Will Rackley ’11 was excited for summer. He was glad to be back home in Atlanta, Georgia, and ready to pick up some soft skills in an office setting.
He had a short window of time to complete a summer project in an internship at EspriGas, a gas supply company, before having to report back to campus for summer training sessions with the Lehigh football team.
Rackley had to be up early, both to get ready for the day and navigate a bus and train ride for his 90-minute commute across the city.
Mike Walsh ’90, the founder and CEO of the company, enjoyed hosting a football player each summer. He was passionate about talent development and wanted to give back to the team — it was a way to feel connected to his days on the gridiron.
Walsh always bumped into Rackley as they arrived at 7:50 a.m., 10 minutes before the workday was slated to begin.
Beyond promptness and Lehigh football, if you put Rackley and Walsh next to each other, it wouldn’t appear that they had much in common.
Rackley studied in Arts and Sciences while Walsh was in Rossin. Rackley measured up at 6' 3" and 310 pounds next to Walsh’s small frame. Rackley played offense while Walsh was on defense.
But they shared some core beliefs and blue-collar backgrounds, learning to adapt and thrive through all that life offered them. Pretty quickly, they became good friends, which has been made even more real by their work on a children’s book about the science of matter.
Composition of Matter
Walsh came to Lehigh from his home in Pittsburgh and played safety. He thought he wanted to be an architect but moved to civil engineering after his first year and then loaded up on credits to graduate on time.
Rackley was recruited to play offensive guard, coming north for the first time in his life. It was a big change and helped to broaden his horizons. He studied product design.
While they both pledged Delta Upsilon, their football years were different. Walsh’s team was competitive, but Rackley’s won the league championship and bested its rival three times.
Both found a supportive community and solid friendships.
When Andy Coen, head football coach, introduced the two of them, Rackley was a bit introverted. To draw him out, Walsh asked about his dreams. Rackley said he wanted either to be an artist or play in the NFL.
Walsh knew how hard either dream would be to realize. That’s why Walsh offered Rackley a job before he graduated. Little did either suspect the transformation about to take place.
Different States of Matter
Walsh’s Lehigh roommate and former quarterback, Todd Brunner ’90, was an NFL scout. Each year prior to the draft, scouts could select one surprise pick. He told Walsh that he was going to choose Rackley. Brunner was impressed by his size, work ethic, talent, intelligence, and integrity.
That selection brought NFL coaches and scouts to campus and took Rackley to combines, all-star games, and pro days. For two months during the semester, he completed his Lehigh work remotely so he could train with his agent to be ready for draft day.
Walsh was at Rackley’s draft party, where he was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round. He started 14 games his rookie season, but injuries and concussions cut his NFL career short. After four years, Rackley walked away.
That’s when he had the opportunity to fulfill another dream: art. As he worked to get healthy from his playing days, he began to paint. He still has the first one he made. He found the practice the perfect place to escape and heal … and he got good.
His commissioned painting business took off.
Walsh just admired it all from the background.
“From Atlanta to Lehigh, Lehigh to the NFL, the NFL to artist, his transformations were lovely to watch,” he says.
That’s when Walsh had an idea.
Forming Matter
For over two decades, Walsh has guest taught in a second-grade class at a Title I elementary school. He is passionate about science and children’s literacy. He sought a way to combine those two passions and decided to write a children’s book that he could gift each student.
This project prompted him to reach out to Rackely. By this point in his career, Rackley had taken his creativity and channeled it into technology by becoming a full-stack web developer and earning his project management certification.
While painting was his primary medium, Rackley decided to pick up a pencil and help Walsh.
“Our relationship, his ambition, and the charitable goal … supporting Mike was a no-brainer,” he says.
That’s how Matter was born. She is the star of the book — a smart, feisty, and cool character who changes form based on her travel adventures.
“Will’s drawings are the strength of this book,” says Walsh. He’s being modest. The writing helps children understand a fun and complex subject as Matter moves between solid, liquid, and gas.
The duo isn’t done. Walsh plans two more books. Of course, Rackley is on board.
“Giving back is something that matters to both of us,” Rackley. “Mike is a good reminder of how each of us got more out of Lehigh than we ever deserved.”
That belief, it seems, is a matter of debate.
