Everything we do is secondary to how we make the kids feel.
“You want to learn about the quality of a Coach?
Tenure, social perception (deception), imagery, nor ‘compliments’ from their colleagues will paint the picture for you.
How their athletes (& parents), who they interact with daily, talk about them will tell you everything you need to know.”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
Ever since I was a young boy I understood the value of a Coach, and yes, I was the son of two of them, but I only think that contributed to my understanding.
Growing up, I was hardwired to always pay attention to coaches. How did they act? How did they carry themselves when things were good? What about when they weren’t so good?
I affirmed what I believed to be true about Coaching firsthand during my senior year of HS Football.
My first 3 years of HS Football were less than stellar, we had good players, but the culture of the team was subpar. Something was off
It felt like we were playing an outdated brand of football and the coaching style didn’t resonate with the modern athlete.
And then my senior year. Holy s*it.
Chip Lindsey (Current UNC OC) came in from Hoover HS and after that first team meeting, we instantly knew things were going to be different.
And boy did he deliver.
He came in and installed the first Tony Franklin style, high speed, spread ‘em out and sling it offense in the state of Georgia. “Basketball on grass” and “NASCAR” were just a couple of names we called it.
He took that team, that for years was averaging <5 wins a season, and in his first year led us to a 9-win season and the first ever playoff win in the school’s history.
He broke every record in the state the year after, changed the landscape of High School Football in America, and then was deservingly poached from our school by the college game.
This taught me so much not only about the importance of a great X’s and O’s Coach, but the importance of a quality man. A real Coach.
See he delivered in the Win column, but where he delivered even further was in the service of his players department. You couldn’t find anybody to say a bad word about him if you tried.
Beyond his offensive genius, he loved us. He made it very apparent.
The next Coach who came in tried to be a carbon copy of Chip from an X’s & O’s standpoint. The problem was, he didn’t know Chip’s real secret: Love.
How they talk about you is the ultimate litmus test.
