Wesley College expects big turnout for Mike Drass memorial

It will seem like a packed homecoming game on Saturday when Wesley College pays tribute to football coach Mike Drass, who died suddenly Monday morning.

The school will hold a memorial service open to the public on the field named after Drass at Scott D. Miller Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m. If it's raining, the service will be held indoors at Wentworth Gym. The school said that decision will be made by Friday at 4 p.m.

There will also be a gathering Friday night for former players and coaches, and calling hours at the Tolbert Funeral Home in Dover on Saturday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

A cause of death is not known at this time. Drass was 57 years old.

Cyrill Parham, the Wesley College sports information director, said he has already heard from several former football players who are planning to attend, one who's coming from Arizona. He said it will be like a homecoming game at the school, which typically draws more than 1,000 fans.

Wesley College head football coach Mike Drass dies

Parham said those expected to attend include former quarterback Joe Callahan, who recently signed with the Eagles after spending most of the previous two seasons as the third-string quarterback with the Green Bay Packers.

Callahan is one of Wesley's two Gagliardi Trophy winners, the Division III equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. Callahan won it in 2015 when he threw for more than 5,000 yards and 55 touchdowns for the Wolverines. 

Other former players expected are Rocky Myers, who won the Gagliardi Trophy in 2004 at safety, and has since embarked on an acting career; and Bryan Robinson, who went on to play in the Arena Football League for several years.

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State Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover, who played for Wesley in 1989 when Drass was in his first season as the defensive coordinator, will attend as well. Drass became the head coach in 1993 and went on to post a record of 229-69-1. His teams made the Division III playoffs 14 times, including each of the past 13 seasons. They reached the national semifinals six times. Bonini said Drass' impact was felt both by the stars like Callahan, Myers and Robinson; and from those who weren't, like Bonini.

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"I was a terrible football player," Bonini said with a laugh. "It's easy for a coach to be friendly with the star players. But Coach Drass treated everyone the same. That's reflective of the kind of guy he was."

Drass' impact went well beyond Wesley College to high school coaches from around the state and region. That includes former St. Mark’s High coach John Wilson, now the new head coach at St. Georges.

Wilson said he always saw Drass as a valuable coaching resource.

“He would open up his doors to you and allow you to bring your staff down,” Wilson said. “Him and [offensive coordinator] Chip Knapp would have you down and allow you to talk football with them. It was great. I’d go down there and talk offense.”

Wilson said Drass recruited with a personal touch.

“He was just great to Delaware kids, trying to recruit them,” Wilson said. “He came in personally to recruit players, which is something that is not seen too much, a head coach doing that … He was just that kind of guy. He loved Wesley football, and he loved the kids that played there.

“He knew how important relationships were, and he did a good job of cultivating and making sure that people knew he cared about them. But also, he made you care about his program, too.”

That's the message that Bonini said he wants to get across when he speaks about Drass at the memorial.

"In life, you rarely meet people who end up doing what they're supposed to do," Bonini said. "Coach Drass was one of those people. He did exactly what he wanted to do and what he was meant to do.

"The whole weekend is going to be about how thankful we are to having him in our lives."

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Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl. Staff reporter Brad Myers contributed to this report.