If he had to do it all over again David Weck would major in theatre at Williams and then the above headline might have ended with Actor.

David Weck '92

"The summer of my junior year I became fascinated with the theatre and I made special arrangements to enroll in theatre classes," said Weck. "If I could have changed my major (political economy) I would have." Weck's first taste of being on stage, other than on Weston Field, came during his final semester. David Eppel, chair of the theatre department gave Weck his first chance on the stage in the one-man show "Chucky's Hunch" written by Rochelle Owens. Weck's performance was one of the few WilliamsTheatre productions Head Coach Dick Farley has attended. "I thought David did a good job for a first-time performance," said Farley. "The language and the subject matter were not exactly to my liking, but I could tell he had some talent."

Farley had already recognized that Weck had talent as a defensive back. "David had good speed, picked up the game and our schemes quickly, and watched film of our opponents endlessly," said Farley. "He got the most out of his abilities with his work ethic."

Everyone playing football while Renzie Lamb was a coach with the team was a "Frosh Burger" at one time, but only two became the "Toast Brothers." That's the name Lamb gave to Weck and his constant companion Bodhi Amos. "Those two guys were fearless from the first day they showed up," said Lamb. "Bodhi could hit you so hard you would forget your name and Weck always had a knack for being where the ball was. We knew right away that they were going to be big contributors to our program."

The duo of Weck and Amos was first known as the "Toast Corners" because they played cornerback as Frosh Burgers, but later both "advanced" to safety and became the "Toast Brothers" even though they were rarely toasted by the opposition.

Playing in the defensive backfield for four years means David Weck had Dick Farley as his position coach and for that Weck is most grateful. "Most of all I remember Coach Farley as the most influential teacher I had at Williams," said Weck. "His level of dedication to the football program and to his student-athletes is simply unparalleled in my opinion. He's a man who leads and teaches by example more than anything else. You just want to give him your all because you know he's doing the same for you. And I think life is all about giving it your all regardless of where the chips land." Easy enough for Weck to say now as his most recent reply to my e-mail came from the French Riviera!

"Coach Farley has an intensely competitive nature that is balanced by his genuine humility," said Weck. "He also has a unique brand of humor. I remember him saying to the defense, ‘You play defense for a reason, because you CAN'T play offense!’ On the sidelines in the heat of battle his competitive side can take over and I have vague recollections of him screaming at me to ‘Tuck the ball! Tuck the ball! Get on the ground!’ during the few opportunities I had to run with the ball after an interception."

Weck is second all-time in Eph Division III play in interceptions with 12 and holds the record for the longest interception return for a TD (85 yards). He is also tied for most interceptions in a season with six.

Who else but Dick Farley would prepare his team for anything and everything an opponent has done? "I remember Coach Farley running the 'look offense' in practice, holding up play cards and telling us that he had seen the opposing team run that particular play once," said Weck. "Only once, and it had been 15 years earlier, but if we saw it on Saturday we better be ready for it because we were seeing it now. He is incredibly dedicated and leaves no stone unturned in preparation." Weck always wondered what Farley was writing down on the sidelines during the games.

After graduating, Weck headed to New York to try and make it as an actor. Too many off-Broadway shows to count and a small but recurring role on the soap opera "One Life to Live" did not elevate Weck to the level of acting he had hoped. To support himself while trying the life of an actor Weck worked as a fitness trainer.

A back injury led him to explore ways of overcoming the pain and discomfort of his sore back and the result was Both Sides Up (BOSU). The BOSU is simple, yet effective. It looks a lot like half of a ball, because it is. It is soft and squishy and allows one to work on balance and train with low impact.

"After months of back pain and two unsuccessful physical rehabilitation programs, I discovered that balance training provided me with lasting relief," recalls Weck. "My previous rehab programs had involved strength training of the core musculature to stabilize the spine. However those exercises were performed in a horizontal position that does not take into account function and the delicate interplay between the muscles of the core. Strong muscles are not so useful if they are unbalanced and lack coordination. The central nervous system will tend to seek the path of least resistance and balance training simply encourages the central nervous system to find that path most efficiently."

Necessity being the mother of invention, Weck decided to see if he could solve his own back discomfort. "I began experimenting with all the balance tools I could find but none of them had what I was looking for. One night I conceived of BOSU and at that moment I knew I was onto something big. I built a prototype, applied for a patent and went into my new business." Say goodbye acting and hello to the world of being an entrepreneur.

"The first sale of the BOSU was to the US Ski Team and now we are Official Supplier to the Ski Team and they have more than 50 of them," said Weck. "The Yankees, Lakers, Ravens and Devils quickly purchased BOSUs and now I am hard at work and having the time of my life as an entrepreneur." And e-mailing people from the French Riviera!