The Art of Never Slowing Down
Greg Vick (MSE ’75) plans to keep mastering skills, running forward and trusting God at every turn.
By Reggie Hayes
Photography provided by Greg Vick
Over the 50-plus years since Greg Vick studied at Saint Francis, he has accumulated a lifetime’s worth of official and unofficial titles. A sampling: Teacher, coach, broadcaster, runner, author and “Zen master.”
His journey is a well-lived life spent visiting more places than the average Hoosier, meeting more interesting athletes than the average sports fan and influencing more people than the average mentor.
And, at 75, he’s not finished.
Even today, Vick teaches a class in Tai Chi once a week at the Heimach Center in Auburn, Indiana, along with occasional one-time sessions at other locales. People also engage with him at craft fairs, where he sells copies of his three books, “Mastering the Moments,” “Running with God” and “Trusting God’s Plans.”
“I titled those books on purpose,” Vick said. “Mastering, running, trusting—they are all i-n-g words, which means you are in the process of doing those things. We’re all in situations in life where we’re trying to master our moments and make the best decisions we can.”
“Running for me is kind of spiritual.”
Greg Vick (MSE ’75)
After graduating from high school in Hammond, Indiana, Vick enrolled at Ball State University, intending to be a math teacher and coach. But it’s in Vick’s nature to assess situations, consider the possibilities and remain unafraid to pursue a new path. He received advance placement in German, so he pivoted and became a double-major in German and Physical Education. Upon graduation in 1972, he landed a teaching position at DeKalb High School. “I ended up teaching German there for 33 years,” he said.
Within those 33 years (and beyond), “German teacher” was hardly his sole title. He began pursuing his master’s degree at Saint Francis College during his first post-college summer and eventually co-taught a Saint Francis course on baseball coaching with legendary high school baseball coach Bill Jones.
Vick coached several sports at DeKalb, most memorably girls volleyball in two stretches (1982 to 1985 and 1998 to 2002), both of which resulted in state rankings and strong Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) tournament runs.
Mixed into that was Vick’s 20-year career as a sports broadcaster. “I did about 1,600 games over those 20 years and a sports talk show on the radio on Saturday mornings. After 13 years, we added TV and would broadcast a Friday night game, too. I ended up broadcasting something like 14 different girls and boys sports on TV.”
Keep in mind, he was also teaching and coaching during much of this period. He led 11 student groups to Europe (Germany and 10 other countries) and coached volleyball for parts of five summers in Hawaii.
Always eager to learn, Vick heard about a Tai Chi class at the Auburn YMCA in 1998 and decided to attend. “I was interested in the mind-body connection and how you could get the body to do things and the mindset behind it. I was fascinated by Phil Jackson, coach of the Bulls (during the Michael Jordan era). He used Tai Chi and yoga and meditation, so I decided to see what that was all about.”
Vick enjoyed Tai Chi almost immediately. He used the principles as a coach, and his continual studies of Tai Chi included four trips to China, two to Taiwan and one to Japan to learn under grandmasters and masters. To become a Tai Chi teacher—or sifu—he made 20 trips to North Carolina over a four-year period. Along the way, he became a runner. “Running for me is kind of spiritual,” he said. That led to one marathon, five half-marathons and “a gazillion” 10Ks.
He published “Mastering the Moments” in 2018, inspired by his Tai Chi master, Robert Sbarge. “Running with God” came out in 2020 and “Trusting God’s Plans” in 2022. He hasn’t ruled out writing another book while enjoying retirement with his wife, Cathy. (Vick’s first wife, Jan, died in 2010.) Vick has two sons, Kevin and Kerry, and he and Cathy share nine grandchildren.
“A good friend of mine said, ‘You’ve done enough stuff for 10 people,’” Vick said. “Teaching and coaching—which I consider the same things—are my favorite memories. I think I have a good faith base, and I have always liked helping others and serving God.”
Let’s add “faithful servant” to Vick’s near-endless list of titles.