Highlands Hires Bob Sphire

[Builder1214]

2 hours ago, observerbynature said:

I may have done some reading on a Georgia HS football board, which provided another testament to how good we got it here, and there did seem to be a consensus that Camden Co. was an actual dumpster fire when he took over.   Also seems to be a lot of kids that had left the program prior to him arriving.  

It certainly does seem that he genuinely knows how to run a program from startup (LexCath) to a rebuild (North Gwinnett) and at all of those places it certainly seems that he left all of them in better shape than when he arrived.   

Camden County had a losing season the year before Sphire took over, but the program was hardly a dumpster fire. They've had 5 losing seasons in 50 years. 

Camden County Football Records

[observerbynature]

Yeah, I didn't make it to any of their games, I was just relaying what two different people said on a Georgia HS message board.   So, not really a hill I'm willing to die on.   

[Sweeperboy]

56 minutes ago, ChiefSmoke said:

I wouldn't worry about Coach Sphire's age. If you can get a great coach, get one.  He can be there a while... but even at that... 2 or 3 years with a great coach is still worth doing. Personally, I think he will be there around 10 years... just a guess. 

His last/latest record.... no big deal either. If you coach long enough, you will have tough stretches. And, those tough stretches are usually when you do your best coaching and you grow/learn the most as a coach. 

There were a lot of years, if they gave trophies to coaches like they do players, I would have got "Most Improved" because we got our tails kicked so much. 🙂

It is no fun to go through it, but as long as you have the desire to be great and be the best you can be, you emerge a much better coach. 

Thx Coach for the reassurance on our hire, some just will never understand but hey...

 

 

[ChiefSmoke]

7 minutes ago, Sweeperboy said:

Thx Coach for the reassurance on our hire, some just will never understand but hey...

 

 

If anyone coaches a long time, there are going to be some bad spots. You are going to have some games that your team looks awful.  I've had Friday nights and thought, "We didn't need to have practiced all week and could've played this bad." 

My first game at Paris, we won 34-0. The next week, Beechwood kicked our tails. Had my chance to retire undefeated and blew it.   🙂

[Sweeperboy]

Iam going to go ahead and say this now, only because I knew this was a highly sought after job despite the Highlands’s haters. 

Highlands is a Nationally recognized program, period end of sentence, they have earned the respect and they deserve respect. They have a lot of hard work to do to get back on top but the program has been there done that so a hire like Sphire is an opportunity to succeed not necessarily for Sphire but for the program.
 

What’s even more interesting is the potential draw and the possibility of his staff.
 

 

 

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

I am EXTREMELY interested to find out what Sphire's coaching staff looks like at Highlands.

[FrankNicodemus]

4 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

I am EXTREMELY interested to find out what Sphire's coaching staff looks like at Highlands.

Yes, I think you are going to see some really good hungry assistants that will want to learn from a seasoned vet....also, I think you could take a chance or two on some young talent that are coachable to groom to be great assistants.

[Sweeperboy]

4 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

I am EXTREMELY interested to find out what Sphire's coaching staff looks like at Highlands.

Unlike the last go round, I’ll bet he already had his staff in place before he even accepted  the Highlands’s job, just my opinion.
 

 

[Sweeperboy]

8 hours ago, AgainstTheGrain said:

It will be an all-star staff.

What does this mean?

[Sweeperboy]

7 hours ago, tcjkbt said:

Sounds like a great hire for HHS.   While I did not obsess over the coaching vacancy thread,  I could not help  but follow it some.   Was Coach Sphire on anybody's radar?   I don't recall his name being mentioned.

He was mentioned but we were laughed at for even suggesting he would or could be hired at Highlands. What do I know...

[Kenny Powers]

21 minutes ago, Sweeperboy said:

Unlike the last go round, I’ll bet he already had his staff in place before he even accepted  the Highlands’s job, just my opinion.
 

 

Although I believe that Coach Sphire has thought things through and is 100% in, I doubt that he has a staff lined up. As much as you and I both love HHS and know the attraction it has, I would be surprised if he has anyone officially lined up besides his son. That is really hard to do at the HS level; especially when it is hugely valuable to have coaches IN the building. 

[JBauer24]

5 minutes ago, Kenny Powers said:

Although I believe that Coach Sphire has thought things through and is 100% in, I doubt that he has a staff lined up. As much as you and I both love HHS and know the attraction it has, I would be surprised if he has anyone officially lined up besides his son. That is really hard to do at the HS level; especially when it is hugely valuable to have coaches IN the building. 

Maybe his son will follow him up here.  He was his dad’s QB coach last season. 

[Sweeperboy]

7 minutes ago, Kenny Powers said:

Although I believe that Coach Sphire has thought things through and is 100% in, I doubt that he has a staff lined up. As much as you and I both love HHS and know the attraction it has, I would be surprised if he has anyone officially lined up besides his son. That is really hard to do at the HS level; especially when it is hugely valuable to have coaches IN the building. 

I did not realize his son will be joining him but thx.
 

What does his son coach? 
 

 

[TheDeuce]

25 minutes ago, Sweeperboy said:

He was mentioned but we were laughed at for even suggesting he would or could be hired at Highlands. What do I know...

No you weren’t.

[Voice of Reason]

7 hours ago, tcjkbt said:

Sounds like a great hire for HHS.   While I did not obsess over the coaching vacancy thread,  I could not help  but follow it some.   Was Coach Sphire on anybody's radar?   I don't recall his name being mentioned.

This was posted in the other thread on December 2 by @Sweeperboy

 

Bob Sphire... could be a good one to throw his hat in ring. Remember Highlands is not a start up program but the 2nd now 3rd most winninest program in the nation so coaches without head coaching experience wouldn’t make my cut. Heck you can be an outstanding position or coordinator but that doesn’t make you a head coach. Get that experience somewhere else and then let’s talk.

At least make the criteria include minimum head coaching experience and a couple of championships also help imo.