Tom Wicka ’90 credits two men with helping shape the work ethic and values that have helped drive his considerable professional success and many contributions to the community.
The first is his father Richard, a 1952 Saint John’s University graduate. The second is John Gagliardi, the longtime legendary Johnnies head football coach for whom Wicka played linebacker from 1986-89, earning All-MIAC honors twice.
“The ethos of Saint John’s is really centered on how do you contribute to the world around you and how do you try and be a leader – not just professionally, but in the community,” Wicka said.
“That’s something John really pushed, and in the four years I played for him, I took away lessons daily, weekly and annually. Those were things my father also stressed as well – thinking beyond yourself. He and John were really of the same vintage. They came from different parts of the country – my father from North Dakota and John from Colorado. But their basic philosophies were much the same.”
In fact, it was his father who first connected Wicka with Gagliardi – helping clear the ground for his youngest son’s choice to attend SJU.
“I was the last of six kids,” said Wicka, a graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall High School. “The four oldest boys all went to the (University of Minnesota), and my sister went to St. Mary’s in Winona. So I was his last shot.
“But Saint John’s wasn’t high on my radar early on. Then one day, my dad shrewdly suggested we go see John speak at a luncheon in the basement of my old grade school in St. Paul. He just said it was a free meal and it might be fun. John spoke and the hook was set in me right there. I really connected to him and started to think Saint John’s would be the right place for me.
“In retrospect my dad knew exactly what he was doing the whole time,” he added with a chuckle.
Wicka has shown he knows what he’s doing as well. After graduating from SJU, he has gone on to a long and successful career founding and leading businesses in the direct marketing, commercial printing and health care tech services industries.
That included serving as Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, as well as owner of IWCO Direct, for almost nine years, and as co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of NovuHealth from 2012 to 2020.
Currently, he is a founder and investor with River Road Investors, an investment group that also includes fellow Johnnies David Sunberg and Carter Hanson, another former standout linebacker for the Johnnies.
But beyond his professional success, he has always made sure to give back, including through founding the Nash Avery Foundation with his wife Angie to combat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It’s named after the couple’s son Nash, who was diagnosed with the condition at age 4 and waged a courageous battle against it before his passing in 2017.
He has also been a major contributor to the Walker Art Center, where he served on the board of trustees, and is currently leading a $70 million capital campaign for CommonBond, an organization that provides stable housing, other assistance and financial education to those in need. He’s also worked with Saint John’s Institutional Advancement and fellow Johnnie graduates Mike Magnuson and Tim Healy to establish and maintain The Gagliardi Legacy Fund.
In addition, he has spent the last three seasons volunteering as an assistant coach for the Johnnie football team – working with the team’s linebackers – after being encouraged by Mike Magnuson, who has served as offensive line coach for the past 10 years. The two played football together in grade school at Nativity, high school at Cretin-Derham Hall and college at Saint John’s.
It is for those efforts, and plenty of others, that Wicka has been named the winner of this year’s Bob Basten Award, presented annually to a former Johnnie football player who has exhibited outstanding leadership traits, is involved with his community and alma mater, has carried a sense of fair play beyond the football field and has demonstrated an overall commitment to excellence.
It’s named in honor of Basten ’82, who went to training camp with the Minnesota Vikings before embarking on a successful career as a business executive. He died in 2012 after a decade-long battle with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Wicka will receive the award at halftime of the Johnnies’ Homecoming game against Augsburg on Sept. 27 at Clemens Stadium.
“I’m deeply appreciative and very humbled to be receiving an honor like this,” Wicka said. “I certainly don’t feel like my life is award-worthy.”
Those who know him best disagree strongly.
“I view the Bob Basten Award as the greatest award presented to a former Saint John’s football player,” SJU head coach Gary Fasching said. “To me, it means excellence and someone who is outstanding in many categories. Tom Wicka, this year’s recipient of the award, checks all of the boxes.
“He is truly an outstanding individual who has impacted the Saint John’s community in a number of different ways. His commitment to excellence is evident in everything he’s involved in. From his business ventures to volunteering as an assistant football coach, Tom has exhibited the kind of passion, care, and community involvement that is the bedrock of this award.”
Over the years, Wicka has always remained connected to SJU, including through hosting a president’s social and CSB and SJU trustee dinner at his home in Edina, serving as co-chair of the John Gagliardi Football Legacy Fund, advising on a direct mail strategy effort for The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program and donating COVID tests to both CSB and SJU.
But he said serving on Fasching’s coaching staff the past few years has been especially gratifying.
“It’s a way to give back some of what I took out of the program,” he said. “I have to credit Mike Magnuson, who has given back 10-fold of what I have to Saint John’s football over the past decade. He really inspired me to reengage and take the time to come back to the program in a more active role.
“It’s been a rewarding experience. Sometimes, the cynics say kids today don’t have the same work ethic as in years past. But when you’re around these players every day, you see that’s wrong. Our starting linebackers last year averaged around a 3.9 GPA. These are great players and students. I’m just grateful to have the chance to be around the football program and the school