Professor Todd Gill is shaping anglers and lives through discipline, faith, and consistency.

Hooked on purpose

Coach Gill holds a weekly bible study in his home for his bass fishing anglers.

By 8a.m., Todd Gill has already checked his email, responded to recruits, and looked over hotel reservations for the next tournament. Now he stands at the front of a classroom, marker in hand, trading a tournament takeoff for lesson plans. Students shuffle through the door while his phone buzzes quietly in his pocket, another angler asking about the tournament; another recruit reaching out about the program. 

To most people on campus, Gill is a professor. To the anglers on the Wabash Valley College Bass Fishing Team, he’s something closer to a mentor. And to one professional angler who once sat where they do now, he’s simply Dad. 

For Gill, coaching has always been something deeper than fishing.

“Probably one of the most important characteristics that carries through life is discipline and being consistent,” Gill explained. “A lot of days you’re doing what I call the hard things. You can’t expect results without putting the work in.”

A Different calling

Long before he was balancing the textbooks and tournaments schedules, Gill had already built a career many people would never walk away from.  

Before the classroom and the tournaments, Todd spent his days inside a chiropractic clinic, running a successful practice and building a stable life for his family. It was steady work, but somewhere along the way he began to feel pulled in another direction. Teaching offered something different - the chance to shape people long before they ever needed healing. 

Gill eventually left healthcare after 15 years to pursue teaching at the college level, a decision he says was rooted in a desire to invest in students’ futures. 

“Leaving healthcare to come to teach wasn't just about getting a paycheck,” Gill reflected.

“I wanted to invest in the future healthcare providers of the world and help young people grow.”

The decision meant trading stability for uncertainty. But to Gill, success had never been measured in numbers. 

where coaching began

Coaching, for him, didn't start on a boat.  It started on softball fields.

Coach Gill is being held by members of the Wabash Mission Softball team. His oldest daughter Rachel Gill is located in the center of the front row.

Gill’s first coaching experience started with his first-born daughter, Rachel. Gill volunteered to help start Wabash Mission Softball, a faith-based program that grew from a single team to several age groups over nearly a decade. The practices were simple. Fundamentals, encouragement and prayer before games, but the lessons and friendships ran deeper than the scoreboard. 

“We started that softball program with the intention of being more intentional in young people’s lives, more than just softball,” Gill said. 

The program followed a model Gill describes as mentorship. Older players were encouraged to invest in younger athletes, teaching them the game and helping them grow both on and off the field. 

Rachel recalled, “Playing travel softball for more than 10 years is something I’m still grateful for. There weren’t many teams close to where we lived, so when my dad started talking about starting our own team, I was excited. Wabash Mission brought me some of my closest friends. The girl who caught me pitching all those years is getting married this summer, and I get to be a bridesmaid at her wedding.

It taught me the importance of working hard even when no one was watching and helped me grow spiritually. My parents and the team always reminded me that softball doesn’t define who I am. My relationship with Christ does.”

lessons that carry over

Those same values would eventually make their way to the water. When Gill began coaching the Wabash Valley College bass fishing team six years ago, he approached it the same way he approached fatherhood and softball, with patience, discipline, and faith. Tournament finishes mattered, but they were never the only goal. 

Gill wanted his anglers to leave the program stronger than when they arrived. 

“I really enjoy seeing personal growth,” Gill said. “From the freshmen that come in their first semester to when they leave us, you see so much growth as a person.”

That growth often comes through adversity. Tournaments can be unpredictable, and fishing rarely rewards effort immediately. 

“There are a lot of things in life that are not always within our control,” Gill noted. “You control the controllables, getting up, doing the work, being prepared. A lot of the “luck” people talk about is really created by hard work and consistency.” 

The lessons Gill emphasizes today didn't come from textbooks. They were shaped by life experiences and the responsibilities he carried out long before he became a coach.

a legacy in motion

For Gill, investing in students instead of just part of the job, is part of his purpose. One of those anglers happened to grow up in his own house. 

Gill’s son Drew shared his passion for competitive bass fishing and began competing during his time at Wabash Valley. Years later, that passion turned into a professional career on the national stage. 

Credit: WVC Warrior Athletics Drew Gill signs his letter of intent to fish for his father Todd Gill, coach of the Wabash Valley College Bass Fishing team in 2020.

Seeing his son succeed has been one of Gill’s proudest moments, but not simply because of the trophies. 

“Whether he’s my son or not, having somebody from our program get to the top level of the sport is really rewarding,” Gill said. 

And Drew isn’t the only former angler to find success. Gill speaks on one of his current anglers when he cashed his first check. 

“For Sam to go cash a check in his first Bassmaster Open was super rewarding,” Gill added. “Those are the hurdles you come to in this sport, and can you jump them?”

Credit: Bassmaster WVC Bass Fishing team member Sam Ausbrooks holds up his catch on the Bassmaster Opens stage. Ausbrooks fished his first Open on February 19th-21st and placed 39th.

For Sam Ausbrooks, the moment represented more than a paycheck. It was proof that the lessons he learned at Wabash Valley had prepared him for the next level. 

“The Wabash Valley College Bass Team not only prepared me to take my fishing to the next level, but it also showed me how to be a part of a team and have a second family, Ausbrooks shared.“Coming into college, I had no idea what all went into fishing tournaments as well as being surrounded by people my age with the same passion for fishing. It prepared me for life after college and fishing after college.”

more than a coach

For Gill, those milestones represent more than victories. They represent opportunities: something many students don’t realize they'll have when they first arrive. 

Every angler eventually leaves the program and builds a life beyond it. Some pursue careers in fishing. Others move into entirely different professions. Many still call their former coach when they need advice. 

And Gill always answers.

Because for him, the goal has never been just to build better anglers.

It’s to build better people.