Teammates For Life Event Monday at LJVM Coliseum
4/11/2018 12:00:00 AM | General
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- John Trautwein, a former college pitcher at Northwestern who made it through the minor leagues and eventually earned a spot in the Major Leagues with the Boston Red Sox, will speak at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Monday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
However, his message, titled "Teammates For Life," will not focus on his successful career in baseball, or his many achievements in business. Instead, Trautwein's message will center on the loss of his son Will to suicide.
In October of 2010, Will, a freshman lacrosse player at Northview High School in Johns Creek, Ga., took his own life. To those who knew Will, including his family, he had everything he could possibly want. He was a self-taught guitar player and the leader of a band. He had friends, good grades, and a close-knit family.
Following Will's death, John and his wife Susie struggled to comprehend what could cause such a tragic event.
"We were so stunned by our son's suicide," Trautwein told USA TODAY Sports. "We thought he was perfect; a happy, big, strong, successful teen. He was successful in all walks of life, in athletics, music, school. The idea he had a mental illness never entered our minds or his siblings' minds."
John and his wife were able to turn their grief into a message of hope and founded the Will To Live Foundation. The Foundation builds on the emotional teamwork that exists among teenagers and uses the same principles that drives those to achieve success in sports to achieve the same success in all walks of life.
John told USA TODAY, "We wanted to get kids more comfortable talking about this, and all my teammates, the godfathers to my children and my groomsmen, they all traveled from all over the country to be with me in my time of need," he said. "We wanted to create something that was for the kids and by the kids, and we wanted them to know that they already had the best teammates who they would share their successes with and their downtimes with."
John has spoken around the country, delivering a message that emphasizes the need to let teens express their frustrations and difficulties with their own lives. He has detailed his message to teens and parents in his book, "My Living Will: A Father's Story of Loss and Hope."
Trautwein was a successful college pitcher at Northwestern from 1981-84, working under the tutelage of head coach Ron Wellman, now the athletic director at Wake Forest. Wellman went 180-97-4 in his five seasons at Northwestern including leading the Wildcats to their most successful season in school history, a 44-18-1 mark in 1984. Trautwein won 22 games as a Wildcat and was an All-Big 10 Tournament selection.
"John was probably as good of a teammate as I've ever coached," said Wellman. "He was totally dedicated to the team and his teammates. He worked as hard as anyone to get better. He had a dream of making baseball his livelihood and he chased that dream to its ultimate end. In terms of being a teammate, no one was better."
Trautwein started his professional career with the Montreal Expos and broke into the Major Leagues in 1988 with the Red Sox, helping Boston win the American League East.
"John's attitude undoubtedly played a prominent role in his making it to the Red Sox," said Wellman. "He was a very good college pitcher, but he wasn't drafted. He decided he wanted to pursue professional baseball rather than going to medical school. He just continued to get better and better. He did that in college too, he got better and better. He continued that process all the way up to the Red Sox in 1988."
Wellman had the opportunity to develop a relationship with John's family, including his son Will.
"Will was a kid who had everything going for him. Externally, it appeared everything was perfect with him. He was a very good athlete, good student, had friends, a close-knit family. Everything appeared to be nearly perfect."
"John is one of the few people who could take a tragedy like this and try to help others with his personal loss. His goal in life now is to prevent this tragedy from happening to other people."
"John is a unique person because he cares so much and loves so many people," said Wellman. "People respond to him so positively immediately because you just know that he is a genuine and caring person. You want to be around him as much as possible."
The message John Trautwein will deliver on Monday night at the LJVM is not a message of despair.
"The message that John delivers is uplifting," said Wellman. "Those attending will hear a message of hope and will be motivated to serve as a teammate for others."
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public though you may register ahead of time.
To register and learn more about Teammates For Life and the Will To Live Foundation, visit http://teammates.events.wfu.edu/
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