Truth, temperance, and tolerance are ideals from Theta Chi Fraternity that high school football coach Vince Leveille (Epsilon Upsilon/Central Michigan 1990) works to instill in his players every season.
“There are three ‘Ts’ I try to live my life by,” explains Leveille, head coach of the Engadine Consolidated Schools football team in Engadine, MI. “Truth, temperance, and tolerance. Live a life of truth. Live a life of tolerance, which means don’t lose your cool… Live a life of tolerance—tolerate people.”
It’s here in the locker room where the founding principles of Theta Chi are being lived out and passed along to young men in high school. These young men may or may not join our brotherhood – they may not even have a remote idea of what a fraternity is – but Leveille is ensuring they have a prime example of who a Resolute Man truly is.
Leveille previously spent 11 years as the head coach of Vassar High School in Michigan and as an assistant coach at Saginaw Valley State University. He even led the Saginaw Sting, an Ultimate Indoor Football League team, to a championship.
As a champion, Leveille teaches his team the value of competing. “You compete in whatever you do,” he says. “Don’t be average… Compete at school. Compete at your job. Compete in relationships.”
Pushing this idea further, Leveille compares the young players’ lives both now, and in the future, to the weekly newspaper.
“The people on ‘Page 1’ are the people who are successful,” says Leveille. “People who start their own business, finish college, get an engineering degree, go to law school, get a doctorate.” Leveille’s brother Michael (Epsilon Upsilon/Central Michigan 1994), who earned his M.D. after college, are those Page 1 people, he says. And, of course, there’s Page 2. "'Page 2’ is the crime report—the people who got busted for drugs, stealing… You have got to live your life on ‘Page 1,’” says Leveille.
Leveille just finished his second season coaching at Engadine for the 2021 season.
Living out Theta Chi for Life, Brother Leveille takes the life lessons instilled as a young man at Central Michigan and passes them on to the next generation in need of guidance and mentorship. Thank you for your leadership, Coach!
Check out Coach Leveille’s full locker room speech: