By Jensen Boyd
Two men walking by each other on the same campus, “chirping” at Miami Ohio fans, and sporting red merchandise. Now, these same two college graduates meet again, but this time, back in high school–one believing that this will be his home for many years, and the other using it as a stepping stone for his future.
“It feels great to be back at Delta and to see everybody grow up throughout the years,” Tyler Gilland said. “I am excited for what the future holds.”
John Finley and Tyler Gilland both graduated from Ball State University and are new members of the teaching staff at Delta in the 2025-2026 school year. They are both additions to the physical education department.
***
Walking into the athletic wing this school year would look a lot different than last year. In the weight room stands John Finley, the newly hired strength and conditioning coach for the 2025-2026 school year.
Before coaching here, Finley grew up in Indiana and went to Madison-Grant High School, where he played basketball and football for the Argylls.
In high school, Finley recalls that he was a smaller kid and wasn’t as “naturally gifted as others.” At the time, he was 5-foot-4, 169 pounds as a freshman.
Finley said he wasn’t very physically or athletically favored, so he needed a way to catch up to the other athletes.
Because of this, Finley started lifting weights. And soon after hitting the weight room, he fell in love.
“I realized that in the weight room you can reach a higher level of performance and potential for yourself,” Finley said.
Today, he stands 5-foot-10 and is a rock-solid 240 pounds.
After graduating from Madison-Grant, Finley attended Franklin University, an NCAA Division III school located in Franklin, Ind.
While at Franklin, he only played football. To play at his best level, Finley continued to work on his craft, hit the weight room, and work toward his goals.
Once he graduated from Franklin with his bachelor’s degree in exercise science, he enrolled at Ball State University to get his master’s degree in biomechanics.
During his time at Ball State, Finley worked as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach for Olympic sports. This meant that he helped out with most of the university’s sports teams, while also fully running the baseball team’s weight-lifting.
At the end of the 2024-2025 school year, Delta’s weight-lifting coach spot opened up when Jeremy Lochner left to become the head football coach at Mississinewa.
Seeing the job opening, Finley dove in head-first.
“I took the opportunity that this job offered because it’s the best way that I can give back to the world through the personal experience that has helped me,” Finley said.
Finley has brought with him a style of coaching that most students aren’t used to.
“He is really intense,” said weightlifting student Jackson Teal. “He’s a great guy, but when it’s time to get to work, he’s 100% serious, and I like that.”
With his hard-working mentality, Finley is trying to help every kid he has in class fulfill their potential.
He is doing this by teaching his students basic lifting movement patterns, while also keeping each student’s safety the main priority.
But for now, Coach Finley says he is living in the present, enjoying his time here and every second of it.
“I can tell there’s a good community here that has welcomed me …. I can appreciate that,” said Finley.
***
At the start of this year, Derek Novsek was hired to be the new P.E. II teacher, as well as the teacher of College and Careers. But approximately six weeks in, Novsek left to join the Ball State men’s basketball team.
The newly opened position at the time was filled when Mr. Tyler Gilland joined the Eagle community for the second time. For the rest of this year, Gilland will be operating as a full-time substitute for both P.E. II and College and Careers classes.
Even though it is Gilland’s first teaching position here, he isn’t a stranger to the school.
Gilland graduated from Delta in 2019, where he played baseball and football. He later attended Ball State University, graduating with a sports administration degree.
In 2021, while still attending Ball State, Gilland decided to come back to Delta to help coach.
He was hired as a coach for the football team, mainly helping with receivers and cornerbacks.
While continuing to coach football, Gilland is also coaching for the junior varsity team, and he helps with the varsity as well.
***
With Gilland going to school here and spending the majority of his life in the Delcom area, it would be reasonable to predict that this new teaching job would give him a place to stay for a while.
But with bigger dreams, Gilland plans on soon becoming an athletic director. Right now, even with teaching and coaching, Gilland is taking the necessary steps to become one.
Gilland is in the process of earning his teaching degree through Anderson University. For him to earn this degree, he must be a student-teacher for a semester.
Gilland had originally planned on possibly student-teaching here next year. But when the physical education spot opened, it allowed him to get his foot in the door right away.
With these two major additions to the physical education faculty, Delta’s future is looking “stronger” than ever.
