Lessons
The Coach
Thomas Mueller was a
self-described bench-warmer in all forms of sport. He was afraid of gym class
in grade school (might fall off the trampoline), was cut from the B squad in
high school basketball, then went out for and was subsequently cut from the
hockey team in university. There was no sport in which Mueller excelled – until
he stumbled into the world of endurance sport.
Mueller was overweight,
sluggish, and consuming too much alcohol as part of his public relations
lifestyle. He craved change and in the fall of 1983, purchased an inexpensive
bicycle and began to ride and sporadically run. What started as a waddle soon
turned to a jog and Mueller was motivated to enhance the experience. He began
adhering to a low calorie diet and in the fall of 1983, transitioned from 213
pounds to his eventual weight of 165.
Identifying with cycling
and running created an edifying experience Mueller had never known.
The days of
sitting on the bench and being identified as an inappropriate performer were
over. In endurance sport, each day is an event and everyone who participates is
the winner.
Mueller entered his first
race in 1984 and completed the 10 mile run and 30 mile bike segments. In the
years following, Mueller found a deep passion for short course triathlon
racing, marathon running, ultradistance running, road cycling and mountain
biking. In the past 30 years, Mueller has completed over 150 endurance sport
events. Some of his key accomplishments include six (6) finishes at the Mohican
100-mile run in Ohio, eight (8) finishes at the Ice Age 50-mile in Wisconsin, approximately
seventy-five (75) marathon finishes (including New York, Chicago and the Marine
Corps in D.C.) and two (2) completed Great
Bicycle Ride Across Wisconsin tours.
On a professional and
academic front, Mueller built an extensive career in business development
through event and affinity marketing. He
holds a journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin, a MBA from
Otterbein University, and a PhD in Communication from the University of
Florida.
Mueller’s international
experience began in the early 1980’s as a writer and photographer for Cycle
News East, where he covered motorcycle sporting events in the United States and
Europe. Later, as part of his MBA study,
Mueller participated in an international economics study in Helsinki, Finland
and St. Petersburg, Russia. It was
during this trip that Mueller drafted a topical paper on free-market Russia and
the opportunities that have emerged since the country formed independent
republics in 1991.
He returned to Russia on
an academic and business speaking tour the following year and traveled in the
southwestern region of the country near Rostov-on Don. The tour interacted with
students and business leaders in several communities.
More recently, Mueller
has participated in several University of Florida international study abroad
programs.
Mueller opened a public
relations agency and served the Wrangler Brand in Greensboro, NC. He was responsible for Wrangler’s promotional
work in NASCAR with Dale Earnhardt, professional rodeo, and stadium Supercross
motorcycle racing. He later opened Sport Management, Inc. and went on to sell
and manage over $5 million in corporate sponsorships.
Mueller was a marketing
director at Mercury Marine and then became Director of Professional Competition
for the American Motorcyclist Association.
He earned an accredited sporting steward’s license with the
International Motorcycling Federation and went on assignment for FIM business
in South America and Europe.
Mueller was also employed
by Wasserman Media Group, a Los Angeles - based entertainment company. He was an account supervisor and was
responsible for integrating Rally America auto sport racing into the ESPN X
Games.
Mueller completed his PhD
in 2009 and that same year assumed his current role as assistant professor in
communication at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He teaches a variety of courses in
advertising, media planning, research, and the social effects of media.
His research focuses on
the psychological dimensions and related motivators among endurance sport,
motorsport, corporate social responsibility and the university student loan
process, among others.
