There’s a drawer for medium wrist bands and large wristbands in the bowels of Ryan field. A drawer for screwdrivers and shoelaces, and a drawer for cordless drills and cleaning supplies. Above those drawers sit boxes of cleats both opened and unopened. On top of everything sits the football helmets: broken ones, ones without face masks from bygone days and signed ones from former players.
The football equipment office for the Northwestern Wildcats looks like a cross between a mechanic shop and a sporting goods store warehouse, and that’s where Bill Jarvis has been for 35 years as the head equipment manager.
“I got this job because nobody wanted it,” Jarvis said. “The school was losing, the facilities were terrible, and the storage was terrible. Everything about the program was not good.”
That was in 1976. Seven coaches, 100 managers and countless loads of dirty laundry later, and Jarvis has reached his final season with the ‘Cats. Jarvis was honored for his years of service in front of a sold-out crowd during Saturday’s victory over Iowa. His moment in the spotlight, which included naming the equipment room after him, was a culmination of a life in the football underground that began in tragedy.
“When I was 12, I was in a car accident so my parents wouldn’t let me play football,” he said. Jarvis’ injury did not stop him from being a part of the game he loved. Even if that meant staying on the sidelines.
“I had a coach who found kids who weren’t able to compete. He made me manager and I just found a home there.”
Jarvis went on to work as an equipment manager during college at Ashland University. When he graduated, they created a full time position for him as their first head equipment manager. Then a position opened up at Northwestern University.
It was a “culture shock” the first time Jarvis came to campus. “The old equipment room was like a dungeon. It had army green paint and screw in light bulbs. It was archaic, I guess you could say.”
Jarvis didn’t care. He saw an opportunity to move up the ranks and work at a Division I school, in the Big Ten no less. “At the time it was unheard of to move up from a Division III school. I am very fortunate to have gotten this position.”
Jarvis has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of Wildcats football. He was there when they lost 31 straight games and had 19 losing seasons. Yet he still stuck through it. And he is sure glad that he did.
“The Rose Bowl has been the highlight of my career. It’s the goal, the very top of college football. It really is something to experience it.”
This was supposed to be a transition job. Just something to “put on the resume.” 35 years later, Jarvis hasn’t padded his resume much. And he is all the more grateful for it.
“I stayed because of the people,” Jarvis said. “This program has a very tight knit climate. You get to know people. You get to develop friendships.”
Jarvis describes the point of his job is to remain “invisible.” For 35 years, Jarvis strove to remain “out of sight and out of mind.” Coach Pat Fitzgerald wanted no such thing on Jarvis’ last game at Ryan Field.
“There’s one common theme that’s run through every player that’s been in our program and that’s Mr. J,” Fitzgerald said. Jarvis has seen Fitzgerald as both a player and a coach. He describes Fitzgerald as “appreciative.” Fitz would have to disagree.
“I was annoying as a freshmen, I was more annoying as my career went along and I think I’m a pain in his hind parts right now, but he spoils us rotten. Thirty five years of washing football players dirty laundry, man, that’s unbelievable.”
Fitz will be “spoiled” for the ‘Cats remaining three games before Jarvis returns to Ashland to retire and volunteer at the school that gave him his first job. After 35 years of washing other people’s clothes, Jarvis will finally throw in the towel. And most importantly, he won’t be expected to clean it up.