Who was your coach in HS?Where did you play?When?

I had a far better relationship with the assistant coaches than I ever did with my HC..

I might have spent 10 minutes total in talking with my HC ever..

I see him every once in a while.. and he greets me.. but thats about it..

Still fairly close to my old OC and OL coach.. will speak with them whenever I see them.. highly respect my OC, who is now the HC at my former school..

Great guy, very funny and engaging.....just not very 'warm'.
I never developed a 'relationship' with him though I kept in contact with him because he coached at a local college (plus I played with his son and his son helped us on staff).


zero.
He had no influence on my life whatsoever (actually NONE of my HS staff or Jr High staff had any impact in my life...lmao), but he did do a great job encouraging weight lifting and porn.


whats to say? Everything I wanted to tell my coaches, I've told them.

I can think of only two coaches in my life (one LB coach in college....one DL coach in college) and their style is what I have tried to emulate.

They still running the T at MSMCC??

Dan Armstrong, still the only coach my alma mater (La Quinta) has had.
Its weird because I'm still relatively young (aint had a 10 year reunion yet) and I didn't play college ball; yet I can't remember specifically what I learned from him. I in no way mean that as a slight, I just don't remember what I got from him, my position coaches (which he was not), or on the long strange trip I've had since HS. He's a very successful coach who speaks his mind and doesn't take any guff, in other words a hard @ss. But then again I wonder if we are more likely to see our own HS coach as being harder then they really were because it was us they were coaching?
In any case Ive probably seen him 5-10 times since HS; congradulated him on the titles, asked him how the new team looks, nothing to indepth I guess.

Coach in HS- Which one I had 4.

Our HS program sucked I was 0-10, 0-10 5-4-1, 1-9

College not much better ( I was a Poet what did I expect) but had a good guy named Ken Visser as my HC and I liked him a lot. College record better but not by much. 3-6, 0-9, 3-6 and 3-6

Overall 15-65-1 as a player. I love the game but did not want kids to experience the losing I dealt with. Since I have started coaching ( I came into a winner) we have only had 2 losing seaons in 12 years and I year not going to playoffs. Since I have been DC we are 45-16. The last 3 years we are 33-6. I want kids to know how to win and not do what I dealt with as a player. I had 2 good coaches who I like.

Who: Doug Steeves
Where: Crocus Plains High School - Brandon, MB (where I coach now)
When: '84 through '87 (1987 Provincial Champions 11-0)
Impact on coaching decision: None really, I did get to coach with him for one year, which I thoroughly enjoyed. He did give me a great bit of advice that I use as a coach and in my professional life "Criticize alone and praise in groups". My dad was my hockey and soccer coach and probably was a big part in me taking up coaching.
What would I tell my coach: Nothing that I haven't already, we've stayed fairly close and he knows that I respect him greatly. He was extremely supportive and made football a lot of fun for us - hell, he even let me play running back for him in short yardage and I was a 290 lb guard/NG.

Steve Reeder and Brad Malone at Tombstone High school (yes that Tombstone- Wyatt Earp, OK corral). Two men who mean nothing to most people other then those of us who played for them over the years. I coach because I could never pay them back for all they did for me so I try daily to give to others what they gave to me.

Who: HC Dwight Jensen, OL Hank Scheetz
Where: Hudsons Bay HS - Vancouver, WA
When: '02-'03
Impact on coaching decision: My HC didn't have any impact on me wanting to coach, I really didn't talk to him too much. He resigned just days before the '04 season so therefore I didn't play my senior season. My OL coach didn' thave a direct effect on me coaching, however when I was coaching flag football when I was 15 he helped me out and talked x's and o's, we went on to become league runner up after 6 OT in the 'ship.
What would I tell my coach: I would want to tell him that he helped me become the man I am today. He made football a lot of fun for me, I think I have only talked to him once or twice since I stopped playing. Last I heard he took a School Admin Job in CA, Glendale I believe.

Do you coach in Michigan??

Who was your HS Coach and is he still a part of your life?

Matt Dillon (current head coach at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa (85,86)
Keith Gurius (87,88) was the defensive coordinator for Coach Dillon in 85-86 seasons

Assistants in no particular order: Jerry Walker (Running Backs/QB's, Steve Latimer (LB's) Jack Christensen (DB's), Mark McDermott (DL)

All these guys are still a big part of my life. I try to go see them every time I get home. All but one have actually driven to a game to watch my teams play. Matt Dillon tried to hire me at Cornell College when he took the job. Problem was money was not right for a a guy with a family.


What impact did he have on your choosing to coach if any?

I feel very lucky to have played for all of these guys. They were great coaches, and even more importantly they were quality individuals. They treated us well, had high expectations, held us accountable, and yet made each one of us on the team fell important. I would have and still would run through a wall for every one of these men. The ties that bind me to them are more "family" like than "friend" or "coach" like. They have always been there to give advice to me or just to listen, but bottom line when they told us we were a "football family" they meant it. That is evidenced by how I have been treated more later in life than when I was in HS. I became a coach TOTALLY because of them (and a couple of good college coaches I played for Terry Allen (UNI...currently at Missouri State), Bill Salmon (UNI), and Bob Howard (in my 1 year stint at Northwest Missouri State).

What would you tell him if you could, and how could that impact the way you coach today?

Not sure I could actually tell any of them anything they do not really already know. I have had some very emotional conversations with them about the impact they had on me, I love each of them like they were my fathers. And my own father was a good one, so that status did not come easy for them. I honestly fell as if I am one of the luckiest people on the face of the planet to have played for who I did. Did I always agree with them (no, they should have given me the ball more grrrrrr.....but as a coach I can now truly understand why they did not, I had a much bigger role in the offense than I could appreciate as an immature HS kid....pretty sure I would have benched my sorry a$$ a few times).

Who was your HS Coach and is he still a part of your life?

He is still part of my life on a semi-regular basis. Not sure if he would want his name on this board. He's a private guy.

What impact did he have on your choosing to coach if any?

Mostly from the standpoint of integrity. I never felt misled. Ever. He also never felt it important to put on a show for his players. He was just straight up and matter of fact. He coached with emotion but never from the standpoint of taking away from the team and the game of football.

What would you tell him if you could, and how could that impact the way you coach today?

I would tell him (and I have) "thanks for doing this H.S. coaching thing, right."

He is currently coaching with his son who just became a head coach. Pretty neat stuff.

WHO ?: Noel Dean. Hes probally one of the best coaches in the state so im very lucky to be able to play for him we won many games and went far into the playoffs and have experianced things most high school kids will never. Still talk to him when I bump into him in town.

WHERE ?: Lowell High School ( Lowell,MI )

What impact did he have on your choosing to coach if any? Well he made me love football and i guess he taught me how to instill hard work into kids and how to motivate. I would say a big impact. Im not sure if I played for another coach that I would want to coach.

What would you tell him if you could, and how could that impact the way you coach today? I would tell him I understand now why he was so tough on us as players and he taught me a more about work ethic then X's and O's.

He was a good guy and a legendary coach. It was an old school strictly professional relationship. Like thirty years and twenty trips to the playoffs (including when only 6 teams in the state got in and ended with 16 getting in). I last spoke to him like four years ago when he turned over his program to another coach and there was this big ceremony. He followed the warm weather south with his wife after he left coaching... 35-9 during my four years (My junior year we had over half of those losses when we only had two seniors who started).

Had zero impact on me choosing to coach but a lot of impact on how I handle practices and what I tolerate from the kids.

The only thing I'd tell him is that I'm still sorry that we couldn't bring him the state title my senior year. So close yet so far away... =(

To finish the questions.

I still speak to Coach Higbee from time to time, he did a lot to help me out when i first got into coaching. Above and beyond as always.

We had our conversation over BBQ burritos a couple years ago, I said what I needed to say there.

For the other guy, I have nothing to say. I sure would love to coach agianst him once, but I have no clue where he is now.