ChiefSmoke

Football is too dangerous to choose the latter. When London HS was getting ready to field their first football team, the debate in town was to go out and hire an experienced coach, or take one of the teachers at the HS, who had no knowledge of football, and make him the head coach. My grandmother told them that if they made the teacher the head coach, my dad was not playing. They went out and hired a very good coach.... Carl Oakley. My grandmother usually gets her way. She turns 95 this month. Sorry to hijack the thread. Go Ray!!!:thumb:

I think we are there and we have been for some time. In the thread I started on why is there so much turn over among head coaches... the same reasons there is the turnover are the same reasons our sport is in trouble. It is going to come down to how much a community wants football at the local level. And, do they have the resources to provide what they want.

I don't know what is going on. But, what I do know.... Ray was a junior at Danville when my Dad got to Boyle. Ray's Dad, Gippy, was the head basketball coach at Boyle when my Dad was the head football coach there. My Dad & Gippy were very good friends. I've known Ray for a long time. He is a very good friend, an outstanding football coach who loves his kids, a man of very strong faith in Christ, and one extremely tough son of a gun. Ray has been through a bunch of battles over the years. He told one of his bosses many years ago, "I will be the head football coach here as long as this is where God wants me. When He doesn't want me here, I won't be here." I hate for such a good man and wonderful friend to be in this spot. But, I also know the same faith that has sustained Ray through so many trials as a football coach will sustain him through this one as well. John 16:33

http://bluegrasspreps.com/ky-football-high/xenith-helmet-technology-321334.html

Mercer County

Josh Jaggers would be a great choice for Marion County. He would do a very good job there.

Email me at david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us & I will send you a job description. :thumb:

My original post was the scenario when the feeder program feeds one high school, like Mason and Mercer. I should have made that clear.

We are transitioning to only playing each other. We want to develop more kids and include as many kids as possible. Travel is a barrier for some kids and we can focus more on player development instead of winning that particular game.

It is a newer philosophy. There are those of us, usually older, that think athletics enhance academic performance/success. That idea is not as prevalent any more.

This should help: Random Drug Testing Policy

My thoughts: A tough job continues to get tougher. 1-Football is a numbers game. Every time a new sport/activity is added, inside or outside of school, it takes away from numbers. There is a significant burden on HS Football coaches to make their game attractive to kids. Back in the old days, many kids played because there was less to do, it was expected/standard for most guys to play, and football practice could be an escape from working on the farm.... not as many guys looking to escape the Xbox or PS4. 2-The emphasis on test scores has de-emphasized everything that does not DIRECTLY impact test scores. Athletics are not valued as they were in the past. Don't blame the superintendents/principals. They are doing what they were hired to do. They are hired hands and the reality is they have to produce in regards to test scores. There are still some out there that value athletics. At Mason and at Mercer, my bosses have valued athletics. 3-It is getting tougher to get good assistants in the building. Since athletics are not valued as much in the past, hiring coaches is not as big of a priority. And, when you do get a good teacher/coach hired in the building, the teaching demands are substantially more than they were 30 years ago. It takes a tremendous amount of time to be a good assistant coach, teacher, husband, and father. When a guy has to give up one of those four, it is going to be coaching. There is a growing shortage of teacher/football coaches in the state. Having assistants in the building is crucial to building relationships with kids and the faculty. The assistants help recruit kids to the program. And, usually if a guy can handle a classroom of 30 kids all day or manage the boatload of paperwork the special ed guys are doing, he is a pretty good coach. AND... it takes more than ONE good assistant coach to have a quality football staff. At Mason we had 7 of us in the buildings at one time. At Mercer, we have 8 of us in the school buildings. Even though I am the random drug testing coordinator, my office is at the HS so that I can be in the hallways and be around the kids as much as possible. 4- Finances. Gate receipts & attendance overall do not seem to be what they used to be.... but I have no hard data to back that up. But, I know our gates at Mason declined over the years, even when we were 12-0, and our gates at Mercer, other than the Bowl, were not very good. Red book regulations have made it tougher to get things done if you do have some money and tougher to reward your coaches with attending the state finals or a clinic. Part of this goes to the de-emphasis of athletics. The financial piece makes the program more dependent on the booster club & parents, creating a very unhealthy relationship. When the football program depends on parents and fundraising to survive, parents can feel entitled to share their thoughts on how a program is run, including playing time. Booster Clubs can be a huge asset. But, depending on the Boosters for necessities and basics sets up an unhealthy relationship. Our parents at Mercer have been exceptionally supportive/cooperative, but we are too dependent on them financially and we have to fix that. At Mason, our parents were also very good & helped with fundraising but we were not as dependent on them as we are at Mercer. I don't have easy solutions to the above. I think it comes down to what a community / school prioritize AND also what are the available resources. Some schools/communities value athletics, but the money and resources just are not there to address what is listed above. Resources are poured into test scores. If a place is 2 for 2 .... commitment to football/athletics and the resources to get it done.... you probably have a pretty good program and a coach that has stayed there for an extended period. If you only have 1 out of 2, or worse, zero for 2, it gets very tough to consistently have a strong football program. Finally, this is why I get so aggravated over the 7 on 7 and summer football arguments. I want to get my guys ready for the season, especially in regards to acclimated to the heat. But, in my opinion, the things listed above are why football has struggled in our state. Not how many times we can do 7 on 7. What are your thoughts?

My thoughts: Inseason- Attend games as able and encourage assistants to do so as well. If there are any issues in regards to player safety or poor treatment of youth players, through the director of youth football, the HS head coach needs to address those concerns in season. Out of season- help to establish guidelines for youth football to encourage participation and ensure safety is a priority in regards to teaching, fundamentals, planning practice, & equipment. Be accessible to youth football staff so that as much as possible the HS system is the one that the guys learn from the beginning. But, the priority is placed on good fundamentals, especially in regards to blocking and tackling. If there are equipment or facility needs for the youth program, the HS head coach needs to help them meet those needs the best he can assist. There needs to be a balance between what the overall community wants and what the current head coach wants.... comes from some very good conversations with Leatherneck. The best case scenario, the guy running the feeder programs is on the same page and supportive of the HS head coach and vice versa. We were fortunate to have that at Mason and we have that at Mercer as well. The feeder program is very important, but the HS head coach must spend most of his time out of season getting things in place. In season, it is very difficult to be heavily involved other than to attend games and being as accessible as possible to the youth staff for questions and needed support. Inseason & offseason, if the HS head coach can get in the elementary school & middle school buildings during the day to see the kids, that is a plus. A summer youth camp is another way the HS program can help the youth program. The camp is an opportunity to generate interest & to help get all coaches from the feeder program thru HS on the same page in regards to the system, drills, & teaching fundamentals. For the long range success of the HS program, the feeder program is a very big piece. Therefore, the HS head coach needs to be as involved as he possibly can to ensure the presence of a quality feeder program. What are your thoughts?

Football: Boyle County, Mercer County to meet in Week 10 games in 2017, '18 - The Advocate Messenger: High School Sports

We are doing the right thing, but I am not crazy about Chuck being on the other sideline. He has been a very good friend since 83 and when we coached together at Mercer. One good thing about being old is I have been down this road several times. I had great respect for the Rebels & Hogs , Coach Rall & Coach Johnson when we played them. I had to play my old boss from Paris, Roger Gruneisen, when he went to our cross town rival at Bourbon & I became the head coach for the Greyhounds. The guys in Flatwoods, Russell HS, became very good friends, especially Coach McGlone & Coach Morriss. I always wanted to win in Flatwoods more than any other place, but had tremendous respect for them as people and their football program. In fact, I really enjoyed the challenge of preparing for a great staff & program. Those guys did a great job and we had some wonderful battles.... just too many were close games and we were on the wrong end of them. But, that did make each time we were able to win more valuable. And, their program pushed our program to get better across the board in regards to schemes, how we practice in the spring & preseason, game planning, fundamentals, etc. The Royals became a much better football program because of the Red Devils and their staff. My HS coach (Larry French) & my dad (John Buchanan) were head coaches at both Boyle & Mercer. Sort of crazy how things turn out and now the Titans will play the Rebels and the guy on the other sideline will be one of the first guys I ever coached with on the same staff.... who happened to go on and win 5 state titles. He has come a long way from when we were marking the fields on Thursday nights at 10 pm & eating pizza with Coach French, Jack Robertson, & the Tatum brothers. Those were great days.... but I don't want to mark the field anymore. Lol This game is good for HS football in our area. Our kids and fans will be excited about it and the atmosphere will be great. Today was a big positive for both programs.

ShaDon is an outstanding coach and very good friend. I enjoyed the challenge of getting our guys ready to play his Vikings. He could get them ready. They always played hard and played well.

Congratulations to Sam and the Lettons! And, to Coach Brown! :thumb:

I am ok with playing up a class when it puts you in a district to help with travel. But, it is so tough getting a schedule with such small districts, why not travel for maybe two tough trips, then play the teams you are closer to geographically for your non-district games? For me, that would make it easier to put together a schedule. You are only going to have one or two bad trips a year as a result of your district if the schools are spread out. Then, you have less travel for non-district games, and probably better attendance.

I found out my kids were teling each other "you can use your head and it doesn't hurt." Obviously when I heard that I addressed it and we began to watch for that.

Football Helmet Technology | Xenith I am no expert, but I have been around the game my entire life. My first memory of football helmets is my Dad taking the job at Boyle and spray painting all of them gold. I can still see all those suspension helmets, freshly painted, in the area next to the back door of the HS leading out to the parking lot. And, while I could give you a rather long post on all the helmets between now and 1969, :sssh:, I will just say that I believe the Xenith is the best/safest helmet out there based on all the things a coach does in trying to find the best he can for his players. For me, it starts with the foundation of the shock absorber system. My son wore a Xenith from middle school thru HS. Ironically, his 2nd concussion, both were significant, ended his football career as a senior in HS. No helmet can eliminate the "whiplash" concussion and I do believe the severity of at least one of the concussions was lessened because he wore a Xenith. I think several times the Xenith prevented a concussion for him. Football is a great game and I am a big fan of Xenith. My son is a freshman in college. The benefits of HS football far outweigh the negatives and those positives impact him each day as an adult....not to mention the experience and memories he has from those Friday nights.

I like Xenith. Works with shock absorbers as opposed to padding.

Coach Alvis Johnson as a young coach had a first hand experience in stopping a great player- Sonny Collins! BlackShoes&WhiteShoeStrings: Coach Alvis Johnson & Sonny Collns

Here is a better look at the stadium. @gchs_uk9

In going through my Dad's stuff, I have been very pleased to find some great things that remind me of him. Here are the 3 team pictures from his years at Lafayette in Lexington, KY- 1966, 1967 & 1968. He was an assistant for the Generals. One of my favorite stories on my Dad comes from this time. They were sitting in the coaches office in December of 1968. My Dad, being that young assistant football coach that has all the answers, proclaims that HE knows how to STOP O.J. Simpson. USC & Ohio State are getting ready to play in the 1969 Rose Bowl. The other coaches on staff tell my Dad that he is nuts. He gets more wound up. He gets so fired up he CALLS the Ohio State Football Office. He tells someone on staff that he KNOWS when the Trojans will run Student Body Right. He tells them the left Tackle & Guard will back up in their stance / alignment, tipping off the play (Bill Belichick would be proud!) The coach he speaks to on the phone assures my Dad that they have seen that on film (16 mm in those days) and they are ready for it. OJ had a big day for the Trojans in that Rose Bowl, but the Buckeyes won the game. I love that story because I have enjoyed hearing over the years my young assistants have all the answers. I am glad they are like that and I enjoy the confidence and enthusiasm those guys bring to a staff. It is fun for me to have a mental picture of my Dad when he was that young assistant coach who was going to turn the football world upside down. I loved New Year's Day and watching the Bowl games with my Dad. I hope there are many fathers and sons enjoying that today. Happy New Year and have a great 2016. 1966 Generals. My Dad is the first person on the back row from the left. 1967 Generals. My Dad is the 2nd coach from the right in the back row. I could not get the 1968 team picture to upload. I was 3 and I remember that picture day. You can see it at this link: BlackShoes&WhiteShoeStrings: Late 60's: Lafayette HS Football; 1969 Rose Bowl- OJ Simpson, Ohio State & the young coach with all the answers!

I don't have a great answer, but one thing we do is get our players in front of prospective players and their parents and share their experience. We do this specifically at recruit night. I had a nonfootball Titan at the house recently and went through some different pictures, old video, game balls, stories, etc. He understands it because he had played and his dad played. But, you are correct.... It is difficult to communicate.