[charlie22]

I would have to say that good athletes make good coaches. The old saying" Jimmy's and Joe's, not x's and o's!!

I've heard that old saying before. Usually from coaches that haven't been successful and aren't very good coaches. :biggrin:

I've seen a lot of teams with great athletes not be great football teams. In my opinion it takes great football players (as opposed to great athletes) to have a great football team. Great coaches develop, create and make great football players. Great football players win championships.

The importance of quality coaching should never be discounted one iota. Quality coaches not only develop the players needed to win, they spend time out in the community creating the needed community support; they get kids out of the hallways and onto the field; they get involved in their youth leagues so that the leagues are ran in a manner that helps the high school; and they work with their administration to get the needed support (and if that isn't enough to convince the administration, they use their contacts in the community to lean on the administration to make it happen. School board members like getting re-elected. You have enough community members calling up the school board members and voicing their displeasure about the lack of administration support and things will change or new school board members will get elected). If those things happen, it's just a matter of time before a great program is built.

Being a quality football coach takes much, much more than what happens on the field and in the locker room.