JOURNAL SPORTS
Head football coaches, especially on the high school level, have plenty to do. Some of it actually involves coaching football.
They got into the profession eager to develop players, mentor young men, draw up prolific offenses, dial up dynamic defenses, and lead teams to championships. Those are still primary objectives, but as assistant coaches become head coaches, they discover there’s so much more to do that is not in the job description.
All educators shoulder an important role that continues to expand – mentoring their students and being responsive to each youngster’s particular needs. The coach-player relationship is especially deep because of the amount of time the students are spending In practice and meetings, let alone traveling to games and playing games, being guided by their coaches.
This week’s Shreveport-Bossier Journal Coaches Roundtable topic addresses what head coaches really do, far past breaking down videotape, drawing up game plans, coaching the assistant coaches and setting a tone for the program – along with being a focal figure at the school.
Bet you didn’t realize coaches ….
De’Aumante Johnson, Southwood (in his second head coaching role, previously at Bossier): “I honestly don’t think there’s a lot of surprises when it comes to being a head coach in this area. A lot of people know that we have to do it all, and you accept that. I do mow (the practice field) three times a week, which is very peaceful and relaxing.”
Jerry Byrd Jr., Plain Dealing (also a veteran head coach at other schools): “Creating a full-color game program which highlights not only the football team, but also the spirit groups – and creating and distributing an ad form to offset the cost.”
Jeremy Wilburn, Captain Shreve: “One comes to mind right away – doing laundry. Very few fans/parents think about these components of our jobs. I would put our staff up against any laundromat crew when it comes to turning around our players’ clothes!
“On an average day we are collecting, washing, drying and distributing around 300+ individual wash straps for players.”
Stacy Ballew, Byrd: “You gotta cut grass. Lunch duty is a chore. You gotta deal with salesmen – everybody wants you to buy their product so they can get some of your money.
“You gotta do laundry. We played a mud game down in Pineville years and years ago, and we were visitors. We had the jerseys in trash cans, soaking in soap and water, about four of us in the showers, with paddles and yardsticks, anything we could find, trying to get the mud out of those white jerseys, holding them up against the shower heads. You had to do that before you washed and dried them.
“You ever been to a crawfish farm? That’s what it smelled like. It was so muddy one of the coaches lost a shoe on the sideline – couldn’t find it.
“Painting the field – nowadays, a lot of places have turf, but we have a little half-grass practice field we do paint. Some schools still play on grass. A lot of these young coaches don’t know how to paint a field. They don’t know not to wear your good white jerseys for a road game that’s gonna be muddy.
“One time there was a rain game and Benton wore their practice jerseys, instead of their white game uniforms. Mitch Downey was one smart coach.
“You’ve gotta take kids home, pick them up. You’ve got to counsel kids through every aspect of life. You really need a pastor in some schools. It’s tough for these kids to cope with real life situations – a parent who’s really sick, or bad stuff that happens in their neighborhood, or even to family members. It is life, and sometimes, death. These kids need us more than ever. It’s not for the faint of heart.
“Everybody thinks you can solve all the problems, and you wish you could. You just do the best you can for those kids.”