Phil Wheddon channeled his inner Morgan Freeman.

Before a pivotal midseason match against Rutgers in 2011, Syracuse needed a conference victory. So Wheddon walked into SU’s locker room and began singing Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me,” like Freeman did to ease the anxiety of an auditorium full of students in the 1989 movie of the same name.

On that sunny afternoon in Piscataway, New Jersey, Jasmine Watkins scored a double-overtime goal in the 103rd minute to secure a 2-1 Syracuse win.

From his pregame singing and appreciation for contemporary music, to his genuine care for players, Wheddon has become Syracuse’s “quirky dad,” as former player Jenna Rickan put it. The one who, code-named “Apollo,” joined the team’s preseason laser tag game and won by 2,100 points. Like New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, the seventh-year SU head coach occasionally participates in team drills. With his disciplined, yet relaxed attitude, Wheddon will try to make Syracuse’s (3-1-2) second season in the Atlantic Coast Conference a relaxed one.

Being hands-on makes Wheddon — who his players call “Phil” — relatable. The coach’s catchphrase is “This Team Rocks.” He answers all of the music questions at team trivia contests, and when needed, plugs in his iPod, revisits his college days and becomes the team’s resident DJ.

Part Freeman, Ryan and Avicii, Wheddon collects his paycheck coaching college soccer.

“There have been days I feel the players have felt the stress,” Wheddon said. “Sometimes doing something silly like singing a song completely changes the atmosphere and focus of, ‘Holy cow this is a big game and I’m a little nervous,’ to, ‘What the heck is Phil doing?’”

From 1985-89, Wheddon played goalkeeper at Crewe and Alsager College in Crewe, England. He was a poised goalkeeper, teammates say, and was mostly unassuming off the field. But that changed when Wheddon became tired of the “awful” music being played in the school’s student union after matches.

“Music sets the atmosphere in whatever club or environment you’re in,” he said. “When no one is having a good time because the music is mundane and boring, you hope for a change.”

So Wheddon decided to take his turn on the turntables, spinning vinyl Long Play records, 12-inch extended mixes and 45s. That began Wheddon’s two-year stint disc jockeying around 75 on-campus parties, making $200 for four-hour gigs. He played contemporary music, and always tried to mix Raze’s “Break for Love” and Sydney Youngblood’s “If Only I Could.”

“If you listen to those two songs, they have identical beats,” Wheddon said. “I think I only mixed it correctly once.”

Wheddon thinks his players picture him wearing big headphones and bumping music in big clubs. He says that wasn’t the case, and that his ability to “scratch on turntables” was something he did “now and again.”

“On a Friday or Saturday night, we had what we called the disco in the college bar and Phil used to DJ,” Ross Fowler, a teammate of Wheddon’s, said. “He created many a good night for all of us.”

SU players have begged Wheddon to unveil his stage name, but he insists he didn’t have one.

“We always try to pry into it, and he won’t tell us,” said Hanna Strong two weeks ago, who has since been suspended from the soccer team. “He told us he didn’t have one, which I don’t believe. The team doesn’t know much. It’s a mystery to us.”

Fowler said the team at Crewe referred to Wheddon as “Drop-A-Lot,” and another teammate, John Clifford, said they called Wheddon “Teflon Gloves.”

But those nicknames were references to his on-field play. And it’s his on-field skills that have allowed him to not just coach effectively, but run with his team.

After stints with Cambridge United and Swindon Town in England, then the New York Fever, Wheddon was forced to retire from professional soccer due to a tendon disease in his hands. Having started his coaching career in his mid-20s and now only in his early-40s, he’s still able to participate in team drills.

During one practice in 2011, Syracuse’s midfielders had trouble slotting balls through to the forwards, so Wheddon did it himself. But when he attempted the pass, his legs buckled and he almost fell. The pass didn’t connect, and he got up and acted like no one saw. But the players did.

Wheddon always warms up the team’s goalkeepers during practice and before games. It’s his expertise, as he was a goalie himself, and has worked with keepers with both the men’s and women’s national teams including Hope Solo, Brianna Scurry and Tim Howard. He’s also been known to try to kick balls directly in the ball bag after SU practices.

“He’s not afraid to warm up with us or do funny things,” Rickan said. “He would go above and beyond to make us laugh or do anything to make us feel comfortable.”

In 2010 — about a week into two-a-day training — the team was resting in its locker room before the day’s second workout when Wheddon came in and announced it was about to be “run into the ground.”

“This is money in the bank ladies, money in the bank,” he roared.

The team walked outside to a group of vans waiting to take them to the movies.

“There are some coaches out there that lead by intimidation and punishment,” Wheddon said. “I think there’s another way to do it. I think the player-coach relationship is critical to success.”

In 2012, Wheddon returned to his singing routine before another game against Rutgers. It was trainer Dan Tribula’s last week with the team, so Wheddon rapped a version of The Wanted’s “Glad You Came.”

That day, SU won another double-overtime thriller, this time by a 1-0 score on a goal from Alyscha Mottershead.

But Wheddon said there won’t be an official return to the turntables. A few months ago, he messed around with an iPad turntable app at a friend’s party, then DJ-ed a preseason team-bonding event.

“We heard songs we’ve never heard before,” midfielder Jackie Firenze said. “He was really into it.”

But Wheddon’s focused on making music on the field in 2014.

“He’s very competitive, but at the same time, he wants a balance,” Rickan said. “He knows when his players are happy usually that’s when they do the best.”

Published on September 9, 2014 at 12:10 am

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu