Most people would not describe themselves as being a drug addict; however, William Wuyke is not most people. The Connecticut College Strength and Conditioning Coach, who doubles as the Director of the Fitness and Wellness Center, often uses the term “drug addict” to describe how he feels. But Mr. Wuyke, as the students affectionately refer to him, doesn’t get his fix from anything that comes in a bottle, pill or pipe. As he describes it, “Some people like to drink, or smoke or do whatever. My drug is sports.” Wuyke is known throughout the student body, especially among athletes, for his upbeat and joyous demeanor.
“When I wake up and I come down here [to the athletic center] in the morning and I see all of the kids from the team waiting to go out and run and train, no matter if it’s sunny, cold, or raining, that is happiness right there for me,” explains Wuyke. He is known throughout the different teams that he trains, not just for his challenging workouts and conditioning sessions, but for his participation as well. Wuyke takes part in every workout that he gives, sometimes doing as many as three separate “Wuyke Runs” (as they’re known) a day, each with a different team. “I love being a leader as well as a coach,” Wuyke explains. “Running right next to the students, feeling the same pain and burn as the students, that is my high.”
It is that combination of undaunted optimism and leadership that has endeared Mr. Wuyke to the hearts of so many Conn athletes and students. But even more unique than Wuyke’s status on campus is the path he took to get here. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Wuyke quickly became a world-class runner. At just twenty-two years old he represented Venezuela at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The next year in 1981, Wuyke began attending the University of Alabama on a track and field scholarship, where he won numerous conference titles. One of those feats came in 1984 when he won the NCAA Division I 1000meter national championship; however, that was far from being his greatest accomplishment of the year.
In 1984, William Wuyke not only attended his second Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but he was also selected to represent his country as the Venezuelan Flag Bearer for the Opening Ceremonies, an honor typically given to a country’s best athlete.
“It was just such an honor, you know? The President of Venezuela came to my house, had breakfast with me, and then presented me with the national flag to take with me to the Olympics to represent my country.” On both trips to the Olympics, he finished as a semifinalist in the 800m. “In the Olympics, it is so tough,” he explained. “Everyone there trains and works so hard to get there, that they are all in great shape. It becomes much more about mental toughness and just plain luck.”
After receiving his Bachelors of Science from the University of Alabama, Wuyke remained there as Graduate Assistant Coach to the track and field team, while simultaneously receiving his master’s degree. During this time he also continued to compete internationally as a professional runner. In 1986, he set a personal record for the 800m, making him the third fastest 800m runner in the world that year. He also set a national record for Venezuela, one that still stands today, and is also the longest held national record for Men’s Track and Field in Venezuela.
Wuyke received his Master’s Degree from Alabama in 1988 and began looking for a new place to work, wanting to see more of the United States. Although he qualified for the Olympics in Seoul, Korea around that time, he chose not to compete. Originally, he interviewed for the job as the track and field coach at Connecticut College; however, the position ended up not opening up and Wuyke instead took a job in Memphis, Tennessee as the director of a large Jewish Community Recreation Center. Two years later, the track and field coaching position again opened up, and Wuyke received a phone call from then Athletic Director, Charles B. Luce, asking him to re-apply.
At first he was a little hesitant about the position, not knowing much about Division III athletics. As a world class Olympic athlete who had spent seven years coaching and participating in Division I athletics, he was skeptical about the idea. “I didn’t know anything about Division III at the time,” he said. “I thought to myself, what is Division III running? Are the runners missing a leg or something?” But Charles Luce convinced him to give Conn a shot. “When I first took the job, I only planned on staying for a year,” Wuyke confesses. “I thought, Conn College? Where the heck is that?”
Mr. Wuyke’s arrival at Conn did little to calm his doubts. At the time, there was no track. Even worse, at his first Track and Field meeting of the year, only four runners showed up. When Wuyke asked where the rest of the team was, they informed him that they were the team. Not only was the track team lacking runners, they were also lacking a track. “At the time, we had no turf or track. We got kicked out of a lot of local tracks, and had to train on the street,” Wuyke explained. Eventually, he was able to work out a system in which the team would use the track at the Coast Guard Academy, itself a very beat up dirt loop.
Not being one to back down from a challenge, Wuyke embraced Conn. Instead of leaving for a more prestigious Division I program, Wuyke took it upon himself to build a program here at Conn, quickly falling in love with the school. With the help of Charles Luce, whom the Field House is now named after and the man Wuyke describes as his “father here in Connecticut,” he began to recruit athletes. Because of the lack of facilities, he had to rely solely on his name and prestige as an Olympic athlete to bring students into his program.
Now with a track and a new fitness center, things are much different for Mr. Wuyke. While he no longer coaches the Track and Field team, he takes pride in how much the program has grown since he first arrived twenty-two years ago. Mr. Wuyke is now in charge of running the fitness center, and overseeing the training and conditioning of many of the varsity teams during the off-season. He is also an assistant professor, teaching several health and fitness classes. While his classes aren’t as demanding as some of his varsity workouts, he does expect students to give it their all. “If you sign up for my class, I expect you to respect it like any other class,” he tells his students. In response, he takes pride in the fact that students often tell him that, “even though it is a one credit course, it should really be worth ten.” Despite the high intensity, “I haven’t killed anyone yet,” he confesses.
Wuyke also leads an informal workout group that meets Tuesday and Thursday at 9AM and is open to anyone on campus. While the college doesn’t pay him for it, Wuyke enjoys helping students much more than he enjoys getting paid. Wuyke is quick to point out that it isn’t really work for him, “I love being around the kids, getting on their level. It’s like I never really left college.” It is this mutual respect as well as his genuine excitement that makes him so loved on campus
“Wuyke is the only guy that runs in at 6:30AM with a big smile on his face, and says that he couldn’t sleep last night because he was so excited to come work out with us,” explains KJ Sinclair, a freshman on the lacrosse team. Indeed, Wuyke’s enthusiasm is hard to match. “I tell my students and athletes, I will always be here ready to go. If I don’t show up, call 911. Being around the students and working out with them every day is just an unbelievable high for me. It’s addicting.”
