By Patrick McBride '97

The Colby men's basketball team was on the road, 300 miles from home, but you wouldn't have known by the noise in the stands. At Wesleyan, the Mules and head basketball coach Dick Whitmore drew a crowd of alumni, former players and Colby parents and friends. It was a typical turnout for the Mules, and testimony to the loyalty to Whitmore, who recently capped his 30-year career with his 500th win. But on that day it was clear that the Whitmore influence extends far beyond the record books.

At the Colby bench, Whitmore was flanked by Roy Dow '84 and Thomas "TJ" Maines '95. Both Dow and Maines played for "Whit," as he is affectionately known by Colby friends, and have since joined his coaching staff. Across the scorers' table from Whitmore stood Wesleyan head coach Gerry McDowell '76, a former player and assistant under Whitmore. With McDowell were his assistants, Dave McLaughlin '97 and John Hebert '97, also former Colby standouts.

A one-time Colby basketball manager, John Orefice '75, came from New York to see the Mules' demonstrative and flamboyant head coach once again. "It was a spiritual experience to see him in his familiar positions with those unforgettable gestures and facial expressions," Orefice said. "It was as if I could relive all those great years, if only for a moment."

For Whitmore they have been great years, both in terms of winning on the court and winning the respect and admiration of hundreds of Colby basketball players. The 500th win, notched January 27 at Colby against the University of Maine at Farming-ton, places Whitmore in the top 20 of winningest coaches in Division III in the nation. But fittingly, he said one of the pleasures of reaching the 500-win mark was the occasion to look back on the people he has worked with for those three decades.

"The win gave me much more of a chance to reflect on the people who have made it happen," said Whitmore. "The people at Colby have been wonderful to work with and have made it such a pleasure to coach here. Throughout my career, we have never stopped getting good players into the program.

" A key to that has been the network he has fostered through former players-one that has allowed Whitmore and his staff to continually attract the top players to the Colby program. Former Colby players say their loyalty to their former coach and the Colby program doesn't diminish with passing years. "There is an amazing bond between everyone who has played for him," said McLaugh-lin, the Wesleyan assistant coach.

The bond forms because Whitmore stresses the importance of the individual as a successful person rather than just as a successful athlete. And even the lessons Whitmore imparts as he presses for excellence on the basketball court carry over into everyday life. Orefice, who teaches high school English and theater, said he uses Whitmore as a model as he directs school plays. "It was his passion for basketball-and his commitment to excellence," Orefice said. "He always gets the most out of his kids because they are inspired by his energy and his quixotic recklessness in the pursuit of victory."

Or as Maines put it, "After four years you'll run through a wall for him."

But passion alone doesn't produce victories. Maines said he came back to coach at Colby with Whitmore because he wanted to learn as much as possible from a master of the game. "Offensively, he's as good as it gets," he said. "His attention to detail is unbelievable."

Attention to the game, yes. Attention to himself, no.

A dinner at Colby in February honoring his 500th win left him uncomfortable because he felt the honor should be shared, Whitmore said. But 225 people gathered for the event, including Chris Vickers '87, the master of ceremonies, and assistant coach Dow. Dow broke the news of an on-going fund-raising effort in Whitmore's honor, with proceeds to be used for new office/locker room space for men's and women's basketball or an endowment for men's and women's basketball. According to Maines, there has been a 100 percent donor response from the players from the last seven years. "The 100 percent participation is a testament to the respect and loyalty he has earned from his players," said Maines. "They all want to give something back to Coach Whitmore for all he has done for them."

As he heads into his fourth decade as head coach at Colby, Whitmore is the same coach he was back in 1970, albeit a bit more reserved. As driven as he was when he began coaching, Whitmore has managed to balance his roles as athletic director, head coach, father and husband. "I find something that stimulates me every day," he said. "It's always interesting to see where today's stimulus will come from. The relationships, the coaching, the success are as rewarding as ever. I also enjoy the trust and mutual respect as much as anything else."

Buffy L. Clifford, assistant director of Alumni Relations, contributed to this article.

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