Stafford Reflects On Growth With Men's Soccer
9/15/2020 12:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer, Les Johns
Ben Stafford (pictured second from left) is currently ranked sixth all-time in Wake Forest Men's Soccer history in career goals (36) and points (91).
Like so many other student-athletes, the freshman season for Wake Forest men's soccer player Ben Stafford was one of adjustment.
He was suddenly on his own, facing a rigorous academic environment while squaring off against some of the best players in the country, both in games and on the practice field.
"My toughest year at Wake Forest was by far my freshman year," Stafford. "My guess is that many players who come through would say the same. The obvious major change is being away from home and on your own. The sense of freedom and independence is exhilarating, but it also comes with a tremendous amount of self reliance, self discipline and time management."
It wasn't that all this was completely new to Stafford, who attended prep school at McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn., while also climbing the ranks in soccer nationally as part of the Olympic Development Program.
"McCallie prepared me so well, in addition to my family and how I was raised," Stafford said. "But you have to figure out in short order time management, prioritizing what's important and it's a major transition. The expectations that the program has for its players is high and the academic rigor is high. You have two key areas that demand all your time and attention. Yet you certainly size up your competition from your own teammates right off the bat.
"Our recruiting class that year included many highly-touted players from across the country. We had the Maryland State Player of the Year, the Ohio State Player of the Year and the Tennessee State Player of the Year among many other wonderful players from North Carolina, New Jersey and across the country. It was a great recruiting class. You size each other up, you become brothers and then you go at it together. You just start growing together."
With coach Jay Vidovich returning a strong nucleus as Stafford started his Wake Forest playing career in 1997, Stafford didn't see the field as much as he anticipated his first season.
"I got some playing time as a freshman, though not nearly as much as I would have hoped for," he said. "That was because we had some really good, experienced players and the transition was difficult. At the end of my freshman season, there were some question marks. I spent that offseason soul searching. Can I do this? Can I make it?
"It wasn't too many months into the spring season where I found the resolve, put on a lot of muscle mass and weight. I got stronger, faster and mentally tougher. Starting my sophomore year, I went from not playing a whole bunch to starting most of the year, then the rest is history."
Stafford's efforts bore fruit. He led the Deacs in goals scored his final two seasons, scoring eight in 1999 and 16 in 2000. Stafford also led the team with 36 points in his senior campaign.
He currently ranks sixth in Wake Forest program history in both goals scored (36) and points (91). After graduation, he was drafted by the Kansas City Wizards in the third round of the 2001 MLS Draft.
"Iron sharpens iron," he said about his evolution. "It can be a lame term if you've never gone through that. You go through four seasons of preseason training, four spring schedules, four summers of training and four complete seasons — you'll understand as a Wake Forest soccer player what 'Iron sharpens iron' really means. That means physically, mentally and psychologically. It's not for everybody. It's going through that grueling process that makes everything rewarding.
"That's given back to me more than I ever could imagine. You go through that process with your teammates, brothers and friends. What it's given back to me, I'll be forever grateful."
Stafford started a career in real estate in 2004 and is now the vice president of new investments for Pattillo Industrial Real Estate, where he leads a team of professionals in growing the company's profile and portfolio across the southeast United States.
He credits his experience at Wake Forest for helping develop the skills that have made him successful in real estate.
"It's a collection of exceptional people," Stafford said. "It starts with the Wake Forest University theme of overarching excellence, quality of people and expectations of making an impact on the people around you. Wake Forest men's soccer comes with high expectations. We are a blue-collar, hard-working, gritty program. Grit, hard work and persistence paid dividends over many, many years of players buying into that mentality. It eventually produced several Final Four appearances and a national championship.
"It's a brotherhood that seems to transcend from one year to the next. Anyone who graduates from the program has a tremendous amount of pride, because no one finishes the program without grit, hard work and persistence. That makes it all worth it in the end, when you see class after class continue the tradition."
