Building a Program

As a new head coach in a program that has struggled for 10 years, I think often about program building. You know, the little things you do to increase your chances of being good year after year. Over the past year, I worked so hard on building strength and raising excitement around the program that I began to feel very good about what I was doing. I really felt like I was caring for the well being of our football community as a whole. However, I was not giving enough time and attention to the youth football community.
I was most harshly reminded of this in the spring when I went to visit a friend of mine at Joliet Township High School (JT). Jason Aubry had set up a free football clinic for his youth football coaches. An idea I thought genius, and the turnout was great. He had coaches in attendance from all 3 youth programs. Jason took over the program there at JT 3 years ago and since has won just 4 games. The toll of losing has left my dear friend tired, yet he continues on his path of good practices, and I am confident (as is he) that his hard work will indeed payoff with wins.
JT had won just 21 games in the 10 years prior to Aubry's arrival and the school plays in one of the toughest public school conferences in the state of Illinois. Many labeled Jason as crazy for even dreaming of taking this job. But the draw of achieving the impossible is exactly what drew Jason to it. It was a group of kids that the entire state had given up on, and Jason was determined to love and care for this program like noone had before.
When I visited this spring I witnessed this first hand. Coach Aubry's entire focus is on CARING for this team. Building young men with character and winning attitudes. Instilling a great work ethic and convincing these young men that they are worth caring for. That they matter.
Very little of Coach Aubry's clinic that day was on X's and O's. It was a morning of building believers out of the youth coaches. By the time they left that day, they were convinced that success was coming to Joliet Township Football. Heck, I was (am) convinced that success is on its way. This is a group of young men working hard, learning the game, and becoming a TEAM. Though I don't claim to know much about coaching, I do know that this is a formula for success.
And that's exactly what Coach Aubry wanted to achieve. He wanted to make a believer out of everyone in that room. If your youth coaches believe these kids are set up for success, the kids will believe it, too. How could I have thought to talk to the kids and forgotten to talk to their coaches? How ignorant of me to think that I'm the only football coach in my community that has an impact on the thoughts and attitudes of his players.
From many of these video shoots I learn X's and O's, from others I pick up program ideas, but from this one I gained wisdom... and a t-shirt.