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And, so, like all good coaches who encounter an idea they like, Hazell stole it when he became a head coach in 2011. He adapted it, tweaked it and expanded it. By the time Hazell handed it to Kent State players in his first season, it was 436 pages. By 2012, it was 453. Now, in his first season as Purdue's head coach, Hazell has bumped the book up another 80 pages. The name, "A Player's Manual," came to Hazell in 2005, his second year at Ohio State. Top returning statistical leaders Rushing AttYdsAvg TDs Hunt 42335 8.0 2 Cottom 23209 9.1 2 Passing Comp Att Pct YdsTDs INT Henry 21 3855.3 216 3 1 Receiving NoYdsAvg TDs Bush 41365 8.9 7 Macarthy 28252 9.0 1 Holmes 25158 6.3 2 Tackles Solo Ast TotSacks Feichter 54 2680 0 Lucas 54 1266 0 Gilliam 41 1657 1.0 Richards 43 851 0.5 Russell 29 837 4.0 Tom Campbell Though players haven't seen the "A Player's Manual" yet, they've gotten a glimpse of what it can be. Rob Henry, for it can be It was at a Bible study on a Friday night before a game one, thinkstime" that beneficial. He got that much just from the "quiet was held at the beginning of each when Hazell heard Tony Dungy tell a story about his fa- meeting in the spring. ther, Wilbur. Wilbur Dungy was a teacher, and as a teacher, he counted it his job to make sure his A students got As. "From that point on, I adopted the philosophy, 'It's my job as a coach to make sure A players get As,' " Hazell said. "I took it a step farther by saying, 'Nobody is allowed to underachieve. If you're an A player, you've got to get an A.' It's our job to make sure you get an A. So I took that and I took that slogan, 'A Players Must Get As,' and I turned it into the 'A Player's Manual.' " As Hazell turns through the current version of the book, his passion for it is clear. In the early portion, he points out words lined up and down the pages, all responses to when he asked the team in their first meeting, "How do you want the 2013 team to be remembered?" He stops on the section for "USA," which details the World Trade Center bombing, underscoring that some of the players don't remember that event but never wanting GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com them to forget. In the same section, color photos of the Boston Marathon bombing are splashed on the pages, underscoring the teamwork of different organizations coming together to solve a problem, he says. There's a section that identifies the foundation for the program, of which he highlights four cornerstones that will be displayed in the new team meeting room in Mollenkopf. They're effort, preparation, discipline and execution. On another page, it says, "Trust, love, respect." "I'm a huge believer in that," Hazell said. "That's why people follow you." Pages upon pages scattered with quotes, messages, poems. Hazell's favorite quote is in the section about valuing who you surround yourself with. It reads, "Your companions in life are like the buttons on an elevator. They will either take you up or take you down." Gold and Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 6 • 5