How We Went 133-35 in Football

This is a tough blog post to write. Why is it tough? Well, because it is about the closing of a major chapter in my life.

I have decided to retire from coaching middle school football (at least for now). That might not seem like a big deal to you, but it is to me.

I am a coach's son. My dad coached football and wrestling for over 30 years in Oklahoma. I literally grew up in locker rooms, on the field, and in gymnasiums. These places feel like home to me.

Twelve years ago I started my middle school football coaching career and it's been pretty awesome. I have been Blessed to coach with incredible coaches that are also my best friends. I have had the honor to train great athletes and build some excellent teams. I've also worked under supportive administrators that helped me to grow as a coach and person.

I won't get all mushy in this blog post, because I could on this topic.

What I will share are some ideas and actions that have allowed my teams to accumulate an overall record of 133-35 in 12 years (this is A team and B team combined).

1. Passion- People don't care what you know until they know that you care. My coaching staff cares about our athletes and our athletes know it. If you want to push your athletes toward greatness and get them to respond positively, then you better care about them. 

2. Develop a Purpose- Why are we coaching this team? What are our goals this season as a team for the individuals on the team? As a coaching staff we show up everyday to win. I like to win, it's fun. Losing is not fun and it is not motivating. But you may not win everything everyday and this is a life lesson. Therefore we must have a purpose deeper than just winning games. 

3. Everything is on purpose- Why waist time? Practice planning, game planning, game execution, etc. Every facet of the game has been broken down and the most efficient plans put into place.

4. Think outside the box- This is a passion of mine. Those who have been around my football program or wrestling program know that I not only think outside the box, but that the box doesn't exist. This isn't done just to do it. As a coaching staff, we have been flexible and looked for ways to succeed that might not be listed under the norm. I love coaches like Chip Kelly, Mike Leach, and Kevin Kelley. These guys are not afraid to break the mold and get creative.
Most coaches coach how they were coached. They do what their coaches did and don't stray far off that pathway. This is fine if your coach or maybe your coaching mentor was awesome. If this is the case, take their awesomeness and implement it into your program. Believe me, I take what I have learned from great coaches and run with it. No need to totally reinvent the wheel in every area. But football, like all sports, is dynamic. The game changes, the kids change, and coaches must therefore change. By the way, I'm not saying to abandon basics, but maybe re-think how you teach them. 

5. Be flexible- Being flexible is related to thinking outside the box in my mind. Each season we run a little different offense and defense than the season before. Why would we do something crazy like that? It's simple, each team has different kids with different skills. 
We may run a system real close to the season before, but we always make the necessary adjustments in order to bring out the best in each team, each season.

6. Keep it simple- Sports in general are complex activities. Football is a sport that is complex and often made more complex than it needs to be. Our coaching staff has tried to take this ultra complex sport and figure out ways to teach it so that kids can "get it". We do not cut corners as I believe details are vital. Details can take a player from average to good, good to great, and great to exceptional! But, how you teach and implement the details doesn't have to be super complex.
About 6 years ago we developed a simple system of hand signals for our offense and defense. This is not a novel idea, but we are the first middle school to do this in our area (and our area has good football). These signals allow us to run a no huddle offense and defense. We can therefore play with speed, like the big boys do.
These hand signals look complicated to the untrained eye, but they really are simple. We can use the hand signals for any offense or defense that we chose to implement in a season. Oh yeah, we don't have a playbook either. We have hand signal sheets. Once you learn the system, the playbook is literally endless. The coaches are the ones that have to think fast in this system, allowing the athletes to slow down their game mentally. 

7. Keep it fun- Football season can get long, drawn out, and beat you up. That's why we work super hard, but also have fun. Each week we add new plays to keep our athletes minds stimulated. Some of these plays are crazy too. I love a good trick play! I know our opposing coaches work on defending some of the plays we "trick" them with each season. You can hear them yelling it during the game. 
We have run a few so tricky that even the officials had no idea where the ball was until we started yelling Go, Go, Go as our player ran through open space and into the end zone! I have a huge smile on my face right now just thinking about it, oh so Sweet!
We also scrimmage a lot during practice. Nothing allows a young player to learn better than drills and then getting to use their new skills. This allows us coaches to make adjustments and take advantage of teaching opportunities during practice too. Again, this is fun for the athletes and fun for us coaches.

8. High expectations- We walk into every season expecting to go 7-0 on both the A and B team (14-0 that season). It doesn't always happen, but we expect it to and this helps build a great culture. Our players know from day 1 that they will work hard, be pushed to their limits, compete every single practice, and also become students of the game.
Setting high expectations has allowed us to take many teams and play above their actual skill level. It has allowed us to teach the players about heart, grit, and mental toughness. It has allowed us coaches to be encouragers and believe in our players until they believed in themselves.

9. Real life application- All sports should relate to life. When we coach our football players, we strive to teach them as much about the game as we can in a 9 or 10 week season. We also strive to teach them lessons through football that relate to real life. We strive to teach lessons like the following list:  value in team work, personal responsibility, hard work, grit, having fun, being your brothers keeper, Taking Care Of Business, and love. 
Nine or ten weeks may not be that long, but I'm willing to bet that in 9 or 10 weeks we have changed some lives for the better!

10. The Stud- One good running back at the middle school level can win most games for you or kick your butt.  The game is about more than just one good player, but I'm telling you from experience... One good running back is a game changer. 

Well, that's about it for this blog post. I didn't sit and compile this list for days, weeks, months, or years. I sat down here and started typing and these 10 areas came to mind. You see, I can't squeeze 12 years of coaching football into a blog post. All the lessons learned, the good, the bad, etc. I can't fit in all the information about players that I love, big plays and games that I remember, or all the great times I've had coaching with my buddies. 

But, maybe these 10 ideas will somehow help you or at least let you step into the world of this middle school football coach for a brief moment.

Below are some stats I'm proud of during my football coaching tenure. These stats don't reflect my coaching genius, but that of a great coaching staff, great athletes, and lots of love!

• Overall 12 year football coaching record (both A and B teams): 133-35
• 3 undefeated seasons on A team and 6 undefeated B teams 
• Most points scored in a season with the least allowed (A team stats only): 240 points scored and 38 points given up (2013). In 2010 we scored 240 and gave up 42, still pretty Awesome!
• Greatest disparity: 208 scored and only 6 points allowed in a season (in 2004 when I coached at Jardine MS in Topeka)

Stats are fun to look at, but they are just stats. It's the people that making coaching fun and worthwhile.

I can say that I have put my heart into coaching football and loved it. There have been ups and downs while coaching, but that's sports (and also life). 

I want to say thank you and give some shout outs:

Thank You to my wife Laurie for always being there for me. You have allowed me to spend time away from home for practice and games for 12 years. You have allowed me to study film, watch Saturday college football and study (yes, every game is a study session for me), and spend countless hours drawing up plays. Most important, you have been there to listen to my joy and frustrations throughout this coaching experience. I love you and am grateful for all you do.

Thank you to the awesome guys I have coached with: Jeff Albers, Jason Brown, Carvel Reynoldson, Pat Buchanan, Chad Brown, and Robert Daniels. Coaching football with you guys has been a real blessing in my life. I have become a better coach and a better man because of working with each of you. You guys do more good for our youth than anyone will ever know. 

Thank you to my dad for helping me learn the game of football and also how to coach. Your influence is greater than words can state. My passion for coaching started by watching you coach. 

Thank You to Coach Robert Gonzales for helping me get the job at Shawnee Heights many years ago (even though it feels like yesterday). You are one of my best friends and a rock in my life!

Thank you to my middle school AD's: Brad Mickens and Brad Synder. I appreciate your guidance, support, and backing during my time as  a football coach.

Thank you to Coach Jason Swift for running Summer camps, Summer weights, and for supporting the middle school football program. You have always given me sage advice when I've asked for help. 

Thank You to every athlete I've coached on the football field. You are the reason I coach and love it. Watching each of you grow into young men is Awesome. I was not only your coach, but also your biggest fan!

Thank You to all the parents that invested time into our teams and into your athletes. You are the foundation for these players and I appreciate you allowing me to build upon it. 

For those of you wanting to know specifics on my offenses, too bad. Coach Brown will still be running them with great success. I may also coach football again someday and will put some beat downs on people with the offenses that we implement! So that information is still top secret people!

God Bless,

Coach P

P.S. I'm still coaching Wrestling, so no worries to all my wrestling peeps!