Much has been publicized lately about the firings of Kansas football coach Mark Mangino, Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach and South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt. Each was removed as a result of reported abuse of players. And each of these three men has either denied the allegations or has justified them as part of their discipline.
Somewhere upstairs, Bear Bryant is shaking his head. I have heard, albeit mainly through books, television and sports columnists, that the Bear did things to his players that would make the current allegations seem nothing more than sitting 5 minutes in time out. Tales of three-a-day practices in sweltering heat, with water being denied to those who were not performing to his liking. Reports of grabbing facemasks and pops on the head apparently were commonplace as well. Yet I find it interesting that I cannot recall one player of his who has publically denounced his tactics. They all recall how tough he was on them, but in the end, they thank him for the discipline he provided. Of course, there was no internet back then either. I cannot say that I fully endorse these tactics ... I'm just pointing out that this is geherally the way it used to be, not only with Bear, but I'm sure with many other top coaches of that era.
In my days of participating in athletics, the closest I experienced a coach abusing me or anyone else is something I would hardly classify as abuse. And it took place in the classroom, not on the playing field. Our football coach at my high school was a legendary figure, with over 300 career wins, and we kidded often that he was the de facto principal of the school. Anyway, he was my technical drafting teacher and one day in class, I would not shut up when he was giving instructions, so he came back to where I was sitting, turned his state championship ring around on his finger so that the large side was exposed, and bopped me on the head. Guess what? I didn't misbehave in his class again. And I hold no ill-will whatsoever against him for doing that. I remember him as someone whom I respected greatly. In fact, he was the pool manager at a local swimming facility and he hired me as a lifeguard that next summer.
Both high school basketball coaches I played for undressed us daily verbally, but we didn't not consider it abuse. It was just part of it. Coaches get upset and yell at players. We would try and focus on what was being said instead of how it was being said.
As my life has progressed as a teacher and a basketball coach, I have had the opprtunity to experience the other side of the fence. I have often reflected back on my 13 years of coaching high school basketball, but I have never put down my thoughts in writing. So here goes ...
Throughout my 20s and early 30s, I was like a lot of other guys who get into coaching, ultra-competitive and fiery. Even though I did not respond well to my high school when they yelled at me, I look back and recognize that I too was pretty-much a screamer. I hated to lose and could not understand why my players did not hate to lose and much as I did. One time in particular, after my JV boys team gave away a close game by committing every gaffe possible, I made a complete ass of myself in front a LOT of people as I exited the gym to get on the bus. There were other times where I became very loud and demonstrative during games, when the better approach would have been to remain more calm.
After years of being a boys assistant, I then got the opportunity to become a varsity girls basketball coach in a talent-rich, ultra-competitive region of suburban Atlanta. I was older and a little wiser, but I still had my moments that I was not proud. Two stand out in particular ... one day in practice, in an attenpt to try and light a fire under a player, I showed her up in front of the team on a level that I look back as being unacceptable. And in my 3rd year as a varsity coach, I gave a player a verbal lashing in my office that was way beyond what was necessary. She ended up quitting within a week of that.
For those of you that have never coached, you have no idea how idea how difficult it is. All in all, despite the moments I described above, I am proud of my coaching career. I had the opportunity to work for and with many fine coaches and I had many successful teams of my own. I feel that I worked hard and looked out for my players and that I helped to make them better basketball players and better people. There are many former players that I remember fondly. Two that played for my varsity girls teams are particularly special to me. One is an assistant coach for the East Carolina Lady Pirates after a fine career as a player at Appalachian State and the other is married and working after an all-American career at Lagrange College. I did not fully appreciate the contribution of these two young women until they were gone The next season (which turned out to be my last) completely fell apart almost from the moment they graduated.
After taking some years off following my varsity coaching experience, I got back into coaching as a varsity girls assistant at my current school. Those three years were as enjoyable as coaching can be. Yes we had a lot of success (winning does cure a lot of ills), but I worked with a great group of players, parents and coaches that all had the right perspective on things. I often marvelled at the composure our head coach had in certain stressful situations, situations where the old screamer in me was trying to come out. And you know what? Usually the players stayed composed as well and found a way to win these tight ballgames.
In this day and age as a coach, I think you have to be more careful than ever before. Your every word and action can end up on the internet in an instant. Pressure to win on all levels is at an all-time high and sometimes coaches succumb to that pressure and do questionable things. I honesly don't think the coaches I mentioned at the beginning of this post are much different than most coaches. But that doesn't necessarily make what they are accused of doing right. John Wooden is proof that you can be a very successful coach without yelling and screaming and being physically demonstrative. If you have ever coached or are thinking about coaching, you should read Coach Wooden's book. More wisdom on coaching I have never found.
I don't know if I'll ever coach again, but if I do, I know I can draw from my first experience as a varsity coach and my subsequent experience as a varsity assistant and handle certain situations a little better. Plus as a married 43-year-old father of two, I have a different perpective on things than I had in my 20s and 30s. Right now, I am perfectly happy focusing my attention on being husband, daddy and teacher.
God bless all of you coaches. It is a tough profession and you do make a positive difference in the lives of so many young men and women.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Georgia's New Math Curriculum
The state of Georgia has recently rolled out a more rigorous, integrated math curriculum, which first hit the high schools in the fall of 2008 and is scheduled to be fully implemented throughout all grade levels during the 2011-12 school year. It has receive much criticism for its level of rigor, its student-driven philosophy and the elimination of any technical/vocational diploma throughout the state. I offer the following solution to a rapidly growing problem
It is always a struggle and an adjustment to phase out an old curriculum and phase in a new one. We have struggled at our school like most others in the state with the new math curriculum, but teachers at our school and in our system have worked very hard at developing resources to support it. And I do not question that the rigor in the old math curriculum needed to be stepped up a notch or two (or three) in order to properly prepare our students for college and beyond. Which brings me to my point ...
The biggest issue I have is that the state is expecting all high school students to attend college, and therefore, has eliminated the technical/vocational track in the high schools as a result of that mindset. The day all students attend college is the day that a college diploma will not be worth the paper it is printed on. There will always be a percentage of students that are simply not college material that can still become productive members of the work force and support themselves with the proper training. These are the students getting "left behind" (to use government-speak) in the current situation. For those that cannot survive this college-preparatory math curriculum, despite constant tutoring and remediation, there is no where for them to go. It is either college or bust, and bust with no high school diploma is going to result in a lot of students with nothing to contribute to our society. I fear that we are going to be looking at graduation rates dipping into the 50% neighborhood for the class of 2012 (the 1st graduating class with the new curriculum) from what I am seeing.
If these students that simply cannot survive this math curriculum just had another option, I think a lot a potential problems could be solved.
It is always a struggle and an adjustment to phase out an old curriculum and phase in a new one. We have struggled at our school like most others in the state with the new math curriculum, but teachers at our school and in our system have worked very hard at developing resources to support it. And I do not question that the rigor in the old math curriculum needed to be stepped up a notch or two (or three) in order to properly prepare our students for college and beyond. Which brings me to my point ...
The biggest issue I have is that the state is expecting all high school students to attend college, and therefore, has eliminated the technical/vocational track in the high schools as a result of that mindset. The day all students attend college is the day that a college diploma will not be worth the paper it is printed on. There will always be a percentage of students that are simply not college material that can still become productive members of the work force and support themselves with the proper training. These are the students getting "left behind" (to use government-speak) in the current situation. For those that cannot survive this college-preparatory math curriculum, despite constant tutoring and remediation, there is no where for them to go. It is either college or bust, and bust with no high school diploma is going to result in a lot of students with nothing to contribute to our society. I fear that we are going to be looking at graduation rates dipping into the 50% neighborhood for the class of 2012 (the 1st graduating class with the new curriculum) from what I am seeing.
If these students that simply cannot survive this math curriculum just had another option, I think a lot a potential problems could be solved.
What I Take From This Year in College Football
With last night's result in the books and the crystal football heading back to Tuscaloosa, here is my reflection on the 2009 college football season in no particular order ... just as the thoughts come to mind.
The Mountain West absolutely has shown that it is worthy of being part of the BCS. I would not be surprised if some type of lawsuit filed by the conference surfaces against the BCS.
All but one bowl game are nothing more than exhibition games ... that is all.
Did you see the number of empty seats at most every bowl game?
Despite LSU's bowl loss to Penn State, I argue that the three best teams in the country at full strength may have been Alabama, Florida and LSU. Look at it this way ... if you took any other team and asked, "where would they finish in the SEC?" ... I think the answer would be no higher than 4th, behind these three teams.
Speaking of LSU, FINALLY this year, the whole college football world got to see the highly questionable tactics of Les Miles. He has always make bonehead decisions, but in the past they always found a way to turn out OK. The horseshoe finally fell out of his ass this year.
Once again, the Pac-10 conference gets WAY more attention than it deserves.
The ACC gets no attention in football, and quite frankly, doesn't really deserve any. Did ANYONE watch regional coverage games this year pitting the likes of Maryland and Virginia?
I wonder if Iowa could have run the table had Stanzi not gotten hurt.
The Big-10, which I have often grouped with the much overhyped Pac-10, proved to me that it ain't so bad.
Attention Georgia, Michigan, USC and Florida State fans, along with fans of other schools whose teams aren't performing up to expected standards ... RELAX. Things go in cycles and you will be back to a higher status soon. Look at programs like Nebraska and Penn State that had recent dips and appear to be back in the saddle.
Tim Tebow's college career reminds me very much of that of Doug Flutie. Outstanding. Everyone questioned Flutie's pro potential coming out of college as well. He never got a real chance in the NFL (though he excelled in Canada) because he wasn't a prototypical NFL quarterback, but few people know that he won 67% of the games he started in the NFL Dude could PLAY. I'll be interested to see what kind of opportunity Tebow, because he does not fit the NFL mold either.
Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was not even the best player on his own team ... that was linebacker Rolando McClain. What a freak! Ingram just happened to be the feature running back on the best team. Put a number of running backs in his place, including teammate Trent Richardson, and they put up the same numbers as he did. No dis on Ingram, he's very good. But Heisman? Uh, no.
So who should have won the Heisman. There was obviously no clear cut favorite, but I would have voted for Colt McCoy with Suh 2nd.
Michigan looked like it was turning the corner earlier in the season and then couldn't even beat the bottom-dwellers in the Big-10. Thus Michigan is now the new bottom-dweller.
Gee, I hate to see Notre Dame struggle (wink). If Clausen and Tate are indeed going into the NFL draft, Brian Kelly has his work cut out for him next year. If it weren't for those two, ND might not have won 3 games this year.
More on ND. I really think that the Irish are not destined for a return to real elite-program status. Today's kids do not see them as the ticket to the show and don't see South Bend, Indiana as a desirable destination to spend 3 or 4 years. Plus, they do have higher academic standards which will eliminate them from contention for many top recruits. I may be wrong, but I just don't see it.
Lane Kiffin looks as if he will provide much entertainment over the years. But you must admit, Tennessee did improve this year as much as anyone.
I wonder if Paul Johnson's system has reached its ceiling, since Georgia Tech has been manhandled in both bowl games under him. When I say ceiling, I wonder if they will ever be able to seriously contend for a national title. But if you're a Tech, fan, winning a conference championship and getting to a BCS bowl game is a pretty good ceiling. And again, time will tell as he hasn't had a chance yet to run his system with his type of players. He has done it so far with Chan Gailey's recruits, which were recruited to play in an NFL-type of offense. Pretty impressive.
One more Heisman observation ... did anyone really have a better year and prove to be more valuable to his team than Tech QB Josh Nesbitt? Tech fans, imagine this year without him.
I would love to see Joe Paterno win 1,000 games. No one has done it better, longer, with more class. My favorite Paterno story ... I think it was a couple of seasons ago, a couple of his players got in trouble with the law and Paterno made the whole team get up on Sunday mornings after home games and pick up the trash in 108,000 seat Beaver Stadium. His explanation was that his seniors should have policed these younger players and prevented the incident from ever happening.
If Georgia would reinstall discipline in its program, on and off the field, I think it would get back to elite status quickly. I generally like Mark Richt as a person, but I think he has turned Georgia into a Florida State, which of course is where he cut his coaching teeth under Bobby Bowden.
Speaking of Bowden, I have very conflicting feelings about how he was pushed out. On one hand, the university owes all of the recognition it has gained and its football prosperity over the years to him. But, his program has always left the university with a lot of negative publicity. I'm sure it came down to the fact that the program simply hasn't been very successful lately. I was glad to see him win his final game. I felt he deserved that.
College football is all business, no doubt about it. The price of tickets for football games at major D1 schools is beyond outrageous, especially if you factor in the donation required to secure season tickets. But at many, many big-time schools, every seat is filled on Saturdays, even in these tough economic times. That's amazing to me, especially when EVERY game is on TV.
I agree with many analysts that the AD at USC used the O.J. Mayo allegations to throw the basketball program under the bus in order to save the football program from further scrutiny over the Reggie Bush and Joe McKnight investigations.
I really don't have much to see about the Mike Leach situation except he seems like the type of person that would create this type of situation for himself. Kind of an odd duck.
And Urban Meyer ... if he thinks that after this hiatus that he will be able to balance his life better and still continue to coach without stressing out and without putting in endless hours, he is sadly mistaken. It will only take a couple of losses for him to realize that. The Gator Nation will turn on him in a second if they perceive that losses are a result of a lack of commitment to the program on his part.
And finally ... even though I find it utterly ridiculous that determining the "winner" in college football is akin to how it is does in gymnastics, diving and figure skating - based on primarily opinion and perception - I will continue to watch it and follow it. It is pretty darn entertaining.
Peace.
The Mountain West absolutely has shown that it is worthy of being part of the BCS. I would not be surprised if some type of lawsuit filed by the conference surfaces against the BCS.
All but one bowl game are nothing more than exhibition games ... that is all.
Did you see the number of empty seats at most every bowl game?
Despite LSU's bowl loss to Penn State, I argue that the three best teams in the country at full strength may have been Alabama, Florida and LSU. Look at it this way ... if you took any other team and asked, "where would they finish in the SEC?" ... I think the answer would be no higher than 4th, behind these three teams.
Speaking of LSU, FINALLY this year, the whole college football world got to see the highly questionable tactics of Les Miles. He has always make bonehead decisions, but in the past they always found a way to turn out OK. The horseshoe finally fell out of his ass this year.
Once again, the Pac-10 conference gets WAY more attention than it deserves.
The ACC gets no attention in football, and quite frankly, doesn't really deserve any. Did ANYONE watch regional coverage games this year pitting the likes of Maryland and Virginia?
I wonder if Iowa could have run the table had Stanzi not gotten hurt.
The Big-10, which I have often grouped with the much overhyped Pac-10, proved to me that it ain't so bad.
Attention Georgia, Michigan, USC and Florida State fans, along with fans of other schools whose teams aren't performing up to expected standards ... RELAX. Things go in cycles and you will be back to a higher status soon. Look at programs like Nebraska and Penn State that had recent dips and appear to be back in the saddle.
Tim Tebow's college career reminds me very much of that of Doug Flutie. Outstanding. Everyone questioned Flutie's pro potential coming out of college as well. He never got a real chance in the NFL (though he excelled in Canada) because he wasn't a prototypical NFL quarterback, but few people know that he won 67% of the games he started in the NFL Dude could PLAY. I'll be interested to see what kind of opportunity Tebow, because he does not fit the NFL mold either.
Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was not even the best player on his own team ... that was linebacker Rolando McClain. What a freak! Ingram just happened to be the feature running back on the best team. Put a number of running backs in his place, including teammate Trent Richardson, and they put up the same numbers as he did. No dis on Ingram, he's very good. But Heisman? Uh, no.
So who should have won the Heisman. There was obviously no clear cut favorite, but I would have voted for Colt McCoy with Suh 2nd.
Michigan looked like it was turning the corner earlier in the season and then couldn't even beat the bottom-dwellers in the Big-10. Thus Michigan is now the new bottom-dweller.
Gee, I hate to see Notre Dame struggle (wink). If Clausen and Tate are indeed going into the NFL draft, Brian Kelly has his work cut out for him next year. If it weren't for those two, ND might not have won 3 games this year.
More on ND. I really think that the Irish are not destined for a return to real elite-program status. Today's kids do not see them as the ticket to the show and don't see South Bend, Indiana as a desirable destination to spend 3 or 4 years. Plus, they do have higher academic standards which will eliminate them from contention for many top recruits. I may be wrong, but I just don't see it.
Lane Kiffin looks as if he will provide much entertainment over the years. But you must admit, Tennessee did improve this year as much as anyone.
I wonder if Paul Johnson's system has reached its ceiling, since Georgia Tech has been manhandled in both bowl games under him. When I say ceiling, I wonder if they will ever be able to seriously contend for a national title. But if you're a Tech, fan, winning a conference championship and getting to a BCS bowl game is a pretty good ceiling. And again, time will tell as he hasn't had a chance yet to run his system with his type of players. He has done it so far with Chan Gailey's recruits, which were recruited to play in an NFL-type of offense. Pretty impressive.
One more Heisman observation ... did anyone really have a better year and prove to be more valuable to his team than Tech QB Josh Nesbitt? Tech fans, imagine this year without him.
I would love to see Joe Paterno win 1,000 games. No one has done it better, longer, with more class. My favorite Paterno story ... I think it was a couple of seasons ago, a couple of his players got in trouble with the law and Paterno made the whole team get up on Sunday mornings after home games and pick up the trash in 108,000 seat Beaver Stadium. His explanation was that his seniors should have policed these younger players and prevented the incident from ever happening.
If Georgia would reinstall discipline in its program, on and off the field, I think it would get back to elite status quickly. I generally like Mark Richt as a person, but I think he has turned Georgia into a Florida State, which of course is where he cut his coaching teeth under Bobby Bowden.
Speaking of Bowden, I have very conflicting feelings about how he was pushed out. On one hand, the university owes all of the recognition it has gained and its football prosperity over the years to him. But, his program has always left the university with a lot of negative publicity. I'm sure it came down to the fact that the program simply hasn't been very successful lately. I was glad to see him win his final game. I felt he deserved that.
College football is all business, no doubt about it. The price of tickets for football games at major D1 schools is beyond outrageous, especially if you factor in the donation required to secure season tickets. But at many, many big-time schools, every seat is filled on Saturdays, even in these tough economic times. That's amazing to me, especially when EVERY game is on TV.
I agree with many analysts that the AD at USC used the O.J. Mayo allegations to throw the basketball program under the bus in order to save the football program from further scrutiny over the Reggie Bush and Joe McKnight investigations.
I really don't have much to see about the Mike Leach situation except he seems like the type of person that would create this type of situation for himself. Kind of an odd duck.
And Urban Meyer ... if he thinks that after this hiatus that he will be able to balance his life better and still continue to coach without stressing out and without putting in endless hours, he is sadly mistaken. It will only take a couple of losses for him to realize that. The Gator Nation will turn on him in a second if they perceive that losses are a result of a lack of commitment to the program on his part.
And finally ... even though I find it utterly ridiculous that determining the "winner" in college football is akin to how it is does in gymnastics, diving and figure skating - based on primarily opinion and perception - I will continue to watch it and follow it. It is pretty darn entertaining.
Peace.
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