Coaching Longevity
It’s football time again. The smell of cut grass, popcorn and teenage testosterone is in the air. More than anything, every team and coach is brimming with enthusiasm for a great year.
Years ago, before the internet and social media, high school football coaches were hired and stayed around for years and years. There was very little turnover, regardless of the record.
In today’s coaching world, fans expect immediate results and are ready to run a coach out of town after 1 or 2 years, especially the ones who are being subsidized by a “win at any cost” booster club.
In college, what about the fact that he just signed a 5- year contract?
It does not matter. How much is his buyout? Years ago, a contract meant something. Today, it’s ignored to get the next Nick Saban.
I grew up in the Shoals area of North Alabama and played at Colbert County High School under CT Manley just like men before me and later, after me. My Dad was his assistant from 1956 through 1970. He never asked nor received a raise in those years.
For those who grew up in that area, look at these names and their respective high school. See if you see any similarities:
Bud Mills-Cherokee. Bill Doty-Russellville. Walton Wright-Sheffield. C.T. Manley-Colbert County. Earl Gresham-Lauderdale County. Buddy Moore-Deshler and Coffee. Joe Grant- Coffee. Tater Graham-Central. Bill Whitlock-Sheffield. Howard Chappell-Deshler. Durrell Mock- Muscle Shoals. Don Creasy-Central and Colbert County. Jimmy Moore-Colbert County.
Each of these outstanding coaches stayed at their respective school, year after year. Some were at their school for more than 20 years. Today, a coach staying at a school for 4 years is an eternity.
If you dissected their records, there are numerous state championships and there were also some 1-9 and 2-8 seasons. I could site you examples of a state championship coming, one year after a losing season.
Today, the coach might not have been around for that next year.
What changed?
We became a microwave society. Everything, including winning, is wanted NOW. No excuses. INSTANT.
We are all guilty of pouring coffee from the pot while it is still brewing.
High school fans forget that the coach must take whoever walks through those locker room doors. Recruiting is prohibited. This year in Alabama, there will be a public-school division and a private school division. Why? Behind the curtains, it has to do with illegal recruiting.
When the board of education replaces a dedicated coach for a younger and newer model, the fans expect to win big and win NOW.
Remember the reasons that the position became available in the first place:
- Retirement.
- Coach took a better job.
- Coach got fired. (The old proverbial: we decided to go in a different direction.)
It generally takes about 3 years to get your system and mindset installed and instilled. This means developing the incoming 10th graders. I loved working with this age group.
If you study the list of coaches from the Shoals, many of these started coaching these players when they were in junior high. There is tremendous carryover when young players have the same terminology for 5 straight years.
If a simple toss sweep to the right is called “Toss 28” for 5 consecutive years, the overall concept for this one play makes more sense. Pee wee through high school.
Throughout my 21 years in football in different systems, this same play was called: Toss 38 Solid; 129; Jet right; 42 Toss; and Roger T-8 in addition to Toss 28.
This was my profession and I studied the game constantly. Imagine a 17-year-old that has been part of 3 different systems trying to erase old terminology and replace it with new lingo.
For you football nuts: most teams label their plays with the even numbers to the right and the odd numbers to the left.
In other words, a play ending in an 8 is a run around the right end. 6 is inside the right end. 4 is inside the right tackle. 2 is inside right guard. 0 is over the right hip of the center.
The first number of the play called (the “2” in 28) tells you the ball carrier. So, Toss 28 is a short toss to the tailback going around right end.
For many of you, you have to read this 3 times, just to visualize the play.
Try this now: the quarterback gets in the huddle and calls “Toss 28 or 29, Check with me.”
This means that the audible play to be run is based on the strength and weakness of the defense setup. The quarterback calls the play at the line of scrimmage:
He might say:” Blue 28. Blue 28” That means that the toss sweep is going around right end. (Remember, the 8 hole is to the right.) For my Auburn friends, this was supposedly the play called in the huddle in 1984 when Bo Jackson went the wrong way. Word is that Bo heard 29 and went left but the play called at the line was 28. This meant no lead blocker and Bama’s Rory Turner “waxed the dude” for a 4-yard loss. And an Iron Bowl victory.
Where was I?
Oh yeah. Be patient with the high school coaches. You want to evaluate them?
Use this criterion:
Is the team in condition and disciplined?
Does the team hustle and play until the whistle?
Does the team get better each week?
Is the coach turning boys into men using football as a conduit to life lessons?
That’s it. The wins and losses will fall in place.
Think twice before asking for a high school coach’s head.
Tearing down a house does not guarantee that the new one will be better.
I wonder if instant coffee would be quicker than this Keurig.