Reflections of a Coach

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.