People that inspire me - Korey Torgerson

There are 39 weeks left in the year and once a week I will write about someone in my life that is inspiring or motivating to me.  Hopefully others will read it and gain a little bit of inspiration in their life as well.  There is no particular order to these writings, just a bunch of people I am fortunate enough to know.  So without further ado ….

Inspirational person #12 of 50 – Korey Torgerson

Korey Torgerson is an Associate Athletic Director at Wichita State in charge of NCAA Compliance.  To most coaches, the words NCAA compliance are like nails on a chalkboard and the people in charge of it are generally looked at like Toby Flenderson in the tv show The Office.

But the big difference between Korey Torgerson and Toby Flenderson is that Korey is universally respected, well-liked and much needed in our athletic department.

There are many people behind the scenes that do work that the rest of us coaches dare not try.  They cover our butts by making sure we aren’t breaking NCAA rules and make sure we know what’s going on in the world outside of the track or field.  They are critical to our success and if you’re lucky enough to have a guy like Korey in your corner then you can really focus on what you love … coaching and working with young people.

Did you know Korey was a college tennis player and eventually a women’s basketball coach at Bethany College?  Did you know his wife, Deana, was an All-American Javelin thrower for the Shocker Track & Field team and her photo adorns the North end of Cessna Stadium?  Did you know that the amount of paper he’s printed out for me to go through in my 11 years at WSU is equal to a forest the size of Greenland?

More about Korey below but first …

I asked Korey five questions, here are his responses …

​Question 1:  If your life was a movie, what would the title be and who would play you?

Korey:  If my life was a movie, the title would probably be "Under the Radar."  In my role as Associate Athletic Director/Compliance, I try to stay "under the radar" and behind the scenes.  Compliance work is not "in your face" work.  A lot of compliance work is done behind the scenes and I enjoy being a behind the scenes person.  I have never craved the spotlight.  The majority of time compliance is in the spotlight, it is usually not positive news.  Former WSU AD Eric Sexton also called me "Radar" after the character in M.A.S.H. because I would hand him pieces of paper and just ask him to sign it...like Radar.  I would have the talented Justin Timberlake play my part.

Question 2:  If money was no option, what would you do with the rest of your life?

Korey:  I could win the lottery tomorrow and not make any drastic changes to my daily life.  I would buy a little bigger house to give all of us more room.  I believe I would continue to work because I would get bored if I didn't work.  I have kids in 2nd, 5th and 7th grade.  It would be hard to do a lot of traveling with them in school.  I would play more golf, work out more often, travel and do more volunteer work.  I would also give away money to organizations for whom I have a passion!

Question 3:  What would you like to change about today’s society?

Korey:  Our society needs to become more fact-oriented and less spin-oriented.  Our society also needs to be more about substance than show.  We need to be more tolerant.  We need to spend more time in the other person's shoes and understand their perspective before we close our minds to their ideas and beliefs.

Question 4: What have you yet to accomplish that you’d very much like to happen?

Korey:  When I started working in athletics, I said I wanted to be a small part in a team winning a National Championship.  The Shockers came close in 2013 when the men's basketball team went to the Final Four.  I like working at a smaller school because I think we appreciate the "small" victories.  Our coaches, administrators, and student-athletes work hard to accomplish big things...with fewer resources.  We will continue work hard and push ourselves as far as we can go.

Question 5:  Who/What inspires you?

Korey:  People inspire me, especially the people who dream about bigger things and do not limit themselves.  It is inspiring to see people struggle but continue to persevere until they find success.  I see it all the time in student-athletes.  The adjustment from high school athletics to college athletics is a jump for many student-athletes.  They will often struggle for the first year or two and then you often see a light bulb turn on toward the end of their sophomore year.  Because of their hard work, good attitude, attention to detail and ability to receive coaching, they find success. I believe that when we don't find success, it is often because we get in our own way.  I am around and talk to people on a daily basis that inspire me, including Deana and my kids!

Final thoughts … Why is Korey Torgerson inspirational to me?

Every few weeks we have a department coaches’ meeting and Korey will stand up to give us updates on NCAA rules or quiz us to make sure we are staying on top of things.  He endures Coach Rainbolt and Chris Lamb’s endless questions about the most inane topics imaginable with a smile and a serious reply every time.  If he doesn’t know the answer he’ll say so and go find it.  And he always does it with the best interest of the coaches at heart.

My previous stop in Division I athletics did not have someone as easy to work with in the NCAA compliance department as Korey.  In fact it seemed, often, as if we were working against each other.  I know this is more common than not at universities across the nation and those of us at Wichita State need to know how lucky we are to have Korey on our side.

Korey is one of the first administrators I ever saw drive all the way to Northern Iowa to watch our team compete in the MVC Championships.  And he did it multiple times.  That meant a lot to me, our staff and the kids on our team to see him there.  And he wasn’t just there to make an appearance – he was emotionally invested in our kids and keeping track of every event hoping we could pull out a victory.  He didn’t get a bonus for that or even recognition within the department.  He did it because he’s a great guy and cares about the track and field program.  That’s who Korey Torgerson is.

Too often we take the people around us for granted.  And often those people don’t let us know because they are humble don’t want to make us feel bad.  Korey is one of the true “good guys” in the world of college athletics that I’m sure much of the athletic department takes for granted.  We in the track and field program truly know how valuable he is to what we do on a daily basis.  Thank you Korey for being a true professional as well as being a great friend.  Hopefully this will give you a tiny bit of the recognition you undoubtedly deserve.  Go Shocks!