“Why?”…Never in the history of man has there been a more complicated question to answer. How many times when you were a child or now as a parent (or even a teacher without children) have you had to answer those three little letters with such confusion or uncertainty? How many times in those situations did you simply cop out and say, “Because I said so.” Or one of my personal favorites, “Because it is what it is.” If you were like me as a kid then you’d simply answer those answers with another “why?” maybe adding a ‘but’ or an ‘and’ in front of the question just to make it sound as ridiculous as the answer given to you in the first place.
Football in Hillsborough County (especially at the public school level) may be experiencing one of the greatest stretches in its history from a team standpoint. The county is home to 2 current State Champions (Armwood & Plant) along with a state champion only one-year removed (Jefferson), as well as teams that have been mere minutes from playing for a ring as well with Robinson making it to the State Semis in 2010. You can even point to the success of a team like Gaither getting to the Regional Finals this season as being a part of something special as well.
The county is producing 4 and 5-star recruits at a double-digit average nearly into the 20’s now and although you may not philosophically agree with the rankings themselves, you can certainly point to those numbers as a reason that Hillsborough County has seen its name shoot right to the top of recruiters lists of schools that must be hit along their way towards the south to Broward and Dade Counties. Suffice it to say that this county has become a destination for college coaches to get what they need to fulfill their programs needs and in all actuality there’s some that don’t even bother heading farther south. Everything they need is right here.
None of that means anything to the combined 14 programs between this season and last out of 31 that play district football in all classes on the public side of things that have needed to make a change at the main leadership position within their programs. Of those 14, only one is searching for its 2nd HC in as many years (Strawberry Crest). At this time last year, there were eight positions available. Those schools were Tampa Bay Tech, Gaither, East Bay, the aforementioned ‘Crest, Middleton, Alonso, Jefferson and Leto. Currently there are 6 positions open in which none have been filled and only one seems to be highly sought which is Chamberlain. Along with Chambo this year’s crop of schools include: Lennard, Brandon, Riverview, Blake and of course Strawberry Crest.
Schools like Tampa Bay Tech, Gaither and Jefferson can certainly sell themselves and (albeit quietly) programs like East Bay and Alonso were generally regarded as schools with the ability to get things headed the right way quickly with the right person and scheme in place. Those schools were able to continue moving forward and although East Bay finished at 4-6, that was a drastic improvement from their 1-9 mark from the previous season. Alonso faded at the end losing 3 of their last 4, but still finished a remarkable 6-4 up from 3-7 and without the benefit of the best player in their program’s short history (Anthony Chickillo) who moved on to the University of Miami.
Middleton, Leto and Crest’s new HC’s managed to go a combined 1-29 this season and when you throw in the fact that Crest beat Leto (because somebody HAD to win) you very well could have seen those schools go 0-30. This year’s 6 vacancies went a combined 15-46 with Chamberlain joining ‘Crest on the 1-win bandwagon with the lone win coming against a (you guessed it) a winless Wiregrass Ranch team in which SOMEBODY, ANYBODY had to win. Only one of the teams even made it .500 (Brandon), but the Eagles ended up finishing 5-6 after bowing out to TBT in the 1st rd. of the playoffs.
Probably doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that these records certainly justify moving in a different direction, but is it that simple as “moving in another direction” or can you make a case that you might as well ride the horse that carried you to this point because you simply can’t do any better in terms of finding the RIGHT fit to match the bureaucratic red tape that’s currently wrapped tighter than a Burmese Python around its prey?
As you can see already, (or at least I hope so) the question “why?” could potentially have as many different answers as there are schools in the district. There isn’t an easy solution and to paraphrase G. K. Chesterton it isn’t that they cannot see the solution it’s just that “they” are having a hard time seeing the problem. At least that is what’s starting to infiltrate the system from the amount of research and interaction I’ve personally had with coaches from the HC all the way down to the assistant position coaches. If there’s any one word to describe the turnover in this county it would most likely be summarized as “systemic.”
Throughout the course of the research and exchange of emails with coaches (who I’ve given my word to protect their anonymity to prevent any further drama) there have been a few consistent overtones. First, it’s about the money even if they say it’s not. Stipends along with county/school athletic department resources are simply not enough to attract the level of coaching or commitment that is necessary to make a program run like it should in the era of competition in which we’ve entered. The stakes are higher and the emphasis on winning at some schools is absolutely naïve and borderline arrogant when held up to the spotlight with the amount of resources allocated and support given by teachers, administrators, parents and the entire “community” that encompasses the program.
For some, it’s all about the lack of support and administrations not privy to or accepting of the athletic culture on campus along with the lack of emphasis on the additional benefits to extracurricular activities and in particular athletic competition.
For others, it’s about the lack of mentor programs for coaches. Some feel you have to TRAIN THEM just like you would want your backup QB to be trained in case of injury. The assistants must be just as capable as your head coach and the consistency and structure that is nearly mandatory in ALL of our kids lives must be given a chance to well, be consistent good OR bad. How much are we undervaluing staff consistency such as Chamberlain and East Bay who had HC’s for 30 years and 17 years respectively with Chamberlain finishing District Champs or Runners-up 16 times in that span?
Let’s not forget the extraneous demands on coaches’ time because they’re teachers too, not to mention the balance between their time for their teams and their own personal lives devoted to their family, faith, and personal health. Historically coaches have been PE, Social Studies and Electives such as Health, or Drivers Ed or Weightlifting, but some that are in core subjects are overwhelmingly bogged with FCAT demands.
This aspect CANNOT be understated any longer. The fact that many coaches are required to be teachers on campus basically guarantees they are already stretched thin before they even blow the whistle for practice in August. We may have more questions than answers when it’s all said and done, but the bottom line is it’s about a lot of things and simply throwing money at the situation will not solve anything. Although it would be nice, it’s still putting a tuxedo on a pig as I like to say. At the end of the day all you have is a well-dressed pig. You haven’t “fixed” anything unless you’ve been allowed to make the hire that’s best for your program…and then be able to take care of that hire.
Is it as simple as hiring within? Is it beneficial to have an *insert name here* guy? Or does it even make a difference? Just because that coach is an alumnus or is familiar with the kids from their youth leagues does that guarantee a winning tradition? Nowadays the philosophy of hiring what you NEED, not who you WANT isn’t allowed to come to fruition unless you can grease more wheels than an Amtrak Locomotive and meet a checklist that resembles more fate than sound human resource principles.
Demographics such as geographical location, socioeconomic status, student academic performance, school grades AND eligibility requirements can be obvious landmines or can be blessings in disguise depending on the school, but that’s also a situation where a coach has to become a walking example of ‘caveat emptor’ which is translated from the Latin phrase for “buyer beware.” The coach must be aware of what he’s getting himself into and the administration cannot spend its entire time trying to undermine the purpose once they’ve made their decision.
It may sound simplistic, but to paraphrase it as one coach told me, if you’re not “their guy” and didn’t get hired from within the circle, then you’re going to spend EVERY single waking moment on that campus fighting over the simplest of things. Tell me, how does that benefit anyone whether you’re part of an administration that cannot stand having a football team or not? Even more poignantly, WHY even bother having a team that you’re not willing to outwardly support? WHY not blow the whole thing up and tell the kids to go somewhere else?
I’m being serious. WHY provide the service or the opportunity to play if you’re going to basically railroad the program from behind-the-scenes? It starts at the office downtown and works its way downhill just like you-know-what. That’s actually a personal and moral issue, but I’d rather not go there with that line of thinking. Maybe at another point in time or as an offshoot of this research, but for now that gets filed under time and place.
Keeping that in the back of the mind however, how much of it is political vs. philosophical? What’s the difference? I guess that’s depending on WHO is answering that question. Culture and communal aspects as well play a role because there has to be a “culture of winning” as it is often referred to. There cannot be supporters that sit on the fence nor can parents (or teachers for that matter) with alternative agendas be allowed to infiltrate the program. That may too sound naïve in its own regard, but it’s absolutely paramount to some coaches.
Although impossible in nature to have all of your folks on the same wavelength, it IS possible to make it very clear to some that dissention is no longer going to be tolerated. After all, these very same coaches that demand excellence on the field are most likely asking for that same effort in their classrooms…or at least we would hope so correct? Are they actually set up for failure? You can’t control redistricting, but being FORCED to schedule teams by your county’s AD accomplishes what?
All of these things can certainly be discussed, but where is the action? We are not the only county to spend more time talking about things than actually doing. There are other counties in worse shape than we are, but the research and the feedback I’m getting suggests that it is simply a piss-poor approach to continue going the direction in which we are headed. Coaches are no longer coaching for the most part, they’re babysitting. They’re tired and literally working for free once you’ve totaled up hours committed, yet we get offended when they fly off the handle or bend rules to get kids into situations that are solely benefitting the immediate needs of their programs and may end up hurting not helping the program in the end. What else do you want them to do?
We are asking, better yet DEMANDING that our kids be taught right from wrong, the principles of teamwork, the opportunity to represent our community in its proper fashion and so forth, but what sort of foundation are we really working with? The coaches I’ve communicated with certainly convey that they cannot perform miracles. Which is essentially what some have already done which kind of screws it up for the rest of the county but who is “supposed” to be doing that to begin with? Last time I checked, most of these men have children of their own. They’ve got responsibilities to meet. How about giving them a fighting chance? WHY would you not?
*Tomorrow’s piece will dive deeper into some of the numbers that play a major factor from finances to state and district academic philosophies that outwardly effect the health of an athletic program and football in particular that would otherwise go unnoticed to the lay person. I would like to take a quick second to convey my sincerest appreciation to those that have helped via their input. You know who you are. After all, this is about helping you, certainly not hurting you. That’s my word.*