October 3, 2024 • 46 mins
This week the coaches guest is former NFL QB and current Sayre coach Chad Pennington.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Coach David Buchanan coach Chuck Smith, two legendary high school
football coaches. This is the Coach's Office, a behind the
(00:34):
scenes look at Kentucky high school football.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Welcome to the Coach's Office, behind the Scenes with Chuck
Smith and David Buchanan. This is season three, episode seven.
I'm Chuck Smith. I'm joined by Go Hoos, David Buchanan,
podcast editor, flashback storyteller Mike Yokum, and our social media
manager is Noah King. Our YouTube version, our YouTube version
(01:05):
of this podcast is at tacopt dot C, dot O,
dot P and if you access it there then hit
like and subscribe. It helps us out if you would
do that, We got it. We're very, very excited about
our show. It's a great show tonight. Our guest coach
is a former NFL quarterback, Chad Pennington. He's now the
(01:29):
head football coach of Sayer High School in Lexington, Kentucky.
He actually started this Sayre football program, and we'll bring
coach Pennington on here just shortly. Our tough topic is
the question is already outfalled in the NFL and the
NCAA should bull in the ring? Oklahoma Drill and Board
(01:52):
drills be made illegal at the high school level. And
that's a good question and I'm exious to hear your
your response to that, David. And then the games of
the week this week are Hark County versus A Dare
County and rock Castle versus Bell County. So two pretty
good games and we'll have some comments and some feedback
(02:16):
on those games. Now, a little bit about Chad before
we bring him on. Chad Pennington, as I said, he's
the head football coach of Saya High School out of Lexington, Kentucky.
He started the program in twenty eighteen. They he played
in the NFL for eleven seasons. He was a first
round draft pick out of Marshall High School. Well, we've
(02:39):
got a lot of Marshall guys coaching in Kentucky, now,
don't we. I mean it's like every week we got
a Marshall guy and win it and they're winning. Now,
they must know something right there, right Anyway, He played
for the New York Jets and also later played for
the Miami Dolphins. He was the NFL come Back Player
(03:00):
of the Year in two thousand and six and also
in two thousand and eight. Pretty good accomplishments. He brings
a great deal of playing experience and knowledge to the
SARA student athletes. David, you want to bring.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Chad on and I'm excited to have him here. Give
him a little commercial or Coach Pennington has an Arc
and Page quarterback receiver camp every spring and it's excellent.
I've been fortunate to get work with him and then
his quarterback coach from the Dolphins, who I think you
played against him. His name's David Lee, played at quarterback
(03:35):
at Vanderbilt. But Chad does a great job. And Coach Pennington,
we're very excited to have you. Thanks for joining us tonight.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Absolutely, thank you guys for having me. Yeah, and Chad,
I'll get it started right here. Coach Pennington, you started
the Sayer program. What are some of the biggest challenges
that you've had to overcome to get the program where
it is today?
Speaker 4 (04:00):
Yeah, Coach, I think it's two things. Number One, you know,
I started the program. I grew up on a Friday
night bus.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
My dad was a high school football coach for thirty years,
and so I.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Really had a chance to see the impact he was
able to make in young men's lives and was drawn
to that.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And then I was also I've also been passionate.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
About the student athlete experience and how to bring the
student in the classroom together with the athlete on the
field or in the arena, and how to make that work.
I just think it's such a unique experience to be
a student athlete, and so that's why we started this program.
And I think my two biggest challenges at SAYA, and
we all have challenges no matter what program you're coaching.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
At Number one was to get a weight program started.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
When you don't have football to school, there's really not
that necessity for a weight program, and really teaching your
athletes and student athletes how to train their bodies. With
football being a contact sport, you've got to do that.
And so that was our first challenge, to really really
gain consistency in that area and really putting that to
(05:04):
the forefront of our guys understanding how important it was
to train. Number two, interestingly enough, say it does such
a great job academically where the student athlete that they're
taught to really own their own education and it's really individualized. However,
when you play a team sport, you've got to understand
how to work within a team concept. And so those
(05:27):
are some of the things that I had to break through. Like,
for instance, when we would work out as a team,
you know, a guy would.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Finish his lift and then go the next one. I
might know that we work in groups.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
You got to spot, you got to clean up, you know,
you got to take care of your brothers, so to speak.
So that's been a really interesting dynamic to break that mold.
But it's also been good because they can get that
individual stuff in the classroom and then come to me
and let's learn how to work as a team, be
accountable and responsible to each other. So it's worked it's
worked out nicely.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Well. That was quite an experience. You really kind of
started from literally from scratch in terms of teaching the
kids what football is all about one hundred percent. I
mean our first year we played a split schedule.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
We rented lights, I mean the game field to say
or where they played soccer and lacrosse that there were
no lights, There were no bleachers, no press box, no scoreboard,
none of that. And over the last seven years, our
parents in our school is we've raised over a million
bucks together through multiple resources to provide that Friday night
light experience. And you guys know as well as I do.
(06:29):
There's just something about Friday night lights and football that
can bring a community and school community together and really
promote our other sports too. That's one thing we really
try to do, is football program, is be the pioneer
in helping our other sports. So if we're getting lockers,
let's get everybody lockers. If we're doing something on the
game field that's going to help five to six varsity
sports to renovate the game field, So anything we're doing,
(06:52):
we want to make sure we're uplifting those other sports
as well.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Pretty cool, that's good stuff.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Well, hey, you know, Chad, are hearing you tell you
this that you cam uh, you've been adamant that we're
going to see a return to under center offensive football.
Can you explain why you predicted that's going to happen?
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Well, when you when you watch the game over the
years and what's the history of the game, you do
see cycles, things coming in and out and things going
you know, becoming in vogue and then going out of vogue,
so to speak. And so I just think playing underneath
center still adds another element that makes a little bit
more difficult for the defense, especially when you're talking about, uh,
(07:32):
the play action game, the bootleg game, and so.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
It's gonna be interesting to see it.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
And as you watch the NFL, you know, you see
the fullback starting to come back into the mix a
little bit where that was not, uh you know, part
of the solution for a while. So the fullback starting
to come back. And with the fullback starting to come
back in, I think you don't see a mixture of
the teams getting up under center. I just think it
provides a different dynamic that the defense has to, uh,
(07:58):
you know, worry about. I grew up in the te
offense in high school and that's where I learned my
ball handling and my fakes and all of.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
That, how to hide the football, my mess fakes.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
And things like that, which really helped me in college
and pros to be able to understand that to manipulate
the defense, especially in playes. And so I think football
goes in cycles, and I think we'll see it starts
to come back.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
That's a good point. Hey, would you agree with this
statement that it's easier to attack the A gaps from
under center than it is in a shotgun?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Possibly?
Speaker 4 (08:32):
I do know as far as your quick hitters and
your traps and things like that, and adding all those
little bells and whistles to it, it certainly.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Can can be an advantage, you know, when you're running
your trap down.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
You know, growing up into wing t it was always
trap sweet boot, trap sweet boot right, and then it
went to jet sweet trap boot, and so it can
certainly be that way, especially if you're trying to hit
it up in there fast now with your RPO game
and you read option game. Obviously you can't do that
under center, and you know that's one of the things
that teams are really trying to do is find ways
(09:03):
to put defensive players in conflict because they're so dagon
athletic and they can run and do those things, so
that that element of the game, you know, would be
taken out if you're doing more under center. But at
the same time, I just think the more multiple an
offense can be and provide some saneness in their looks,
but then give the defense four to five different things
(09:24):
to think about, that calls into place a little bit
slower because if they only have to think about one
or two things, man, they're gonna be all over you.
And it's very hard as an offense to execute. Yeah,
that's good stuff.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Hey Chad, did you play for your dad in high school?
You know what I did not.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
We made the decision, you know, And one of the
reasons I'm at saying it reminded me of my experience
at Web School of Knoxville, a private school in Knoxville.
That I was fortunate. I grew up in public school
all the way through eighth grade. You know, I had
a chance to go to Web School as I stayed
back in eighth grade and had a chance to go
to Web School, and then I liked it so much.
Their mom and dad worked camps and second jobs to
(10:03):
help pay for tuition. But we decided that, you know,
when I went into high school, that we would not
do that and I would not come back and play
out his team.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
So what he did was he stepped down from.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Varsity started coaching freshman ball, so he come watch us
play on Fridays, and we just felt like that was
the right thing for us to do. Now for my
three boys, I've really enjoyed coaching my boys, I really have.
It's just something that's unique about it and watching them
go through this experience and be a pioneer. You know,
starting a football program, which is hard to do in
(10:33):
today's age, and so to what's them grow and mature
and have fun with their buddies on on the on
the grid iron has been a lot of fun for me. Yeah,
David and I both did that, coached our sons.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
It is a unique experience of we both had real
positive experiences with that. Yeah, yeah, I definitely have.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
And I didn't know what to think when I first
got into it, you know, such that fine line of
being hard on your kid but then also being fair
and coaching everybod the way you want everybody to be coached.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
And they've handled it relatively well.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
One day, my fullback said to Trish were in the huddle.
He said, Man, I'm glad I'm not you.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Hey, Chad. My next question is how have you used
your highly successful playing career to help you coach, you know,
the high school kids at Sara. Yeah. You know, I
was fortunate.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
I had five offense coordinators in college, and then I
had four in the pros uh, And I was around
a lot of really good technicians and fundamental coaches, and
so number one, I really try to lean upon that
fundamental base that I was taught you know, I was
(11:44):
in the West Coast system, I was in the Don
Coriel system. I was in the Bill Parcell system, as
well as a few systems in college. And so number one,
having that exposure to that many minds around the game
really broadened my horizons.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
On how to look at the game. And you know,
I'm a huge.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Note taker, so I've got all my notes from all
those guys and use that as my library to go
back and look at things.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
And so that's one.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
Also, you know, being around my dad and watching how
he coached and being.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
In those coach of meetings when I was eight nine
years old and.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
Fall asleep to the sixteen millimeter film. You know, it's
that helped me too from a relationship standpoint and understanding
how important relationships are within the game of football. It's
a people business, it's a people game. But then also
understanding how to use the game of football to help
develop young men. I just think game of football is
(12:37):
unique in the fact that it provides different challenges for
our young men to go through, either as an individual
or together as a group. There are such great life
lessons and so I really wanted to dive into that too.
When we were building this program to use this as
a platform for the next chapter in their lives all
(12:59):
of us. The ball stopped spinning for all of us, right,
even Tom Brady, he couldn't play anymore.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Father time finally got him.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
And so to me, the goal is, Okay, what can
football do for you after you're done playing and making
sure that it's not who you are, it's only what
you did, and what did you take away from the
game to help you.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
In the next chapter of your life. Yeah, that's pretty cool.
That was really that was a great answer. Hey, do
you do your kids there? Do they google you?
Speaker 5 (13:25):
No?
Speaker 2 (13:28):
I'll tell you a funny story.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
My middle son when he was about I'll shoot I
would say, ten years old, and we're outside. I've got
one of those quarterback nets and we're throwing into it
and I'm hitting the targets and he looks at me.
Speaker 6 (13:40):
He's like that you hit that target pretty good. I'm like, yes,
that's what I did. I better be able to hit
that target pretty good. So, you know, it's interesting.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Uh, they they know, but at the same time, I'm
still just goofy dad, right, And so there's a fine
line there, But you know, they have obviously talked a
little bit about it and talk about my Marshall experience
and my pro experience.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
And for Cole and Luke, they were able to experience
a little bit of.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
That, you know, in their younger years, going to games
and being around that.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
So but it's always it's always fun to talk about, Hey,
what brought you to Lexington.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
Yeah, you know, everybody always asked that question. So I'm
from Knoxville and my wife from West Virginia. We both
went to Marshall and so I used to drive through
Lexington going back from Knoxville back up to Huntington, going
back and forth.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
From home to school.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
And so at the end of our career, you know,
we started to kind of think, Okay, where do we
want to live. We've been a thousand miles away from
home for basically twelve years, and we wanted to kind
of get closer to home, be closer to Marshall, but
still kind of have our independence and space, if you will,
have good medical have good schools, and so Lexington kind
of kept answering all those questions, and so it was
(14:52):
really weird because you know, I'd always been told, Okay,
here's where you're going, Just where you're going to live.
Just make it work, and then all of a sudden,
we've got to make that decision our else it kind
of it was a little uncomfortable because we had.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
To take a leap of faith and and do.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
A little research and then just you know, believe that
the things will happen, you know, and going in good directs,
and they have.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
We have really enjoyed Central Kentucky.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
People around here have been phenomenal, and so we have
been really pleased with our decisions.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Yeah, it's really nice. It's a nice town. Ahead, it's
a good place. Ay.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
So, uh, hey, my lad, I've got another football question.
And uh, and I may not be seeing it how
you're seeing it, but uh, is man coverage becoming more
common at all levels of football? And if so, how
do you see that trend impacting offensive football going forward?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
You know, that's an interesting question. You know, I think.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
I would say yes and no, I would say because
you know, the thing about man is that you know,
if you don't have the right matchup, you get toasted
real fast, you know what I'm saying. And so if
there Jimmy is better than your Joe, it's not a
good thing, right.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
And so Aschel, are you saying that I'm seeing more
man because the other guys got pretty good personnel.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
You may you may like that.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
That's like you need to have the right personnel for that.
Here's what I think. I think in high school, to
be honest, the more zone you can present a high
school quarterback to make him work through a read, I
think the more success you'll have on defense, you'll get
a couple opportunities. Whereas if you're in man all the time,
all he's got to do is find that one matchup
(16:35):
and you've made you He hasn't had to think at all, right,
And so that's that's one of the things. And that's
also like I remember talking to Mike Nolan when he
was our coordinator at the Dolphins, and what he wanted
to do speaking of that is he wanted to stay
in a two all as he could because he knew
once he got the free safety post safety football, the
(16:55):
quarterback knows, I'm one on one outside period, I can
find that matchup and go. So a lot of times
in his blitz schemes, he believed in two shell blitz
schemes are holding that look as long as he could
to create more hesitancy with the quarterback. And I think
as a defensive coordinator, it's not you against the offense
coordinator to you against the quarterback. And so especially with
(17:16):
the passing schemes, and so the more thoughts you can
put in that quarterback's head post snap, the more success
you're gonna have as a defense, the more he can eliminate.
For me, be playing quarterbacks all about a process of elimination,
and the more that I can eliminate before the snap,
the better chance of success I have because I'm going
(17:38):
to be more decisive, my thought process is more simple, and.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I'm gonna get the ball out. And so I think,
you know, for teams that are playing.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
More man either one, they're just better than their opponent
and they have the guys that can do it. And
then sometimes you see guys who may not know exactly
what zone football should look like and how to coach that,
so they just jump in the man when really don't
have any businessmen in the man. So I would say
it's it's it kind of goes along with what the
coordinator wants to do as well as what your personnel is.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Very be careful on that.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
The other thing, the last thing I would add to
that is, I know, as I look at defense, and
I love coaching defense even as a quarterback. I just
I love watching it and seeing it from an offensive
perspective and then helping our defensive guys with it.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Is that your corners kind of take them out of
the run game when they're a man a.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
Lot right because they're they're getting run off, they're not
involved in the contained and coming up and making plays.
And so a lot of times zone can help you
in the run game as well. When you're playing zone.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Defense, that gets all eleven of them seeing the ball
and then they run exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
So as a really good answer, and.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
That was good, Thank you very good.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Can I have another question before you get off here?
Is you know you coming off of a twelve and
one season last year. I think you made the third
round and I think that single A might be down
with the two hire houses that have dominated pike Pool
and Raceland. Do you think, well, you think you think
y'all could be in the conversation, maybe make a run.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Well, I think it's I think that this is a
year where you know, you still got to respect those guys.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
I mean, yeah, you Chris and Mike they.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
Do a great job, but it certainly is a year
now that COVID has kind of worked its way through
and some of the reclasses have moved forward and it's
kind of eating itself out just a little bit. Dell's
doing a great job in Campbellsville, Matt always does a
great job at cac D, and then Newport Central Catholic
has always got a great team. So it's gonna be interesting,
(19:46):
you know, and we feel like, you know, we've got
some work to do. We've got to improve in some
certain areas to be able to play and match those guys.
Typically when you play an easter contact a team got
be able to stop the run, gotta be physical upfront,
all those different things. But we certainly feel like we
do have some skill power to give people problems, uh,
you know, and in our passing game to be able
to stretch.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
The field a little bit.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
So we feel good about our progress, but we know
we got a long way to go, you know, to
be able to quote have a chance to make a
run like that.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
So that's kind of our goal right now.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
You know, last year we were we lost four of
our five guys up front, so this year it's been
a real challenge to develop those guys up front and
bring those guys along and have a you know, because
that's where the game is going to be one is
in the trenches.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
We know that, and so we've got.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
To be able to do that, especially when you face
those top five single eight teams for sure.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Yeah, well, good luck to you.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Well, thank you so much. I appreciate you guys having
You're a wonderful guest. And uh, hey, we're we're glad
you're in. We're big Kentucky high school football guys. We
love it and it's definitely better because you're here. We're
really glad you're here. Chad, thank you, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Thank you guys for having me. Sir, all right, David,
the next topic is our off topic. Uh, it's it's
the question is already outlawed in the NFL and the
n C Double A. Should bull in the ring Oklahoma
drill and the board drills be illegal? And at the
(21:17):
high school level, what do you think?
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Well, uh, I think on the bull in the ring,
do the liability concerns if the NFL and the n
C Double A has already gotten.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Rid of them?
Speaker 3 (21:30):
I mean, there's a lot of negative connotations that go
with that drill. It's probably gonna be tough to pull
that one off.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Now.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
On the Oklahoma drill and the board drills, I just
I think those need to stay. And you know, I
I think very few drills are good and bad or
safe or unsafe independent of how coach uses them. I
just think you can set up drills that they'll be safer.
(21:59):
You know, if if you want to do a one
on one tackling drill, for example, if you want to
work for him and technique, put them a yard apart.
If you want them to kill each other, which I
hope we don't, put them ten yards apart and tell them,
you know, they've got to they've got to go straight on.
I just, I mean, I just I think I don't
think you can legislate poor coaching and poor character. I
(22:21):
just don't think you can do that. And uh, there's
got to be accountability from school administration in some cases
and possibly sometimes with the head coach and assistant coaches.
You know, if your assistant coaches are off the rails
doing some drills that are gonna hurt kids, you know,
then then you might need to step on. So I
want to go along with bull and the ring, just
(22:42):
because I I just think that's gonna be a tough
battle to win. But I think I think there's I
think I don't really know how you can get rid
of Oklahoma and board drills. I just I just think
those are those are sort of staples that you need
to have if you're gonna work on block and having
a base and shedding a block and those types of
(23:03):
things es.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Central parts of fundamentals that you teach in football. Yeah,
just yeah, Well I'm similar with you. I just grouped
it all together though with my answer, and I said
my answer would be, you know, I may be a
little old school, but I was kind of brought up
on those drills as a high school football player, you know,
(23:24):
and when I got to college, we never we never did,
you know, like bulling the ring. But of course we
did Oklahoma and the board drills, but we never did
bull in the ring. You know. I didn't use them
a lot as a high school coach, especially bulling the ring.
But I've used I did. I've used it before, but
(23:45):
not on a consistent basis, just maybe to try to
toughen up some guys. But I've obviously used the Oklahoma
drill and the board drills a little bit more. We
usually use them during fall camp, you know, as we're
getting ready to get our season started, and that's the
that's when we use them mostly. We don't use them
a lot during the season once the season gets going.
(24:07):
I think maybe they should be illegal or banned at
the youth you know, football level. And the reason why
is because I think I don't think you always have
an experience coach teaching the techniques usually or sometimes as
a parent, you know that they have to drag in
there to getting the coach the team because they don't
(24:29):
have anybody else to do it. And a lot of
times he's not experienced at teaching the techniques that it
would take, you know, to participate in the bull and
ring or even the board drills or even the you know,
the Oklahoma drill for that matter. So that age group,
you know, it's just not prepared for that those kinds
(24:50):
of drills. So I think maybe if he's wanting to
make it illegal, then maybe at the at the youth league.
And also it probably has no place in the NFL.
I mean, with those kinds of athletes, I would hate
to participate with bully the read with some of those guys,
(25:12):
you know, uh that was that would be your elite
athletes there or even in the college at the college level,
at the high school level, I think most head coaches
are smart enough to use discretion and not take a
chance of getting a player hurt or discourage players from
wanting to play football. You know, I'm kind of like,
(25:35):
I think that's kind of what you said too, is
I think that you got to trust your coaches. Uh
and and I don't think there should be a band
on it at all. I just think that most coaches
are smart enough to know if you get your players
hurt and you're not going to have a chance to
win the game on Friday, So therefore they'll use some
(25:57):
discretion with it. I think there's a you know, probably
a time and a place like fall camp to use
some of those drills. I remember, David back in twenty
twenty one at South Warren. Uh we were we won
the state championship that year, but uh we were playing
(26:17):
this the only game we lost the entire year. Second
game of this season, we were playing Hendersonville, Tennessee. So
we were during warm ups and you know, both teams
were warming up and I was out there just watching
the warm ups and I looked down at Hendersonville. They
had them circled up a group Vienna. They were they
(26:41):
were doing bull in the ring, and uh, when I
started looking around at the other coaches that, oh my god,
we're in trouble. I say, we're in trouble. I said,
these guys are going to be physical, and sure enough
they were. They were. They were the most physical team
that we played the in our year and they you know,
(27:02):
they just got after us. They didn't let up. And
now I don't know, maybe it might have something to
do with it, but I know during pregame warm ups
they were doing bulling the rink and I remember I
went into the coaches office that, you know, before the
game started.
Speaker 7 (27:16):
I said, God, we might be in from now. I said,
they're doing bully of the ring. And then those coaches
said what what I said, Yeah, they're doing bulling the rink.
Sure enough, they were physical.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
You know, I think it's funny you bring that story
up because I've only seen bull in the ring one time,
also before a game, and the team I saw do it,
they were horrible.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
I mean they were bad.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
So I think it's like a lot of things we
talk about, you know, it goes back to how you
use it and yeah, talent level and things like that.
But I thought you brought up a good point about
the youth football because I do think you've got to
you got to know what you're doing in the sport
of football to coach it, because if you don't, you're
(28:00):
gonna get somebody hurt.
Speaker 7 (28:01):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Always go back to that. I won't go into the
whole thing, but when London High School started football, my
grandmother told him said, my dad was not playing if
they didn't hire a good coach. She said, you can't
take the math teacher and make him a football coach.
You're gonna have to get somebody knows what they're doing.
And uh, I think this is a great example why
your football coach better know what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Yeah, because there are some techniques now that that if
if the football coach is not in tune to safe techniques,
then you know what I'll do is they'll discourage kids
from playing, and they won't play and they'll end up quitting,
and you know you won't be you won't have a
good team anyway. So I think it's important that the
(28:44):
you know, the coach knows what he's doing.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
I agree with you, Yeah, absolutely, And I do think
this is all coming up for the n f HS
in the next week or two. That's why, that's why
we brought this up as a tough topic, because they're
going to be looking at these rules and it'll be interesting.
I guess we'll find out over the next two or
three weeks. Uh what decision they make on these drills
(29:07):
for high school football.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Yeah, that's almost too much government for me. I don't.
I think they need to trust trust the football coach
and and it doesn't need to be a uh, you know,
a rule, a law whatever. I just think they need
to trust the football coach and and if you want
abandon the at the youth league, and I'm I'd be
(29:29):
all for that. I would vote for that. As a
matter of fact that I don't think you could compare that,
you know, high school drills with that of the NFL.
For God's sakes, they're not going to do it in
the NFL. I mean, they would kill somebody. And even
at the college level, they were you know, I don't
see the next segment is the game of the week
and or the games of the week, I should say, right,
(29:53):
and the first game up would be Hart County and
Adair County. I believe you have a Deer County.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
That is correct. They're coached by Steve stone Breaker, who's
had a lot of success building programs. As you know,
been two or three different places that had a long
run at Casey County think it was there twice. In fact,
it did a really good job there. They're led by
quarterback Easton Jesse who's averaging over one hundred yards per
(30:24):
game passing. They're running back Lane Grant is averaging over
one hundred yards per game Russian. Their top wide receiver
is Solomon Stonebreaker. Steve son is doing a really good
job there. And then their defenses led by Ryder Rogers.
And I think it's gonna be a great football game.
You got two up and coming programs, and I'm not
(30:48):
sure I pick a winner. May I may sit on
the fence for a little bit and see what you do.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Okay, and the Chad I mean, Steve is an excellent
football coach. He is everywhere he goes, he wins. That's
what you could say about Steve Stonebreakers. Everywhere he goes,
he wins. And I've always been impressed with him. He's
he's been a podcast guess hadn't he? Yes, he has,
and so has Chad Griffin, who's at Hart County is
(31:15):
a team that I have, and Chad has done an
out sandy job. He is six and oh right now.
Twenty twenty three, he made the semi finals and he
lost a close game to Bell County in the semi finals.
I believe, and uh, he's kind of picking up where
he left off. I mean, you're going into Hart County
(31:38):
and you're making the semi finals, who has no history
of success, and you're making the semi finals in twenty
twenty three and you're off to a six and oh
start in the twenty twenty four season. I mean, what
a heck of a job. I think he won some
Coach of the Year honors last year deservingly so. And
I mean he's found the right formula. He's got them
(32:00):
off h on the right track. Uh, he's But if
I compare scores, and then I think Hart County will
win this game. If you compare, they've played some common
opponents and Hart County scores have been have been more impressive. Uh.
He's led by it with his quarterback, Jacob Shoulders, who
(32:24):
is their quarterback. He's he leads the way for them.
And then their top receivers have bent are Connor Trent
and Christian Martin. And then their top rushers are Brentan Griffin.
I'm assuming that might be his son because he's also
the leading tackler on defense. This this guy is one
of their key players, and if I was betting, I
(32:47):
would probably say it was his son. I don't know
that for sure. Uh. And then also another some other
top rushers that he has is Cameron Ashby, I'm sorry Ashbury,
and then Christian Martin. Those are the key players for
Hart County. And again if I compare scores, I think
(33:07):
Cark County will win the game. You never count Steve
stonebreaker out because I think he does a great job
of coaching, and but Chad Dad good job itself with
what he the run that he's got his team on.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
Right now, he's our next game, We've got Roye Castle
versus Bell which that has been a classic district game.
I mean this goes back when I was at Mason County.
They were our sister district and we would I mean
would I mean the whole thing would revolve around who's
going to win the Roe Castle Bell game. I mean,
that's just that's been a big, big game for a
(33:44):
long time. Roy Castle is undefeated. They're actually a little
younger than they have been. They're coached by Chris Larky.
His dad is the legendary Tom Larky, who had a
great run there at rock Castle and got him to
the finals twice. He may not like me bringing up
who got him in the state championship games, those Bull
(34:06):
County rebels, but Tom did a great job there. Their
top playmaker is Isaiah Jackson, and he's a triple threat guy.
He can throw the ball, he can run it, he
can pass it, and we played rock Castle and he's
a very dynamic athlete and football player. And then their
defense is actually led by sophomore Hunter Pingleton, who made
(34:31):
the play for him on the goal line to defeat
Bell County last year. And Bell County only lost two
games last year. One was the rock Castle and the
other one was to col in the state championship. That's it,
and I mean rock Castle's got it going on. I
do think though, this year, I think roy Castle may
(34:51):
be a little younger and although Bell County graduated Daniel Thomas,
they still they got Burnett back quarterback. I'm probably gonna
go with Bell County in this one, even though I
believe it's at rock cast Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Well, what you say means a lot because you did
play rock Castle, So I'm taking a lot in consideration
because you've you've experienced them firsthand. Now, of course, Bell
County is coached by the legendary Dudley Hilton. He's got
them off to a five and one record right now.
In twenty twenty three they were the state runner up,
(35:28):
losing to Cow in the state championship game. They had
mister football and Daniel Thomas. I think when that is
named Daniel Thomas, is that is correct? Yep. Now, Dudley
always has Bell County in the state championship conversation. That
and that will be true again this year. They'll be
in the state championship conversation. Rock County so far is undefeated.
(35:53):
And as you said, they're coached by you know, Chris Larkie,
who's you know, the son of the great Tom Larky,
who you know, as you already said, you know, had
rock Castle at the top of the mountain. Uh, in
two state championship games. You know, to me, well, the
first of all, Bell County has led back quarterback Blake Burnett. Okay, uh,
(36:18):
and then they're they're also their top rusher. They lost
mister football, Daniel Thomas, but they've centered everything around Caleb
Caleb Miller. Uh, He's everything is centered. I guess that's
you know, that's kind of Dudley's offense though. He you know,
he gets his one good player in everything is kind
of centered around that. It's usually the tailback, and uh,
(36:39):
that's gonna be Caleb Miller this year. Okay, he's he
He's had some really unbelievable stats in some of his games.
You know, the question is, in my mind, can rock Castle,
you know, stop the running game and and the ball
control of Bell County, you know, kind of gets in
(37:00):
there and they're going to do the three yards cloud
of dust. They're going to control the clock, control the ball,
punch it in. And if rock Castle is able to
stop that running game, then you know they might have
a shot. And they've played actually pretty good defense lately.
I was looking at their their their the scores and
how many points they give it. Actually, it's kind of
that Tony Sailor defense. Where Tony was you know, he
(37:25):
worked with Tom Larky all those years, a great defensive coordinator,
had a lot of respect for him, him and both Tom,
both of them, and kind of showing up that old
Tony Savor defense and if, if, if they could stop
the run, they can have a shot at Bell County.
If I'm predicting, though, I would say that Bell County
would win the game and that that's who I would
(37:48):
go with. But it is at rock Castle, and I'm
just telling you, I'm gonna talk myself into second guess
and myself because.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
It's hey, this is not a slam dunk. This game
can go either way. The only reason that I'm going
with Bell is because I think rock Castle is a
little young. Lip side of it, though, is you know
you brought up Tony Saylor. You're about to talk me
into too picking rock Castle. Now, the rock Castle defense,
it's very unique. It is a different animal, and I
(38:19):
hope he doesn't mind me saying this. I was talking
to Dudley one time about rock Castle's defense. I'm like, man,
what do you do with that? And Dudley's answer was
don't play them? You know, it's like because it is.
It is a It's a different animal, it really is.
And I'm gonna tell you something. You know, we were
struggling throwing the ball early in the year the last
(38:40):
couple of years. You, I think you've got to be
a really good running team to run the ball against
rock Castle. They pinched those gaps, those guys are coming
off the edge. I just think they're really really good
at what they do defensively. And I mean the defense
is built for Bell County. I mean that's who it's
(39:00):
built for. So uh, I think I'm still gonna go
with Bell, but I think it is going to be
a great football game. I think it's gonna be another
classic rock Cast or Bell County game.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
And uh, I.
Speaker 3 (39:14):
Don't know what they're charging. I don't remember from when
we played down there, but I doubt if you're gonna
find a better way to spend seven bucks coming up.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
I bet that it's gonna be electric. I bet the
whole the whole community is going to be there, both communities.
I bet that atmosphere will be electric. It really will be.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
And I mean that's why that's why we're doing this podcast.
And we're still hanging out on the sideline on Friday night.
Those those types of nights are special and uh what
they mean an awful lot to small towns in Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
Hey, Uh, you know, don't don't forget to hang on.
I know, David'll tell us tell you who the next
guest is, but don't forget to hang on and listen
to Max's historical segment at the end. It's it's always great.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
Yeah, Mac does a great job for us. Our guest
next week will be Randy Borcher's the head coach at
Cooper High School, and our tough topic will be for
Marcus Dean, more famously known as Lee glass Cock's son
in law, Lee the old Washington County coach that also
Lee played for my dad at Bull County. But Marcus's
(40:21):
question is going to be what age should you football
switch from developmental to winning?
Speaker 2 (40:28):
And uh like that question.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
Yeah, I think it's a really good question. And I
think I think that him asking that question sort of
gives an insight to well, I won't I won't get
started answering it yet, but I think it's gonna be
a good question.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
And yeah, so I appreciate the listeners tuning in. See
you next week see.
Speaker 5 (40:52):
You, Sports, and in particular, high school sports, are woven
into the fabric of Americana. High schools are part of
the DNA of communities across the country, and that is
certainly true in Kentucky. Fans know the stories of the
big names, but there are many names and many stories
(41:12):
that have been lost to history. This series highlights those
forgotten heroes. In eighteen eighty nine, in western Kentucky, where
Muhlenberg County and Butler County meet, there was a small
settlement called Mud River. It was in Mud River that
a football coaching legend was born. When Alex was sixteen
(41:35):
in nineteen oh six, he showed up in Atlanta and
tried to register at Georgia Tech. The school thought Alex
was too young, but they admitted him to the junior
division of the engineering school.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
Anyway.
Speaker 5 (41:46):
From that day forward, Alex would never leave Georgia Tech,
except for a Stinton service during World War One. Alex
wanted to play football at Georgia Tech and to play
for coach John Heisman. The problem, according to coach Heisman,
was that Alex just wasn't a varsity football player. But
Alex was such a hard worker that coach. Heisman dreamed
(42:10):
up the title Captain of the Scrubs and bestowed that
upon Alex, and he earned his varsity letter. After Alex
graduated in nineteen twelve as tex valedictorian coach, Heisman made
him an assistant coach. In nineteen twenty, John Heisman stepped
down as Georgia Tech coach and Alex was named to
(42:30):
replace him. Alex was the youngest coach in major football
at that time. Alex led Georgia Tech to three Southern
Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles. He also led Tech to its
second national title in nineteen twenty eight. He was the
first college football coach to take his team to the
(42:51):
four major bowls, the Sugar, the Cotton, the Orange, and
the Rose Bowls, winning three of the four during the
nineteen twenty seven season. To make sure Georgia didn't win
a national title, he didn't play his starters but the
first half of every Georgia Tech game up until they
played Georgia. His rested troops beat Georgia twelve oh to
(43:15):
stop the Bulldog's chances at a national title. Alex took
Tech to the nineteen twenty nine Rose Bowl, which was
famous for Royriegals returning a fumble sixty nine yards the
wrong way. It's called the greatest blunder in college football history.
During the Depression, coach alex found school spirit lacking, so
(43:36):
he founded the Yellowjacket Club, which became the Ramblin Wreck
Club at Georgia Tech. In nineteen forty five, Coach alex
turned the reins of the Tech program over to his assistant,
Bobby Dodd, and he remained as the Georgia Tech ad
and head of the Physical education department. Coach alex that
young man from Mud River, Kentucky who was not a
(43:59):
good football player, became Hall of Fame coach WA Alexander.
Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the Tech campus is named in
his honor. His record as a head football coach was
one thirty four, ninety five and fifteen. He also spent
four years as the head basketball coach at Georgia Tech,
(44:22):
and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of
Fame in nineteen fifty one. Coach wa Alexander passed away
from a heart attack April twenty third, nineteen fifty and
coaches from across the country attended his funeral.
Speaker 2 (45:00):
The fact then then the sounding fast fast aside the door,
(46:24):
fast as differ
Coach David Buchanan coach Chuck Smith, two legendary high school
football coaches. This is the Coach's Office, a behind the
(00:34):
scenes look at Kentucky high school football.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Welcome to the Coach's Office, behind the Scenes with Chuck
Smith and David Buchanan. This is season three, episode seven.
I'm Chuck Smith. I'm joined by Go Hoos, David Buchanan,
podcast editor, flashback storyteller Mike Yokum, and our social media
manager is Noah King. Our YouTube version, our YouTube version
(01:05):
of this podcast is at tacopt dot C, dot O,
dot P and if you access it there then hit
like and subscribe. It helps us out if you would
do that, We got it. We're very, very excited about
our show. It's a great show tonight. Our guest coach
is a former NFL quarterback, Chad Pennington. He's now the
(01:29):
head football coach of Sayer High School in Lexington, Kentucky.
He actually started this Sayre football program, and we'll bring
coach Pennington on here just shortly. Our tough topic is
the question is already outfalled in the NFL and the
NCAA should bull in the ring? Oklahoma Drill and Board
(01:52):
drills be made illegal at the high school level. And
that's a good question and I'm exious to hear your
your response to that, David. And then the games of
the week this week are Hark County versus A Dare
County and rock Castle versus Bell County. So two pretty
good games and we'll have some comments and some feedback
(02:16):
on those games. Now, a little bit about Chad before
we bring him on. Chad Pennington, as I said, he's
the head football coach of Saya High School out of Lexington, Kentucky.
He started the program in twenty eighteen. They he played
in the NFL for eleven seasons. He was a first
round draft pick out of Marshall High School. Well, we've
(02:39):
got a lot of Marshall guys coaching in Kentucky, now,
don't we. I mean it's like every week we got
a Marshall guy and win it and they're winning. Now,
they must know something right there, right Anyway, He played
for the New York Jets and also later played for
the Miami Dolphins. He was the NFL come Back Player
(03:00):
of the Year in two thousand and six and also
in two thousand and eight. Pretty good accomplishments. He brings
a great deal of playing experience and knowledge to the
SARA student athletes. David, you want to bring.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Chad on and I'm excited to have him here. Give
him a little commercial or Coach Pennington has an Arc
and Page quarterback receiver camp every spring and it's excellent.
I've been fortunate to get work with him and then
his quarterback coach from the Dolphins, who I think you
played against him. His name's David Lee, played at quarterback
(03:35):
at Vanderbilt. But Chad does a great job. And Coach Pennington,
we're very excited to have you. Thanks for joining us tonight.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Absolutely, thank you guys for having me. Yeah, and Chad,
I'll get it started right here. Coach Pennington, you started
the Sayer program. What are some of the biggest challenges
that you've had to overcome to get the program where
it is today?
Speaker 4 (04:00):
Yeah, Coach, I think it's two things. Number One, you know,
I started the program. I grew up on a Friday
night bus.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
My dad was a high school football coach for thirty years,
and so I.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Really had a chance to see the impact he was
able to make in young men's lives and was drawn
to that.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And then I was also I've also been passionate.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
About the student athlete experience and how to bring the
student in the classroom together with the athlete on the
field or in the arena, and how to make that work.
I just think it's such a unique experience to be
a student athlete, and so that's why we started this program.
And I think my two biggest challenges at SAYA, and
we all have challenges no matter what program you're coaching.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
At Number one was to get a weight program started.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
When you don't have football to school, there's really not
that necessity for a weight program, and really teaching your
athletes and student athletes how to train their bodies. With
football being a contact sport, you've got to do that.
And so that was our first challenge, to really really
gain consistency in that area and really putting that to
(05:04):
the forefront of our guys understanding how important it was
to train. Number two, interestingly enough, say it does such
a great job academically where the student athlete that they're
taught to really own their own education and it's really individualized. However,
when you play a team sport, you've got to understand
how to work within a team concept. And so those
(05:27):
are some of the things that I had to break through. Like,
for instance, when we would work out as a team,
you know, a guy would.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Finish his lift and then go the next one. I
might know that we work in groups.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
You got to spot, you got to clean up, you know,
you got to take care of your brothers, so to speak.
So that's been a really interesting dynamic to break that mold.
But it's also been good because they can get that
individual stuff in the classroom and then come to me
and let's learn how to work as a team, be
accountable and responsible to each other. So it's worked it's
worked out nicely.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Well. That was quite an experience. You really kind of
started from literally from scratch in terms of teaching the
kids what football is all about one hundred percent. I
mean our first year we played a split schedule.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
We rented lights, I mean the game field to say
or where they played soccer and lacrosse that there were
no lights, There were no bleachers, no press box, no scoreboard,
none of that. And over the last seven years, our
parents in our school is we've raised over a million
bucks together through multiple resources to provide that Friday night
light experience. And you guys know as well as I do.
(06:29):
There's just something about Friday night lights and football that
can bring a community and school community together and really
promote our other sports too. That's one thing we really
try to do, is football program, is be the pioneer
in helping our other sports. So if we're getting lockers,
let's get everybody lockers. If we're doing something on the
game field that's going to help five to six varsity
sports to renovate the game field, So anything we're doing,
(06:52):
we want to make sure we're uplifting those other sports
as well.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Pretty cool, that's good stuff.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Well, hey, you know, Chad, are hearing you tell you
this that you cam uh, you've been adamant that we're
going to see a return to under center offensive football.
Can you explain why you predicted that's going to happen?
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Well, when you when you watch the game over the
years and what's the history of the game, you do
see cycles, things coming in and out and things going
you know, becoming in vogue and then going out of vogue,
so to speak. And so I just think playing underneath
center still adds another element that makes a little bit
more difficult for the defense, especially when you're talking about, uh,
(07:32):
the play action game, the bootleg game, and so.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
It's gonna be interesting to see it.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
And as you watch the NFL, you know, you see
the fullback starting to come back into the mix a
little bit where that was not, uh you know, part
of the solution for a while. So the fullback starting
to come back. And with the fullback starting to come
back in, I think you don't see a mixture of
the teams getting up under center. I just think it
provides a different dynamic that the defense has to, uh,
(07:58):
you know, worry about. I grew up in the te
offense in high school and that's where I learned my
ball handling and my fakes and all of.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
That, how to hide the football, my mess fakes.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
And things like that, which really helped me in college
and pros to be able to understand that to manipulate
the defense, especially in playes. And so I think football
goes in cycles, and I think we'll see it starts
to come back.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
That's a good point. Hey, would you agree with this
statement that it's easier to attack the A gaps from
under center than it is in a shotgun?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Possibly?
Speaker 4 (08:32):
I do know as far as your quick hitters and
your traps and things like that, and adding all those
little bells and whistles to it, it certainly.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Can can be an advantage, you know, when you're running
your trap down.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
You know, growing up into wing t it was always
trap sweet boot, trap sweet boot right, and then it
went to jet sweet trap boot, and so it can
certainly be that way, especially if you're trying to hit
it up in there fast now with your RPO game
and you read option game. Obviously you can't do that
under center, and you know that's one of the things
that teams are really trying to do is find ways
(09:03):
to put defensive players in conflict because they're so dagon
athletic and they can run and do those things, so
that that element of the game, you know, would be
taken out if you're doing more under center. But at
the same time, I just think the more multiple an
offense can be and provide some saneness in their looks,
but then give the defense four to five different things
(09:24):
to think about, that calls into place a little bit
slower because if they only have to think about one
or two things, man, they're gonna be all over you.
And it's very hard as an offense to execute. Yeah,
that's good stuff.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Hey Chad, did you play for your dad in high school?
You know what I did not.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
We made the decision, you know, And one of the
reasons I'm at saying it reminded me of my experience
at Web School of Knoxville, a private school in Knoxville.
That I was fortunate. I grew up in public school
all the way through eighth grade. You know, I had
a chance to go to Web School as I stayed
back in eighth grade and had a chance to go
to Web School, and then I liked it so much.
Their mom and dad worked camps and second jobs to
(10:03):
help pay for tuition. But we decided that, you know,
when I went into high school, that we would not
do that and I would not come back and play
out his team.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
So what he did was he stepped down from.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Varsity started coaching freshman ball, so he come watch us
play on Fridays, and we just felt like that was
the right thing for us to do. Now for my
three boys, I've really enjoyed coaching my boys, I really have.
It's just something that's unique about it and watching them
go through this experience and be a pioneer. You know,
starting a football program, which is hard to do in
(10:33):
today's age, and so to what's them grow and mature
and have fun with their buddies on on the on
the grid iron has been a lot of fun for me. Yeah,
David and I both did that, coached our sons.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
It is a unique experience of we both had real
positive experiences with that. Yeah, yeah, I definitely have.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
And I didn't know what to think when I first
got into it, you know, such that fine line of
being hard on your kid but then also being fair
and coaching everybod the way you want everybody to be coached.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
And they've handled it relatively well.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
One day, my fullback said to Trish were in the huddle.
He said, Man, I'm glad I'm not you.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Hey, Chad. My next question is how have you used
your highly successful playing career to help you coach, you know,
the high school kids at Sara. Yeah. You know, I
was fortunate.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
I had five offense coordinators in college, and then I
had four in the pros uh, And I was around
a lot of really good technicians and fundamental coaches, and
so number one, I really try to lean upon that
fundamental base that I was taught you know, I was
(11:44):
in the West Coast system, I was in the Don
Coriel system. I was in the Bill Parcell system, as
well as a few systems in college. And so number one,
having that exposure to that many minds around the game
really broadened my horizons.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
On how to look at the game. And you know,
I'm a huge.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Note taker, so I've got all my notes from all
those guys and use that as my library to go
back and look at things.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
And so that's one.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
Also, you know, being around my dad and watching how
he coached and being.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
In those coach of meetings when I was eight nine
years old and.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
Fall asleep to the sixteen millimeter film. You know, it's
that helped me too from a relationship standpoint and understanding
how important relationships are within the game of football. It's
a people business, it's a people game. But then also
understanding how to use the game of football to help
develop young men. I just think game of football is
(12:37):
unique in the fact that it provides different challenges for
our young men to go through, either as an individual
or together as a group. There are such great life
lessons and so I really wanted to dive into that too.
When we were building this program to use this as
a platform for the next chapter in their lives all
(12:59):
of us. The ball stopped spinning for all of us, right,
even Tom Brady, he couldn't play anymore.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Father time finally got him.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
And so to me, the goal is, Okay, what can
football do for you after you're done playing and making
sure that it's not who you are, it's only what
you did, and what did you take away from the
game to help you.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
In the next chapter of your life. Yeah, that's pretty cool.
That was really that was a great answer. Hey, do
you do your kids there? Do they google you?
Speaker 5 (13:25):
No?
Speaker 2 (13:28):
I'll tell you a funny story.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
My middle son when he was about I'll shoot I
would say, ten years old, and we're outside. I've got
one of those quarterback nets and we're throwing into it
and I'm hitting the targets and he looks at me.
Speaker 6 (13:40):
He's like that you hit that target pretty good. I'm like, yes,
that's what I did. I better be able to hit
that target pretty good. So, you know, it's interesting.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Uh, they they know, but at the same time, I'm
still just goofy dad, right, And so there's a fine
line there, But you know, they have obviously talked a
little bit about it and talk about my Marshall experience
and my pro experience.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
And for Cole and Luke, they were able to experience
a little bit of.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
That, you know, in their younger years, going to games
and being around that.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
So but it's always it's always fun to talk about, Hey,
what brought you to Lexington.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
Yeah, you know, everybody always asked that question. So I'm
from Knoxville and my wife from West Virginia. We both
went to Marshall and so I used to drive through
Lexington going back from Knoxville back up to Huntington, going
back and forth.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
From home to school.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
And so at the end of our career, you know,
we started to kind of think, Okay, where do we
want to live. We've been a thousand miles away from
home for basically twelve years, and we wanted to kind
of get closer to home, be closer to Marshall, but
still kind of have our independence and space, if you will,
have good medical have good schools, and so Lexington kind
of kept answering all those questions, and so it was
(14:52):
really weird because you know, I'd always been told, Okay,
here's where you're going, Just where you're going to live.
Just make it work, and then all of a sudden,
we've got to make that decision our else it kind
of it was a little uncomfortable because we had.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
To take a leap of faith and and do.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
A little research and then just you know, believe that
the things will happen, you know, and going in good directs,
and they have.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
We have really enjoyed Central Kentucky.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
People around here have been phenomenal, and so we have
been really pleased with our decisions.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Yeah, it's really nice. It's a nice town. Ahead, it's
a good place. Ay.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
So, uh, hey, my lad, I've got another football question.
And uh, and I may not be seeing it how
you're seeing it, but uh, is man coverage becoming more
common at all levels of football? And if so, how
do you see that trend impacting offensive football going forward?
Speaker 2 (15:42):
You know, that's an interesting question. You know, I think.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
I would say yes and no, I would say because
you know, the thing about man is that you know,
if you don't have the right matchup, you get toasted
real fast, you know what I'm saying. And so if
there Jimmy is better than your Joe, it's not a
good thing, right.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
And so Aschel, are you saying that I'm seeing more
man because the other guys got pretty good personnel.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
You may you may like that.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
That's like you need to have the right personnel for that.
Here's what I think. I think in high school, to
be honest, the more zone you can present a high
school quarterback to make him work through a read, I
think the more success you'll have on defense, you'll get
a couple opportunities. Whereas if you're in man all the time,
all he's got to do is find that one matchup
(16:35):
and you've made you He hasn't had to think at all, right,
And so that's that's one of the things. And that's
also like I remember talking to Mike Nolan when he
was our coordinator at the Dolphins, and what he wanted
to do speaking of that is he wanted to stay
in a two all as he could because he knew
once he got the free safety post safety football, the
(16:55):
quarterback knows, I'm one on one outside period, I can
find that matchup and go. So a lot of times
in his blitz schemes, he believed in two shell blitz
schemes are holding that look as long as he could
to create more hesitancy with the quarterback. And I think
as a defensive coordinator, it's not you against the offense
coordinator to you against the quarterback. And so especially with
(17:16):
the passing schemes, and so the more thoughts you can
put in that quarterback's head post snap, the more success
you're gonna have as a defense, the more he can eliminate.
For me, be playing quarterbacks all about a process of elimination,
and the more that I can eliminate before the snap,
the better chance of success I have because I'm going
(17:38):
to be more decisive, my thought process is more simple, and.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I'm gonna get the ball out. And so I think,
you know, for teams that are playing.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
More man either one, they're just better than their opponent
and they have the guys that can do it. And
then sometimes you see guys who may not know exactly
what zone football should look like and how to coach that,
so they just jump in the man when really don't
have any businessmen in the man. So I would say
it's it's it kind of goes along with what the
coordinator wants to do as well as what your personnel is.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Very be careful on that.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
The other thing, the last thing I would add to
that is, I know, as I look at defense, and
I love coaching defense even as a quarterback. I just
I love watching it and seeing it from an offensive
perspective and then helping our defensive guys with it.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Is that your corners kind of take them out of
the run game when they're a man a.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
Lot right because they're they're getting run off, they're not
involved in the contained and coming up and making plays.
And so a lot of times zone can help you
in the run game as well. When you're playing zone.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Defense, that gets all eleven of them seeing the ball
and then they run exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
So as a really good answer, and.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
That was good, Thank you very good.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Can I have another question before you get off here?
Is you know you coming off of a twelve and
one season last year. I think you made the third
round and I think that single A might be down
with the two hire houses that have dominated pike Pool
and Raceland. Do you think, well, you think you think
y'all could be in the conversation, maybe make a run.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Well, I think it's I think that this is a
year where you know, you still got to respect those guys.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
I mean, yeah, you Chris and Mike they.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
Do a great job, but it certainly is a year
now that COVID has kind of worked its way through
and some of the reclasses have moved forward and it's
kind of eating itself out just a little bit. Dell's
doing a great job in Campbellsville, Matt always does a
great job at cac D, and then Newport Central Catholic
has always got a great team. So it's gonna be interesting,
(19:46):
you know, and we feel like, you know, we've got
some work to do. We've got to improve in some
certain areas to be able to play and match those guys.
Typically when you play an easter contact a team got
be able to stop the run, gotta be physical upfront,
all those different things. But we certainly feel like we
do have some skill power to give people problems, uh,
you know, and in our passing game to be able
to stretch.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
The field a little bit.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
So we feel good about our progress, but we know
we got a long way to go, you know, to
be able to quote have a chance to make a
run like that.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
So that's kind of our goal right now.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
You know, last year we were we lost four of
our five guys up front, so this year it's been
a real challenge to develop those guys up front and
bring those guys along and have a you know, because
that's where the game is going to be one is
in the trenches.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
We know that, and so we've got.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
To be able to do that, especially when you face
those top five single eight teams for sure.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Yeah, well, good luck to you.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Well, thank you so much. I appreciate you guys having
You're a wonderful guest. And uh, hey, we're we're glad
you're in. We're big Kentucky high school football guys. We
love it and it's definitely better because you're here. We're
really glad you're here. Chad, thank you, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Thank you guys for having me. Sir, all right, David,
the next topic is our off topic. Uh, it's it's
the question is already outlawed in the NFL and the
n C Double A. Should bull in the ring Oklahoma
drill and the board drills be illegal? And at the
(21:17):
high school level, what do you think?
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Well, uh, I think on the bull in the ring,
do the liability concerns if the NFL and the n
C Double A has already gotten.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Rid of them?
Speaker 3 (21:30):
I mean, there's a lot of negative connotations that go
with that drill. It's probably gonna be tough to pull
that one off.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Now.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
On the Oklahoma drill and the board drills, I just
I think those need to stay. And you know, I
I think very few drills are good and bad or
safe or unsafe independent of how coach uses them. I
just think you can set up drills that they'll be safer.
(21:59):
You know, if if you want to do a one
on one tackling drill, for example, if you want to
work for him and technique, put them a yard apart.
If you want them to kill each other, which I
hope we don't, put them ten yards apart and tell them,
you know, they've got to they've got to go straight on.
I just, I mean, I just I think I don't
think you can legislate poor coaching and poor character. I
(22:21):
just don't think you can do that. And uh, there's
got to be accountability from school administration in some cases
and possibly sometimes with the head coach and assistant coaches.
You know, if your assistant coaches are off the rails
doing some drills that are gonna hurt kids, you know,
then then you might need to step on. So I
want to go along with bull and the ring, just
(22:42):
because I I just think that's gonna be a tough
battle to win. But I think I think there's I
think I don't really know how you can get rid
of Oklahoma and board drills. I just I just think
those are those are sort of staples that you need
to have if you're gonna work on block and having
a base and shedding a block and those types of
(23:03):
things es.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Central parts of fundamentals that you teach in football. Yeah,
just yeah, Well I'm similar with you. I just grouped
it all together though with my answer, and I said
my answer would be, you know, I may be a
little old school, but I was kind of brought up
on those drills as a high school football player, you know,
(23:24):
and when I got to college, we never we never did,
you know, like bulling the ring. But of course we
did Oklahoma and the board drills, but we never did
bull in the ring. You know. I didn't use them
a lot as a high school coach, especially bulling the ring.
But I've used I did. I've used it before, but
(23:45):
not on a consistent basis, just maybe to try to
toughen up some guys. But I've obviously used the Oklahoma
drill and the board drills a little bit more. We
usually use them during fall camp, you know, as we're
getting ready to get our season started, and that's the
that's when we use them mostly. We don't use them
a lot during the season once the season gets going.
(24:07):
I think maybe they should be illegal or banned at
the youth you know, football level. And the reason why
is because I think I don't think you always have
an experience coach teaching the techniques usually or sometimes as
a parent, you know that they have to drag in
there to getting the coach the team because they don't
(24:29):
have anybody else to do it. And a lot of
times he's not experienced at teaching the techniques that it
would take, you know, to participate in the bull and
ring or even the board drills or even the you know,
the Oklahoma drill for that matter. So that age group,
you know, it's just not prepared for that those kinds
(24:50):
of drills. So I think maybe if he's wanting to
make it illegal, then maybe at the at the youth league.
And also it probably has no place in the NFL.
I mean, with those kinds of athletes, I would hate
to participate with bully the read with some of those guys,
(25:12):
you know, uh that was that would be your elite
athletes there or even in the college at the college level,
at the high school level, I think most head coaches
are smart enough to use discretion and not take a
chance of getting a player hurt or discourage players from
wanting to play football. You know, I'm kind of like,
(25:35):
I think that's kind of what you said too, is
I think that you got to trust your coaches. Uh
and and I don't think there should be a band
on it at all. I just think that most coaches
are smart enough to know if you get your players
hurt and you're not going to have a chance to
win the game on Friday, So therefore they'll use some
(25:57):
discretion with it. I think there's a you know, probably
a time and a place like fall camp to use
some of those drills. I remember, David back in twenty
twenty one at South Warren. Uh we were we won
the state championship that year, but uh we were playing
(26:17):
this the only game we lost the entire year. Second
game of this season, we were playing Hendersonville, Tennessee. So
we were during warm ups and you know, both teams
were warming up and I was out there just watching
the warm ups and I looked down at Hendersonville. They
had them circled up a group Vienna. They were they
(26:41):
were doing bull in the ring, and uh, when I
started looking around at the other coaches that, oh my god,
we're in trouble. I say, we're in trouble. I said,
these guys are going to be physical, and sure enough
they were. They were. They were the most physical team
that we played the in our year and they you know,
(27:02):
they just got after us. They didn't let up. And
now I don't know, maybe it might have something to
do with it, but I know during pregame warm ups
they were doing bulling the rink and I remember I
went into the coaches office that, you know, before the
game started.
Speaker 7 (27:16):
I said, God, we might be in from now. I said,
they're doing bully of the ring. And then those coaches
said what what I said, Yeah, they're doing bulling the rink.
Sure enough, they were physical.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
You know, I think it's funny you bring that story
up because I've only seen bull in the ring one time,
also before a game, and the team I saw do it,
they were horrible.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
I mean they were bad.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
So I think it's like a lot of things we
talk about, you know, it goes back to how you
use it and yeah, talent level and things like that.
But I thought you brought up a good point about
the youth football because I do think you've got to
you got to know what you're doing in the sport
of football to coach it, because if you don't, you're
(28:00):
gonna get somebody hurt.
Speaker 7 (28:01):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Always go back to that. I won't go into the
whole thing, but when London High School started football, my
grandmother told him said, my dad was not playing if
they didn't hire a good coach. She said, you can't
take the math teacher and make him a football coach.
You're gonna have to get somebody knows what they're doing.
And uh, I think this is a great example why
your football coach better know what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Yeah, because there are some techniques now that that if
if the football coach is not in tune to safe techniques,
then you know what I'll do is they'll discourage kids
from playing, and they won't play and they'll end up quitting,
and you know you won't be you won't have a
good team anyway. So I think it's important that the
(28:44):
you know, the coach knows what he's doing.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
I agree with you, Yeah, absolutely, And I do think
this is all coming up for the n f HS
in the next week or two. That's why, that's why
we brought this up as a tough topic, because they're
going to be looking at these rules and it'll be interesting.
I guess we'll find out over the next two or
three weeks. Uh what decision they make on these drills
(29:07):
for high school football.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Yeah, that's almost too much government for me. I don't.
I think they need to trust trust the football coach
and and it doesn't need to be a uh, you know,
a rule, a law whatever. I just think they need
to trust the football coach and and if you want
abandon the at the youth league, and I'm I'd be
(29:29):
all for that. I would vote for that. As a
matter of fact that I don't think you could compare that,
you know, high school drills with that of the NFL.
For God's sakes, they're not going to do it in
the NFL. I mean, they would kill somebody. And even
at the college level, they were you know, I don't
see the next segment is the game of the week
and or the games of the week, I should say, right,
(29:53):
and the first game up would be Hart County and
Adair County. I believe you have a Deer County.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
That is correct. They're coached by Steve stone Breaker, who's
had a lot of success building programs. As you know,
been two or three different places that had a long
run at Casey County think it was there twice. In fact,
it did a really good job there. They're led by
quarterback Easton Jesse who's averaging over one hundred yards per
(30:24):
game passing. They're running back Lane Grant is averaging over
one hundred yards per game Russian. Their top wide receiver
is Solomon Stonebreaker. Steve son is doing a really good
job there. And then their defenses led by Ryder Rogers.
And I think it's gonna be a great football game.
You got two up and coming programs, and I'm not
(30:48):
sure I pick a winner. May I may sit on
the fence for a little bit and see what you do.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Okay, and the Chad I mean, Steve is an excellent
football coach. He is everywhere he goes, he wins. That's
what you could say about Steve Stonebreakers. Everywhere he goes,
he wins. And I've always been impressed with him. He's
he's been a podcast guess hadn't he? Yes, he has,
and so has Chad Griffin, who's at Hart County is
(31:15):
a team that I have, and Chad has done an
out sandy job. He is six and oh right now.
Twenty twenty three, he made the semi finals and he
lost a close game to Bell County in the semi finals.
I believe, and uh, he's kind of picking up where
he left off. I mean, you're going into Hart County
(31:38):
and you're making the semi finals, who has no history
of success, and you're making the semi finals in twenty
twenty three and you're off to a six and oh
start in the twenty twenty four season. I mean, what
a heck of a job. I think he won some
Coach of the Year honors last year deservingly so. And
I mean he's found the right formula. He's got them
(32:00):
off h on the right track. Uh, he's But if
I compare scores, and then I think Hart County will
win this game. If you compare, they've played some common
opponents and Hart County scores have been have been more impressive. Uh.
He's led by it with his quarterback, Jacob Shoulders, who
(32:24):
is their quarterback. He's he leads the way for them.
And then their top receivers have bent are Connor Trent
and Christian Martin. And then their top rushers are Brentan Griffin.
I'm assuming that might be his son because he's also
the leading tackler on defense. This this guy is one
of their key players, and if I was betting, I
(32:47):
would probably say it was his son. I don't know
that for sure. Uh. And then also another some other
top rushers that he has is Cameron Ashby, I'm sorry Ashbury,
and then Christian Martin. Those are the key players for
Hart County. And again if I compare scores, I think
(33:07):
Cark County will win the game. You never count Steve
stonebreaker out because I think he does a great job
of coaching, and but Chad Dad good job itself with
what he the run that he's got his team on.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
Right now, he's our next game, We've got Roye Castle
versus Bell which that has been a classic district game.
I mean this goes back when I was at Mason County.
They were our sister district and we would I mean
would I mean the whole thing would revolve around who's
going to win the Roe Castle Bell game. I mean,
that's just that's been a big, big game for a
(33:44):
long time. Roy Castle is undefeated. They're actually a little
younger than they have been. They're coached by Chris Larky.
His dad is the legendary Tom Larky, who had a
great run there at rock Castle and got him to
the finals twice. He may not like me bringing up
who got him in the state championship games, those Bull
(34:06):
County rebels, but Tom did a great job there. Their
top playmaker is Isaiah Jackson, and he's a triple threat guy.
He can throw the ball, he can run it, he
can pass it, and we played rock Castle and he's
a very dynamic athlete and football player. And then their
defense is actually led by sophomore Hunter Pingleton, who made
(34:31):
the play for him on the goal line to defeat
Bell County last year. And Bell County only lost two
games last year. One was the rock Castle and the
other one was to col in the state championship. That's it,
and I mean rock Castle's got it going on. I
do think though, this year, I think roy Castle may
(34:51):
be a little younger and although Bell County graduated Daniel Thomas,
they still they got Burnett back quarterback. I'm probably gonna
go with Bell County in this one, even though I
believe it's at rock cast Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Well, what you say means a lot because you did
play rock Castle, So I'm taking a lot in consideration
because you've you've experienced them firsthand. Now, of course, Bell
County is coached by the legendary Dudley Hilton. He's got
them off to a five and one record right now.
In twenty twenty three they were the state runner up,
(35:28):
losing to Cow in the state championship game. They had
mister football and Daniel Thomas. I think when that is
named Daniel Thomas, is that is correct? Yep. Now, Dudley
always has Bell County in the state championship conversation. That
and that will be true again this year. They'll be
in the state championship conversation. Rock County so far is undefeated.
(35:53):
And as you said, they're coached by you know, Chris Larkie,
who's you know, the son of the great Tom Larky,
who you know, as you already said, you know, had
rock Castle at the top of the mountain. Uh, in
two state championship games. You know, to me, well, the
first of all, Bell County has led back quarterback Blake Burnett. Okay, uh,
(36:18):
and then they're they're also their top rusher. They lost
mister football, Daniel Thomas, but they've centered everything around Caleb
Caleb Miller. Uh, He's everything is centered. I guess that's
you know, that's kind of Dudley's offense though. He you know,
he gets his one good player in everything is kind
of centered around that. It's usually the tailback, and uh,
(36:39):
that's gonna be Caleb Miller this year. Okay, he's he
He's had some really unbelievable stats in some of his games.
You know, the question is, in my mind, can rock Castle,
you know, stop the running game and and the ball
control of Bell County, you know, kind of gets in
(37:00):
there and they're going to do the three yards cloud
of dust. They're going to control the clock, control the ball,
punch it in. And if rock Castle is able to
stop that running game, then you know they might have
a shot. And they've played actually pretty good defense lately.
I was looking at their their their the scores and
how many points they give it. Actually, it's kind of
that Tony Sailor defense. Where Tony was you know, he
(37:25):
worked with Tom Larky all those years, a great defensive coordinator,
had a lot of respect for him, him and both Tom,
both of them, and kind of showing up that old
Tony Savor defense and if, if, if they could stop
the run, they can have a shot at Bell County.
If I'm predicting, though, I would say that Bell County
would win the game and that that's who I would
(37:48):
go with. But it is at rock Castle, and I'm
just telling you, I'm gonna talk myself into second guess
and myself because.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
It's hey, this is not a slam dunk. This game
can go either way. The only reason that I'm going
with Bell is because I think rock Castle is a
little young. Lip side of it, though, is you know
you brought up Tony Saylor. You're about to talk me
into too picking rock Castle. Now, the rock Castle defense,
it's very unique. It is a different animal, and I
(38:19):
hope he doesn't mind me saying this. I was talking
to Dudley one time about rock Castle's defense. I'm like, man,
what do you do with that? And Dudley's answer was
don't play them? You know, it's like because it is.
It is a It's a different animal, it really is.
And I'm gonna tell you something. You know, we were
struggling throwing the ball early in the year the last
(38:40):
couple of years. You, I think you've got to be
a really good running team to run the ball against
rock Castle. They pinched those gaps, those guys are coming
off the edge. I just think they're really really good
at what they do defensively. And I mean the defense
is built for Bell County. I mean that's who it's
(39:00):
built for. So uh, I think I'm still gonna go
with Bell, but I think it is going to be
a great football game. I think it's gonna be another
classic rock Cast or Bell County game.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
And uh, I.
Speaker 3 (39:14):
Don't know what they're charging. I don't remember from when
we played down there, but I doubt if you're gonna
find a better way to spend seven bucks coming up.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
I bet that it's gonna be electric. I bet the
whole the whole community is going to be there, both communities.
I bet that atmosphere will be electric. It really will be.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
And I mean that's why that's why we're doing this podcast.
And we're still hanging out on the sideline on Friday night.
Those those types of nights are special and uh what
they mean an awful lot to small towns in Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
Hey, Uh, you know, don't don't forget to hang on.
I know, David'll tell us tell you who the next
guest is, but don't forget to hang on and listen
to Max's historical segment at the end. It's it's always great.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
Yeah, Mac does a great job for us. Our guest
next week will be Randy Borcher's the head coach at
Cooper High School, and our tough topic will be for
Marcus Dean, more famously known as Lee glass Cock's son
in law, Lee the old Washington County coach that also
Lee played for my dad at Bull County. But Marcus's
(40:21):
question is going to be what age should you football
switch from developmental to winning?
Speaker 2 (40:28):
And uh like that question.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
Yeah, I think it's a really good question. And I
think I think that him asking that question sort of
gives an insight to well, I won't I won't get
started answering it yet, but I think it's gonna be
a good question.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
And yeah, so I appreciate the listeners tuning in. See
you next week see.
Speaker 5 (40:52):
You, Sports, and in particular, high school sports, are woven
into the fabric of Americana. High schools are part of
the DNA of communities across the country, and that is
certainly true in Kentucky. Fans know the stories of the
big names, but there are many names and many stories
(41:12):
that have been lost to history. This series highlights those
forgotten heroes. In eighteen eighty nine, in western Kentucky, where
Muhlenberg County and Butler County meet, there was a small
settlement called Mud River. It was in Mud River that
a football coaching legend was born. When Alex was sixteen
(41:35):
in nineteen oh six, he showed up in Atlanta and
tried to register at Georgia Tech. The school thought Alex
was too young, but they admitted him to the junior
division of the engineering school.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
Anyway.
Speaker 5 (41:46):
From that day forward, Alex would never leave Georgia Tech,
except for a Stinton service during World War One. Alex
wanted to play football at Georgia Tech and to play
for coach John Heisman. The problem, according to coach Heisman,
was that Alex just wasn't a varsity football player. But
Alex was such a hard worker that coach. Heisman dreamed
(42:10):
up the title Captain of the Scrubs and bestowed that
upon Alex, and he earned his varsity letter. After Alex
graduated in nineteen twelve as tex valedictorian coach, Heisman made
him an assistant coach. In nineteen twenty, John Heisman stepped
down as Georgia Tech coach and Alex was named to
(42:30):
replace him. Alex was the youngest coach in major football
at that time. Alex led Georgia Tech to three Southern
Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles. He also led Tech to its
second national title in nineteen twenty eight. He was the
first college football coach to take his team to the
(42:51):
four major bowls, the Sugar, the Cotton, the Orange, and
the Rose Bowls, winning three of the four during the
nineteen twenty seven season. To make sure Georgia didn't win
a national title, he didn't play his starters but the
first half of every Georgia Tech game up until they
played Georgia. His rested troops beat Georgia twelve oh to
(43:15):
stop the Bulldog's chances at a national title. Alex took
Tech to the nineteen twenty nine Rose Bowl, which was
famous for Royriegals returning a fumble sixty nine yards the
wrong way. It's called the greatest blunder in college football history.
During the Depression, coach alex found school spirit lacking, so
(43:36):
he founded the Yellowjacket Club, which became the Ramblin Wreck
Club at Georgia Tech. In nineteen forty five, Coach alex
turned the reins of the Tech program over to his assistant,
Bobby Dodd, and he remained as the Georgia Tech ad
and head of the Physical education department. Coach alex that
young man from Mud River, Kentucky who was not a
(43:59):
good football player, became Hall of Fame coach WA Alexander.
Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the Tech campus is named in
his honor. His record as a head football coach was
one thirty four, ninety five and fifteen. He also spent
four years as the head basketball coach at Georgia Tech,
(44:22):
and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of
Fame in nineteen fifty one. Coach wa Alexander passed away
from a heart attack April twenty third, nineteen fifty and
coaches from across the country attended his funeral.
Speaker 2 (45:00):
The fact then then the sounding fast fast aside the door,
(46:24):
fast as differ
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