VOLUME 26, ISSUE 4 71
F
our divisions, nearly 800
schools.
It's quite a feat to win a
high school state championship
in Ohio, being the best among 200
teams. So when Julie Els' Albany Al-
exander High School completed an
incredible 28-1 run to win the Divi-
sion III volleyball championship in
2008, it was a big deal.
After immediately sharing the joy
with teammates and coaches on the
court, she turned to the stands and
saw beaming faces of mom Jane and
siblings Bo and Taylor.
But someone important was miss-
ing.
Ross Els was in his fourth sea-
son as linebackers coach for Ohio
University, and the Bobcats had a 2
p.m. kickoff with Bowling Green on
the day of Julie's 5 p.m. title match.
So Ross Els had to settle for switch-
ing a TV on during a postgame re-
cruiting visit to catch a glimpse and
then hear all the glorious details of
the match and post-match celebra-
tion much later that night, waiting
for her return to the high school at
nearly 2 a.m.
"What father does that?" Ross Els
said. "It shouldn't happen that way.
That's not what you should be doing
as a dad. One of the things you miss
in this profession is you miss your
kids growing up."
So when Els got an opportunity
for a do-over, in a sense, after be-
ing fired at Nebraska in 2014, even
though it was one borne out of dif-
ficult circumstance, he had no ques-
tion what the right choice would be.
He didn't want to miss more mo-
ments.
His twins Bo and Taylor were go-
Tom Campbell
After spending a season coaching high school football to be able to spend more time with son Bo and daughter Taylor, Ross
Els was ready to get back into college coaching.
Mission Matters
Els' year away points to purpose
BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com