an audience excited.

Sam can tailor a presentation to the specific needs of an audience weaving stories of triumph and the work ethic into a message that will inspire and motivate a group as it learns how his approach to achieving success on the field can be adapted to any endeavor.