GoHeels Exclusive: Leadership Comes Naturally To McBride

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

With the departures of Brett Bedard and Tate Jozokos, the North Carolina men's lacrosse team entered last fall looking to solidify the short-stick defensive midfield.

Injuries, however, slowed that process. And with Tar Heels needing someone to step in and provide some much-needed depth at the position, William McBride happily shifted down from the second midfield, where he primarily played during his first three collegiate seasons.

"Sometimes it's viewed as maybe not the most desirable role, having to play defense with the short stick and not getting maybe as much glory as an offensive guy," he said. "But that really didn't matter to me. What mattered most to me was to do whatever the team needed the most and to fill that void when we had some injuries to some guys."

The position change proved permanent.

McBride's played all 11 games this spring at short-stick defensive midfield, where he's continued to display the versatility that arguably makes him UNC's best player. Coming off the bench, he leads the team in caused turnovers (9). He's also tied for third in ground balls (21).

But McBride's guidance is just as important as his play. And as one of five captains, he's embraced an even larger leadership role during his senior season.

"I'm a firm believer in if you're going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk," McBride said. "I think my leadership is derived through that, the importance of showing on the field what the expectations are and what the goals and work ethic need to be in order to be as successful as possible."

In many ways, that approach is one that's been shaped over time. It began, McBride said, by watching his father.

For 21 years, Paul McBride was employed by General Electric Company, where he held various management positions in several businesses in the United States, Mexico and Asia. He later served as a company officer for The Black & Decker Corporation.

"Just seeing his leadership in the corporate world, as well as just with the family, has really inspired me to be the best leader I can be," McBride said, "and to take some of the things I've seen from him and apply it to my leadership."

McBride said his three brothers – Paul, 29, Gregory, 26, and Thomas, 23 – taught him the importance of competitiveness.

They battled in table tennis and two-on-two basketball, among other activities. On one occasion, McBride said, he didn't speak with Thomas for about two days after Thomas disputed a controversial call in a basketball win by McBride and Gregory.

"There were definitely some fights along the way," McBride said. "But in turn, that definitely made me stronger. And I think it made them stronger, as well."

The family moved from Albany, New York to Baltimore when McBride said he was 5. His brothers started playing lacrosse then. And as younger brothers are wont to do, McBride said he followed in their footsteps.

All four went on to play lacrosse at Gilman School, where they were coached by 1991 UNC alumnus Brooks Matthews. McBride also played point guard on the basketball team and was president of Gilman's Athletic Association. He ultimately committed to Carolina, where Gregory played lacrosse from 2010-2014.

McBride said he adopted certain ideas from other leaders at Gilman. But his leadership education intensified after he enrolled at UNC in Fall 2014.

"It's a whole 'nother level coming to play a college sport," said McBride, referencing the number of great leaders he's been surrounded by in college. "Like playing with captains my freshman year, guys like Joey Sankey and Jimmy Bitter and Jake Bailey, who were extremely vocal guys, they really showed how much they cared and were dedicated to the team."

Those lessons, McBride said, have also continued off the field.

As a sophomore, he participated in the Carolina Leadership Academy Rising Stars program. He was then in the Carolina Leadership Academy Leadership Lab as a junior. Currently, he's a member of UNC's Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

"Just going through each of those different areas," McBride said, "has taught me a lot about what I do well and also what I need to improve on."

That process will likely continue after he graduates in May.

McBride said the commonalities between sports and business, such as "the competitive landscape within the business world and also how it's a very collaborative culture," inspired him to major in business administration.

He's completed four different summer internships. Last summer, he was a sales intern for Constellation Brands, an international producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits.

"In that role," McBride said, "I worked with many of the marketing development managers and went out in the field and learned how to build relationships with people and how to retain those relationships, as well. It was extremely valuable."

But as of now, the most important relationships to him are those he's formed over the last four years with his teammates.

"That's something I may even value more than the national championship," McBride said, "is just meeting all these guys and building relationships that mean more than lacrosse and mean more than a lot of things in life."

Players Mentioned

Brett Bedard

Tate Jozokos

William McBride

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