Drehs Seeks Out The Wisdom of (Larry) Wisdom to Nail Nagy Story
"It’s just that Matt’s story is more unique than most. And I think people can really relate to someone who is truly passionate about their dream.”
This week on ESPN.com, senior writer Wayne Drehs tells the story of how Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy ended up in the NFL despite his attempts to leave football behind him.
Drehs says there is one man he knew he had to speak to for the story and that man wasn’t Nagy.
“Larry Wisdom, no question,” Drehs said.
Wisdom was once Nagy’s boss at a home construction company. But as Drehs reveals in the story, he was, and still is, much more than that.
“I wasn’t able to get any 1-on-1 time with Matt for the piece so my only interactions with him came during his Christmas Eve press conference,” Drehs said. “Matt knew we were working on the piece. He was super supportive. With so many demands he just didn’t have the time.”
Under Nagy’s leadership, the Bears have had their most successful season in years. They clinched the NFC North and host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday.
“Larry was the one who really shared the details and helped paint the picture of what that time was like,” Drehs said. “We spent nearly four hours on the phone on a Saturday afternoon talking about Matt.”
When asked if anything surprised him while working on the story, Drehs responded that it’s funny how fate works.
“Here’s this football coach who the city of Chicago absolutely adores and so many things needed to happen to put him in this place at this time,” Drehs said. “Every coach and athlete has their tale of how they got to the pinnacle of their sport. This isn’t unusual. It’s just that Matt’s story is more unique than most. And I think people can really relate to someone who is truly passionate about their dream.”
Drehs says although the story is not about the X’s and O’s of football, he did learn a lot about how Nagy operates.
“It was interesting in talking with Larry to learn the degree to which nearly everything Matt does is choreographed with the greater good of the team in mind,” Drehs said. “Larry is a successful executive who prides himself on leadership skills and he said he is fascinated how Matt knows what to say and how to say it to get the most out of everyone, from players and coaches to even someone like a secretary or receptionist. I find that absolutely fascinating.”
“I told Tyler: Here's my cell. If you ever want to talk basketball, feel free to text me.
When it's late and it's too quiet and you think no one else is awake, I bet I am.”
This is a fantastic piece by @wojespn https://t.co/YzXUaTXhFO
— Triple Z (@TripleZ_87) January 2, 2019
Good lunch-time read on the eve of what should be one heck of a basketball game: https://t.co/z4HSiPlGew #RTZ #WeTheNorth #NBA
— Mike Cupido (@MikeCupido) January 3, 2019
The greatest comeback story in the history of ever, how @KenRoczen94 recovered from his injuries and how he is back near the top before the SX season. Worth a read if you are an avid sports fan. https://t.co/Bs1KoCb3IO
— Thomas Casburn (@t0mmycaz21) January 3, 2019
As seen on @espn Monday Countdown: The powerful story of the Parsdise HS football team. Put your arms around these kids, this team & their community.
So proud of my immensely talented wife, @KaynaWhitworth, for telling stories that matter.#ProudHusband https://t.co/c2obICCjwa— Rhett Lewis (@RhettNFL) December 25, 2018
"there's no cookie-cutter way to lead," Trubisky says. "Leading is not just what Hollywood tells you. It's not the big pregame speech. It's how you carry yourself every day, how you treat the people around you, who you are as a person."https://t.co/JBVEcPwmPK
— Michael Hatfield (@SportsPsyMike) January 3, 2019
– Molly Mita
Boston Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
– Molly Mita
