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Oronde Andrews: New Athletic Director For The Next Generation

Oronde Andrews, the new athletic director at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, VA, combines a passion for education, sports, and character-building to inspire students toward success in athletics and life.

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By Glen Mason
Sports Special to the New Journal and Guide
NORFOLK

The burden of a name can sometimes weigh on anyone, especially if they try to live up to it.

A quick internet search revealed a male named Oronde hails from the central African nation of Uganda. Oronde has a deep inner desire to lead, organize, supervise, and achieve status, power, and wealth.

People with this name tend to be successful in business and commercial affairs and are able to achieve great material dreams. This, because they often focus so strongly on business and achievement.

Oronde Andrews, charging into his first year as Athletic Director at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Va., received his African name from parents residing in Sacramento, California where he was born at a time when awarding African names was popular in African-American families. The name was prophetic. He  is strongly focused on the business of education, and using athletic achievement to prepare his students for “college, military, or owning a business.”

Andrews is an alumnus of BTW and is serving under Principal Deon Garner, who is in his first full year at the historic school. Andrews says he  arrives every day with the students’ achievement in mind. He is passionate about his work and encouraging a winning athletic culture with zeal. Athletic directors have something to do every night. If they are not setting up games and competitions, they’re planning or thinking about the next contest. Athletic directors, like Andrews’ name implies, are the epitome of the multi-tasking professional.

Being dedicated to service was part of his upbringing.

“It was instilled in me by my mother, and by my father,” said Andrews, interviewed during the holiday break, but still in his office at school. “They were both educators. I learned early from them ‘You’ve got to help out. You got to give what you can give to further others.’”

Andrews’ mother is the owner and publisher of the New Journal and Guide, which covers the region from an African-American perspective. His father, William Andrews worked as a psychologist for several universities and Department of Corrections Facilities in Massachusetts and Virginia before retiring.

Andrews has seen both parents achieve success against unbelievable challenges while establishing themselves in demanding careers. His mother, an award-winning editor and publisher, Brenda Andrews, raised him while running a business and weekly-based newspaper that’s more than 120 years old.

“Oronde never caved into the demands of our jobs, his self-discipline, at times, belied his years, and I’m not just saying that because he is my son. I know what it means when they say, ‘it takes a village,’” said Andrews, taking a moment in her office between editing deadlines.

Coach Oronde Andrews found his “niche” in education, then coaching when he started learning the life lessons students could learn through athletics.

“I found a niche, something I liked doing. I always like running: middle distances. The quarter, 800,” said Andrews. “I always liked track and field; it was right down my alley. When I started teaching I admired being around young professionals; young educators, and coaches who were impacting the lives of others.”

Some of those “young, professional educators” who influenced Andrews read like a who’s who of educational and coaching achievement at the prep level, including a couple of hall of famers.

“First of all, there was coach Charles Harvin. He was my coach when I was here at Booker T. Washington to start,” said Andrews.

“Then it all started when I became a volunteer coach with Vincent Pugh (Former City Wide Athletic Director for Portsmouth Public Schools), who coached the girl’s track team at I.C. Norcom; the late Hall of Fame coach and athlete, Coach Joe Langston; Steve Lewis from PITT, in his later coaching career, was a coach at Norcom, and the late Mel Jones.”

Andrews, who is a 29-year veteran educator, began teaching at I.C. Norcom in Portsmouth after he graduated from Norfolk State University. At Norcom, he served also as an Athletic Director. He admired the hard work and respect of those who came before him and remembered the efforts of those who, “basically, were pioneers (read: named head track and field coaches after schools were integrated).”

“Those are the guys that, as a young coach, I sat down and soaked it all in,” said Andrews. “What they had done in coaching, the athletes they developed and sent to college. I wanted to emulate that.”

One lesson he learned early on as a neophyte, volunteer coach, and history teacher was from Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame athlete and coach Joe Langston at a regional track and field meet at Todd Stadium in Newport News watching a 400-meter race.

“We were sitting in the bleachers and Coach Langston asked, ‘Coach Andrews what did you see?’ I said he won the race. Coach said no young man. He (middle-distance runner) will ask you how he can improve on that performance. How can he elevate that performance? That’s when I dove into the coaching aspect.  

“Langston said ‘No young man. He’s going to ask you how you can improve his performance. You’re going to have to say more than who won the race. What was his preparation?  What are you going to have to be looking at before, during, and after the race? What athletes need to do to reach their full potential.”

“When he said that, that’s when I became a little bit more of a coach instead of someone just blowing a whistle; someone not just a person someone gave a stipend to, someone who, or whatever the case may be, but someone who takes it seriously, because this is serious business.

“It’s life-changing. Your instruction and attention to detail can help the students you’re coaching get a (college) scholarship. Learn teamwork, the self-discipline to have a career and be a productive citizen,” said Andrews,  voice rising in emotion.

Andrews says his coaching philosophy is to work harder than you dream.

“Each day before I come here, I wake up and say I want Booker T. to be the best. I don’t want it to be second best, not just the best in Norfolk. I want Booker T. Washington High School to be the very best high school in the country. It motivates me!”

“We want the kids who spend four years with us to have the BEST four years in their lives up to that particular time,” said Andrews. “When they can look back in time and say. ‘When I was in school, we were able to achieve these things. We accomplished this.’”

He sees his job as helping his students and athletes build character. He and his wife, Tanisha Lewis Andrews, have had the joint responsibility for nearly 30 years of building character into their three young adult college-degreed children, Oronde, Tayah, and Tristan.

“Character has two parts to it. What you do when everybody is looking and what you do when no one is looking,” said Andrews. “Some people may call that integrity. I group it all under character because a person of high character does what needs to be done when no one is looking.

“If I give you a job, no one should have to look over your shoulder to make sure you’re working to the best of your ability in achieving the task at hand.

“That’s what athletics can teach. When you get out there in the real world, you’re going to have something to pull from,” said Andrews. “To draw from, and you can say when I was on that team, and no one thought I could do it, someone believed in me, encouraged me and I do it. I can do it in the corporate world. I can own my own business. I can do it!”

There is a new athletic culture developing at Booker T. Washington High School with a new-age athletic director who proudly bears the burden of his first name. And he adds, his last name, too. Being an “Andrews,” he chuckles, has its own set of  marching orders.

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