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 ‘Coach V’ presented with 60th Flowers for the Living Award Legendary Wichita State University bowling coach Gordon Vadakin added another honor to his long list of accolades. He was named as the winner of the 60th Sam Levine Flowers for the Living Award at the Great Plains USBC Hall of Fame dinner at the Wichita State University Rhatigan Student Center.Rich Renollet, the director of the Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes at the Rhatigan Student Center, recommended Vadakin for the award and made the surprise presentation in front of a packed house on Saturday, August 26. Vadakin’s wife Cindy and numerous other close friends were there to share the moment. The prestigious award is given annually to recognize people who are still with us for their exceptional contributions over many years to enhance the growth, welfare and image of the sport of bowling. Vadakin did that and more during his time with the Shockers – and beyond. “Well, I was totally caught off guard and shocked with the award I was presented with,” Vadakin said. “I am stunned that I was chosen as this year’s recipient! I want to thank everyone who was involved in choosing folks for this award for believing that I was a worthy choice. I am truly honored!” Vadakin coached the Shockers for more than 40 years, winning 18 national team titles and nine individual national champions. He coached 145 all-Americans, 25 Bowlers of the Year, 239 Academic all-Americans and 15 professional bowlers who have gone on to win more than 60 pro titles. Vadakin retired in 2019 and now spends much of his time caring for his special-needs grandchild.This year’s choice was not surprising to his former players, who said that Coach V changed their lives in more ways than on the bowling lanes. “He changed my life,” said PBA and USBC Hall of Famer Chris Barnes, a two-time all-American at WSU. “He saw things in me that I, and certainly others, did not see and was able to bring those out. “His emphasis on the whole person helped not only me, but multiple generations of players become a better version of ourselves. His influence continues on in his former players and their influence throughout the industry – on the lanes and off. His leadership has made the Wichita State program the gold standard, and his legacy will endure for generations.” Another former Wichita State standout, Matt McNiel, echoed those sentiments. “Coach V gives you a lot more than coaching on the lanes,” he said. “He instills in all his players to be the best versions of themselves in every arena of life. It is for that, more than anything, the reason why he connects with his players on a multitude of levels in a multitude of ways. Those are the bonds that keep you together even after your time in the program is finished. I’m certainly a better person today for everything coach taught me and gave to me while I was in the program.” Vadakin also helped shape the career of PWBA star Rocio Restrepo, a Colombian native who was a three-time WSU all-American.. “Coach V is one of the most important people in my bowling career,” she said. “Since the moment I met him at the World Championships in Malaysia, I knew I wanted to be a part of his program. I wanted to learn the ways of one of the best coaches in the world.“I have love, respect, and admiration for all that coach V did for me and my fellow teammates. Running a successful program for many years can’t be as easy as he always made it look. He is in my books one of the most influential people in my life. I thanks him for his time, knowledge, love and trust. Thanks to him I am a better person today.” For two-time WSU all-American and former PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash, Vadakin continues to be a positive influence, even after his retirement in 2019. “Gordon’s been one of those guys for decades now that you could just truly rely on, not just on the lanes, but off the lanes as well,” Rash said. “He always made sure that everyone got the most out of everything that you were doing – whether it was in the classroom, in the gym. during practice, during events, and even during the off-season. “He always has had a positive outlook on things, has been very encouraging, even since he departed Wichita, He’s stayed in touch, continues to send positive comments, doesn’t look at the bad, always looks at the good. It’s been nice to be able to rely on him for information and how to grow as I get older and continue to try to give back. Gordon Vadakin is one of the best that I’ve been a part of and have been friends with since I’ve been in this industry.” Mike Jasnau, who was on the first two collegiate bowling all-American teams in 1983 and 1984, went on to a PBA career and is now carrying on Vadakin’s legacy as one of the elite bowling coaches in the country. “Gordon was a great leader of our group of guys and helped to keep us all grounded and focused on the task at hand,” Jasnau said. “That guidance and his caring and love for all of us, Wichita State as well as the sport of bowling is what helped to make that program so long-lived and so successful. No doubt that also helped so many of us onto even bigger and better things after we left Wichita State. I’m forever grateful for all of it!” The Flowers for the Living Award started in 1961, and has had an impressive list of winners. It has been awarded to star bowlers, proprietors, association representatives and business executives from all corners of the industry. It is bowling’s most unique award because it is not owned by any group or organization. It’s founders wanted it to be independent from any group to ensure that there would be no campaigning or politics involved in the nominating and selection process. An independent committee runs the award and chooses the winners. No one is allowed to know they have been nominated, nor is the winner known until the official announcement. Past winners of the Flowers Award include Paula and Don Carter, and a virtual “who’s who” of people who have done great work in the industry. Other winners include Joe Norris, Marion Ladewig, Mort Luby Jr., Chuck Pezzano, Dick Weber, Jeanette Robinson, Pearl Keller, Earl Anthony, Helen Duval, Chris Schenkel, and many more. For more information about the Sam Levine Flowers for the Living Award, contact committee chairman Johnny Campos at juancampos1289@yahoo.com. ### The Sam Levine Committee thanks Bowling Industry Magazine for its generous support of the award. History and information can be found on Facebook: Sam Levine ‘Flowers for the Living’ Award or through the IBMA website http://bowlingmedia.org . |
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