Ottawa, Ontario – The inspiration and emotion swept through the hotel ballroom like a rollercoaster on high octane. It was the club’s game day meeting in Ottawa and before the regular speech from Wally Buono and outstanding, as usual, ‘pump up video’ created by the club’s videographer extraordinaire Cole Jackson, it came from the club’s long-time sports psychologist, Frank Lodato. Despite a recent health scare, the 90-year-old industry pioneer made the long trek from his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to spend some time with the players and help get them motivated prior to their big victory over the REDBLACKS. Don’t think for a moment it didn’t have something to do with pulling out the result later that night.
“It was cool to hear about Wally and Frank’s relationship and how far back it goes,” said Richie Leone. “Wally gave a nice intro and background on doc and all the teams he worked with, including the ’72 Miami Dolphins. It’s neat that he is pretty much the first sports psychologist ever.”
“This man has been my secret weapon since 1983,” said Buono before introducing his comrade to the players.
That statement suggests the two men have been close friends since first crossing paths when Buono was an assistant coach in Montreal 33 years ago. But Lodato admits that was not always the case.
“Head coach Joe Galat introduced me to Wally and we didn’t hit it off too well,” the Doctor recalls. “We were two know-it-all Italians with big egos, trying to make names for ourselves.”
Two years later, the Montreal franchise folded and both men were out of the Canadian Football League. They crossed paths at the Senior Bowl and Buono found himself desperately seeking a new bunkmate, thanks to the sleeping habits of another future Lions head coach, Dave Ritchie.
“Dave snored a little too loud so Wally asked if I had another bed in my room, and I did. He came in and we got to know one another. From that time on, we bonded and became very good friends.”
When Buono became the Stampeders head coach in 1990, Lodato joined him as the club’s sports psychologist. It was only around that time that the profession started being fully accepted into the world of pro sports and Lodato admits even now there is still some hesitation to rely on it.”Now it’s public, and teams boast about having sports psychologists. Has it gotten better? It has, but there are a lot of coaches who have guys around but never use them.”
“Frank has been a renowned sports psychologist and for us, he has always been a tremendous asset”, Buono said. “For us to acknowledge him in a small way was great, but I think the win was even better.”
In a day and age where it’s more crucial for players and individuals to express what is going on inside their brain, it only makes sense for every organization to utilize men of Dr. Lodato’s acumen. Just how different was the practice when it first started being used? By the sounds of it, you’d have to see it to believe it.
“My first few jobs I had to pretty much sneak through the back door and not tell anybody what I did, had to say I was the friend of the assistant coach or something like that,” Lodato recalls. “When I worked for the LA Kings, their GM referred to me as ‘1-800-COUCH’ because I guess psychologists are known for putting their patients on a couch. Another team called me ‘Doctor Bombay’ because many thought this type of practice was like Voodoo or something.”
Odd nicknames aside, Lodato wound up carving out a pretty impressive resume, sometimes working with upwards of seven teams at a time. He spent 13 seasons with the Kings and was also a member of the Boston Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup championship squad. “The Bruins told him they had a five-year plan, hired Frank and then they won it all four years later,” Buono commented at the meeting.
One year prior to beating the Vancouver Canucks for Lord Stanley’s Cup, the Bruins were in need of some support after watching a 3-0 series lead collapse in round two against the Philadelphia Flyers. There was talk of blowing it up, trading away key pieces. How else could you recover from a loss like that? They stayed the course and Lodato helped them get their minds right.
“The Bruins were a great team, great organization and I loved every minute of it. I was part of four Stanley Cup Finals. Won and lost one each with the Bruins and New Jersey Devils.”
Long before crossing paths with Buono, Lodato also worked with players on the 1972 Miami Dolphins, still to this day the only team in NFL history to have an undefeated season. Frank wrote a book with his son about that squad titled “But we were 17-0,” 20 years after the Super Bowl victory.
“I’m not sure people knew what sports psychology was at that time. He’s been in every major league, whether that’s been the NBA, the NHL, the NFL, the CFL. I know he’s helped countries with their Olympic teams so Frank has a tremendous background. For him to have a passion for the BC Lions and to really want these guys to succeed speaks to not only the kind of Doctor he is, but the kind of man he is.”
Through all the ups and
downs, the CFL’s all-time winningest coach proves to be Lodato’s biggest inspiration.
“Wally was there all the time. He knew when I was down and out that I needed support and he was always on the phone, making sure I was taken care of. The fact he let me come around, even at my low times gave me some connection and got me back on the field.”
As the club continues its’ extended stay in the nation’s capital, Dr. Lodato is lending his services to anyone who needs an ear.
“I was fortunate enough to have some one-on-one time with him and he stressed visualization,” Leone said. He said that’s very effective when working with kick
ers so that’s something I definitely will take with me throughout my career.”
“We do concentration exercises, visualization exercises, things like that and trying to get them to focus better,” Lodato said. “Anybody is entitled to it, if they want to do it. I call myself a consultant to this league. I’ve worked with players on every team except Toronto and Winnipeg. GMs would call Wally and ask if they could use me and I always say yes. I love this league. I’d rather watch a CFL game than an NFL game.”
Despite a combined 156 years of age, the two self-proclaimed stubborn Italians are still doing what they love, and succeeding. Who would have thought Coach Richie’s impact on the Lions would extend far beyond winning a Grey Cup and putting the franchise back on the map in the mid-nineties.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com