News | 4/14/08

Media Credit: Patrick Smith [Click to enlarge]

Brian Billick dresses for the occasion. When he was on the sidelines of M&T Bank Stadium, Billick's purple jacket and cap matched the tens of thousands of Ravens faithful. At McDaniel College for training camp, he donned an almost iconic straw hat with sunglasses, a T-shirt and pair of shorts.

Thursday, he wasn't on the practice field or in the locker room. Instead, he wore a white button-up dress shirt with a gold tie while standing before a crowd of wide-eyed students in Smith Hall, Room 326.

The namesake for a new scholarship in the mass communication and communication studies department, Billick lectured students from several classes within the department on Thursday. He discussed the importance of passion and dedication to a job while referencing his own unpredictable career path.

A football player with a communication degree from Brigham Young University in Utah, Billick was first hired to work in the public relations office for the San Francisco 49ers. He then coached college football before being hired by the Minnesota Vikings and finally the Ravens in 1999. On Dec. 31, 2007 the Ravens released him from his contract following a 5-11 season.

Using his recent release as a launching point, Billick focused his lecture on the conflicts between working in a team atmosphere and the inevitable consequences of the business arena.

"In the business world, someone is worth more than another, which is hard to grasp, especially if you grow up thinking that everybody is equal and you work as a team," he said during his lecture. "Even in a team environment or about athletics, there are vested self-interests that come into play."

Billick used the metaphor of an egg and ham breakfast throughout the lecture. As the saying goes, in the breakfast "the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed." Throughout the speech, the former head coach returned to the point that the students listening should strive to be "pigs."

He encouraged the students to find a passion and become dedicated to their field of choice. By following those guidelines, he said, the students will find success and happiness in their work.

Continued...

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