Has anyone done 6 man or 8 man football on here? What are the plusses and minuses? Can you get stuck in a job like that and not be able to get back in to 11 man football?I coached 8 man for 1 year (1991), then 11 man until 6 years ago when we moved to 8 man here.
A few observations:
1. 8 man is good football- at least in states where it is common and not just a novelty- NE, KS, CO, IA MT, ID, OR, WA, OK, CA... all pretty good 8 man football (no offense if I omitted a state).
2. Since we've been 8 man, I have been offered an 11 man job (good job... probably should have taken it
), and have been asked to interview for four jobs where I did not even apply (2 5A and one 4A. To be fair, I was a 5A HC for 6 years and we were pretty successful)
3. 8man forced me out of my comfort zone- which is not completely bad. We were 2TE wishbone in 11 man. can't do that in 8... now we are Single Wing (or shotgun 8 man version of 2TE wishbone...
).
4. I do disagree with midlineqb RE: Colleges not looking at 8man players. Big (DI) colleges often do not flock to our school, but in looking at past years and graduating classes:
class of 2004- 1 NAIA 3 year starter,captain
class of 2005 1 NAIA 1 year starter
class of 2006 1 Division II starter since freshman year (playoff team this past year), 1 NAIA letterman
class of 2007 1 Division IAA starter as (redshirt) freshman
class of 2008 2 NAIA squad mambers
keep in mind our largest roster in any of those years was 17... soon any given team around 30% of our squad members play college football. Our only possible DI player from that era is at a IAA school... given his season, it seems a great fit for him.
5. Not to offend- but the belief that 8 man is inferior or "not real football" is based on ignorance. I was there too... we always scoffed at the 8 man teams who thought they were good. When we moved to 8 man, we found... gee... they are pretty good.
However, the myth is there that "he's just an 8man coach" or he's just an 8man player". Some (administrators/board members who will have a say in the hire; or college recruiters in some cases), can never get beyond that myth. Some can.
It took me only one year to learn there are some very good coaches
in 8 man here. They aren't in bigger schools because they like to live on the farm, or like small town life or like being near home... it has nothing to do with ability. To be fair, there are some poor coaches in 8 man, but I could say the same about some of our 5A opponents (mostly in the city league).
6. From a scheme perspective- some things (sets, plays, etc.) translate very well between 8 and 11. Some do not.
7. From a personnel perspective, 8 man is like very small 11... your next best QB might have to start at Guard to get the best players on the field.
8. 8/9man are really very similar to the 11 man game. 6 is... well, it is an A-11 (A-6), and really wide open. But 6 man football beats cross country or early work on basketball any day.
9. So... back to your question- can you get stuck? NO. You might be limited- some will not place any value on your experience, but I always conclude that I wouldn't want to work in one of those places where the "higher ups" are guided solely by a mythological perception.
When I came back here (as we were moving to 8 man), I heard the term "career suicide" more than once. I am still here-but I've had several opportunities to leave. I guess I have to admit that I like it here... but would have no fear about landing another good job if I decided to leave.
), and have been asked to interview for four jobs where I did not even apply (2 5A and one 4A. To be fair, I was a 5A HC for 6 years and we were pretty successful)
).
