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MAY, 2005

NEXT CLINIC- BUFFALO - for more info - 2005 Clinics MEMORIAL DAY SPECIAL (UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS) May 31, 2005 - "After a lifetime of leading troops, I have concluded that the single most important ingredient of leadership is character." General Norman Schwarzkopf   *********** Coach Wyatt, My name is Dick Cerone. I am the New York State Football Chairman and the Athletic Director of Aquinas Institute, the school were Don Holleder graduated in 1952. We would like to become a part of the Black Lion Award. It would be a great honor for our school. We have just completed our new football stadium and we are putting up a shrine honoring Don Holleder. (This means that Don Holleder's high school and his college are both Black Lions teams! STOP PUTTING IT OFF - ENROLL YOUR TEAM NOW!) *********** Lloyd Brown of Charlotte Hall, Maryland was 16 years old when when he lied about his age so he could join the Navy. That was 1918, and America was gearing up to fight World War I. "Everybody was patriotic; everybody wanted to join," he told The Washington Post. "Those who joined were local heroes, well received on the public streets." Mr. Brown, now 103, rode in the Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. yesterday. Of the 4.7 million Americans who served in World War I, he is one of only 30 still living. *********** Good morning Coach: No words really match the news today. WOW. Great job and thanks. I can't remember the first time I read "Young Fellow My Lad" on your website, but it is my all time favorite. The Libs (especially that fat ass murderer Kennedy) should have to read the Michael Carlson story. If that doesn't put a little tear to the eye, than brother, you ain't breathin'. To me, that's what it's all about. Have a great weekend Coach! David Livingstone Troy, Michigan *********** Coach Wyatt: As has become an annual tradition for me, I opened your 'News' page first this morning. You are the best at covering Memorial Day as it should be covered. Thanks! Happy holiday. Keith Babb, Northbrook, Illinois *********** Coach, I just finished reading your most recent NEWS YOU CAN USE and wanted to let you know how much I appreciate what you do. You have a great way of keeping things in perspective and reminding us that while football is a great part of the American society, it is not everything and some things are more important. Thanks for a great Memorial Day tribute. God bless you. Greg Koenig, Colby, Kansas *********** Hi Coach, In the future... can you give us a heads up on a column like you wrote today? I look like a damn fool in the office when I have to go running for tissues. Thanks for Today's News. Question is, can I read it to my kids without crying? I'll find out this weekend. Regards, Matt Bastardi, Montgomery, New Jersey *********** Hugh: You have done a beautiful job in remembering our dear departed brothers. I have never been able to read YOUNG FELLOW MY LAD without choking up and tears coming to my eyes. If you had known some of those young soldiers, their dignity and bravery and willingness to die for their buddies--it escapes the imagination. If anything has endeared itself to me in my life it has been the honored experience to have been one with them. That is why I call myself the storyteller--because without them I would be at a loss to be proud of what we did. Being with them has enriched my life and proven to me without a doubt the power of love and sacrifice. Thanks for all your good work. Black Lions. Jim Shelton, Englewood, Florida *********** Coach Wyatt - Again for another year, your Memorial Day tribute was Great !!! The Don Holleder stuff is superb and moving !!! I hope All Americans remember all the Veterans and the current crop of Soldiers,who bust their Ass to keep us safe !!! ( Coach Wyatt - Do you think you can re-print Ronald Regean's 1984 D-Day Normandy speech like you did last year ? Maybe the greatest and most inspirational speech I have ever heard !!!) And speaking of veterans, Just came back from the sneak preview of the James J. Braddock ( a WWII veteran himself) movie Cinderella Man AWESOME !!! You got be a Robot or a Bag of flour Not to draw a tear at this flick, Coach you and your wife Must see this film !!! Jimmy Braddock is a true Genuine Irish-American Hero and role-model, unlike other Irish miscreants who shall remain nameless, Have a great Holiday Coach !!! - John Muckian Lynn, Massachusetts *********** How are you coach? I haven't e-mailed you much this off-season. Chris McPhail, the young man that won the Black Lion Award in our program is going to the University of Minnesota to Wrestling Division I. He won the 189 state championship this year. I wanted you to know that he put down the Black Lion Award down as his second most memorable moment in High School behind the state title. Shane Strong, Health/PE/Head Football, Pine Island High School, Pine Island, Minnesota   *********** The perfect spot for an NBA training camp... The photo at left was taken on a recent trip through Northern California. I realize it's California, and California does sometimes look at things a bit differently, but this is ridiculous... *********** Hey - they tell me a woman raced at Indianapolis Sunday. Is there any truth to that? Was there anything on TV or in the papers about it? Why didn't somebody tell me? (I just heard, by the way, that John Kerry fought in Vietnam.) Okay, okay. Just kidding. Yes, I know a woman raced at Indy. Finished fourth. I'm told there were actually some guys driving in the race, too - but you'd never have known it. And you thought Pope John Paul was on a fast track to sainthood.   *********** The women on the tennis tour think it's unfair that the men's purses are bigger. The argument that the men use is that fans get more for their money because the mens' matches last longer - they play best of five sets, while the women play best of three. But there are equally strong arguments that at least right now, the womens' tennis is a better draw. Certainly - if you remember to turn down the sound so you don't have to listen to their grunts, which are part orgasmic, part childbirth - the women are a lot easier to watch. I think watching three sets of the women is a lot more enjoyable than watching five sets of the, uh, "men." I mean, have you seen the "men" these days? I swear, ninety percent of them have pony tails. They're tied up, of course, but they're pony tails nonetheless. And this latest phenom? This Spanish guy named Rafael Nadal? He's really good, but I can't stand looking at him. He's scruffy, with a (Nike) rag tied around his head, and he wears a day-glo green sleeveless shirt (hanging out, of course) and - you have got to see these - tan capri pants. "If it weren't for tennis," one of his uncles told Sports Illustrated, "Rafa would probably be a soccer star right now." Now, that I can believe. *********** Remember this, the next time you wonder why the NFL is what it is... "We're not in the business anymore of selling three hours of football; we're in the business of selling a five-hour experience." Rich McKay, President and GM of the Atlanta Falcons.   *********** I just paid my semi-annual visit to Powell's Books, in Portland, and found a few treasures: Fly T Football by Hamp Pool and Michigan State Multiple Offense by Biggie Munn, to name a couple, and both in excellent condition. But one that I had to pass on was Charlie Caldwell's Modern Single Wing Football, still in its original dust cover. Price? $70. Yikes! *********** "The Teacher of the Year for the Lucia Mar Unified School District cannot be named within the space of this story," reports the San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Tribune: "It's everyone," said Branden Leach, president of the Lucia Mar Unified Teachers Association. All 575 instructors in San Luis Obispo County's largest school district are winners, he said. "We all help children in our own special way." The name of the winner was to have been announced at tonight's school board meeting. Instead, Leach will read a statement explaining why the union has decided not to pick a single winner this year. Leach explains that the union actually means to make a political statement: "choosing one among us as the best is similar to merit pay," which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger supports. Leach says that in the past when the union named a teacher of the year, "the winner invariably said 'I'm not the best.' " We're not sure arguing that all teachers are equally bad is the best way to win public support. Although the Lucia Mar USD and its union may sound a bit daft, I must say that I have never been a fan of this "Teacher of the Year" crap. As a teacher myself, I always considered the idea of singling out one teacher in a state - or a school district, or even a department- to be somewhat insulting to those of us who did our jobs to the best of our ability and considered ourselves to be damn good teachers, too. My feeling always was, "Who the hell is qualified to say that this one teacher is a better teacher than I am? Or, for that matter, a better teacher than some of the other people I teach with? How they hell are they able to measure one teacher over another?" In fact, I think that glorifying one teacher can reinforce the idea in the public's mind that other teachers aren't excellent - they somehow don't measure up to the winner - and this is totally false. My observation has been that while public education harbors many piss-poor teachers, spinelessly concerned with their students' feelings instead of their minds, there are also many, many who really do an excellent job in the classroom. Unfortunately, they are seldom recognized. Fortunately, that doesn't matter much to them, because they are in teaching for things other than recognition (or money). What makes me chuckle at the idea of selecting a Teacher of the Year is that administrators say they can't get rid of bad teachers because they have no way of identifying them. So how come they identify the single best teacher in an area? Who decides who is the best teacher? (Often, the "judges" are people pushing a special agenda of their own. It might be a special area of study, or - gasp - it might be "diversity.") Is one job prized ahead of others? (I see far too many of these awards going to the spectacular teacher with the cushy assignment - 15 kids on a college-prep track, for example - while the one who soldiers on with five classes of "reluctant learners" gets short shrift.) How do these people get noticed? (Often, selection is based on nominations, submitted in many cases by a teacher's good buddies, and in other cases by parents. There is an inherent bias here, because many excellent teachers labor with kids whose parents don't even know what school they go to. And - I know that this will come as a great surprise - in education, as in any other field, there are always those who build a career on successful self-promotion.) What are the criteria by which a "Teacher of the Year" is chosen? (Far too often, "creativity" and "innovation" and "ability to relate" are highly-rated, meaning that the little old English teacher who grinds away, teaching the fundamentals of good writing and insisting on adherence to high standards and taking home a hundred essays to read every weekend is devalued. My personal belief is that we need more of those people, and fewer self-interested showmen.) The idea, I think, is not to have Faculty Stars. The idea is to have a faculty which is strong overall, a faculty whose members take pride in each other, and take pride in being part of a successful team. Which is why most people I taught with would always take one look at the "Teacher of the Year" selections, say "Who gives a sh--?", and get on with the business of teaching kids. *********** Coach - Looks like PITT has stayed with the Vegas gold....at least for this year.  New helmets though. http://store.shoppittpanthers.com/ Brian Rochon, North Farmington, Michigan Yuk- It's a block PITT on grey poupon. Same ugly-ass panther, too, but at least it's off the helmet! HW *********** A couple of weeks ago the Portland-srea police issued an all-points bulletin for a man charged with raping a 54-year-old woman. They were looking for a guy who'se been in and out of prison numerous times over the years for assorted sex crimes. He was described as white, I forget his height and weight, and - get this - 82 years old. "What's he doing out?" My wife asked me. "What's he doing in?" I asked her. Ha, ha. And then I had my answer when the news broke, almost at the same time, that several states had been providing Viagra to sex offenders, paid for by Medicaid (aka the American taxpayer). Not any more, though. Our politicians, who ordinarily couldn't have cared less, are all over the case - now that it's hit the newspapers. Suddenly, it seems to have dawned on them that maybe - just maybe - sex offenders, not to mention society at large, might be better off with E.D. No more free Viagra for weiner waggers. Meanwhile, don't expect Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra, to take the loss of all this business lying down. Look for them to try to sneak their drug past the feds under a different name. I suggest PERVERTIS *********** Writes Christopher Anderson, of Palo Alto, California... Matt Hayes of The Sporting News reports that the Big XII, SEC and ACC are looking to push for five years of playing eligibility. I'm sorry, but if that goes through I think we've come as close as possible to totally dropping any college pretense in college football - the NCAA might as well professionalize at that point. (On another note, you could argue that everyone is taking five years to graduate these days.) I'm also really against medical redshirts if the allowed redshirt has already been used...six seasons is just too long to be on a college roster. I think that giving players five years of eligibility would eradicate once and for all any remaining pretense of a connection between colleges and college athletics. College coaches being paid millions a year? Coordinators paid more than full professors? Legions of assistants being paid far more than the graduate assistants who do so much of the actual classroom teaching? How can you justify it? It is growing very difficult for me to refute the argument that college football and basketball players should be paid. (Ain't gonna happen, of course, because Title IX will require them to pay women volleyball, soccer and softball players, swimmers and divers, rowers and equestriennes, not to mention male soccer, lacrosse and baseball players, none of whom bring in anywhere near the revenue that football provides them.) I mean, come on - what business other than college football pays its CEO hundreds of thousands of dollars more than all its workers (oops- student-athletes) combined, allows its CEO to pocket large sums of money in exchange for dressing its workers the clothing and shoes of a particular manufacturer(while paying the workers nothing for their modeling services), gives its executives extravagant performance (bowl) bonuses while giving the workers a couple of weeks' extra work, and makes its workers work an extra week (a 12th game!) without having to pay them extra, while increasing its prices whenever it wants - take it or leave it - merely by adding an extra game? HW *********** Hello Coach! I was looking at your website (I told you I'm on it a lot) and I was visiting the Black Lions page. I want to enroll the team (NMYAFL Manzano Monarchs Junior Division) for the 2005 Season, if it's not too early (MEMO TO EVERY COACH WHO READS THIS - IT'S NOT TOO EARLY!) I can't wait for the season to start. We had equipment issue yesterday and it had everybody excited and ready to hit! Have a great Memorial Day! Marvin Garcia, Albuquerque, New Mexico *********** "My favorite general," was how Dennis Cook, of Roanoke, Virginia titled this passage he sent me... "General" I remarked, "How is it that you can keep so cool and appear so utterly insensible to danger in such a storm of shell and bullets as rained about you when your hand was hit?" He instantly became grave and reverential in his manner, and answered, in a low tone of great earnestness: "Captain, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me." He added, after a pause, looking me full in the face: "That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave" Lt. General Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson speaking to then Captain John D. Imboden, Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War, G.F.R Henderson, Vol. 1, p. 163 *********** What a tremendous honor... Coach, Something that had never happened before at Umatilla High School happened during graduation last Thursday night. The Valedictorian and Saluatorian get to choose a teacher to honor as having the biggest impact on them during their four years of high school. It usually goes to those faculty members teaching honors English, Math, Science or Social Studies. As usual the Saluatorian selected the one who teaches honors math (she has won one of them almost every year since I have been here) but the Valedictorian surprised everyone, most of all me, when he selected me (the football coach). You see Bryan Kemp was our starting center his junior and senior year. It was probably the biggest honor I have received in all my years as a head coach. Bryan is a great kid and in addition to being Valedictorian he was recognized as never missing a day of school in his twelve years. That was quite an accomplishment in itself. It certainly humbled me and made me realize that we do make a difference in student athlete's lives. Bryan has a great future as he wants to go to Pharmacy school, and he has a great work ethic, but his being a part of this football program had meant a great deal to him and he stated he had learned as much from his experiences there as in any of the other classes. Just wanted to pass this on. Ron Timson, Umatilla, Florida *********** My, how they change their tunes when they're about to lose their toys. Like the scruffy loser who shows up in court neatly groomed and wearing a suit, Kellen Winslow, Jr., on the verge of losing millions, "issued" an "apology" for having crashed his motorcyle, in violation of his contract. The language in the "statement" is pure legal boilerplate, the kind of ghostwritten kaka we're all used to hearing anytime an athlete runs afoul of the law. You know the routine - the guy's agent steps forward and reads from a piece of paper (without even looking up), "Clyde wishes to apologize to all his fans..." Young Mr. Winslow's was a classic. "In hindsight," his statement read in part, "it was unwise to attempt to learn to ride a motorcycle without a professional instructor in a controlled environment." Yeah, right, Kellen. "A professional instructor in a controlled environment." I'm sure those were your very words. Which is beside the point, anyhow, because I don't believe the contract says it's okay to ride a motorcyle even once you have been taught to ride by "a professional instructor in a controlled environment." The statement - which all agent/lawyers should add to their boilerplate collections - should have read, "In hindsight it was unwise to violate the terms of my contract." *********** A 27-year-old Australian woman caught by Indonesian customs officials with nine pounds of marijuana hidden in her surfboard bag as she arrived on the island of Bali has been sentenced to 20 years. She could have been sentenced to death. Indonesia is that serious about drug smuggling. There is, as you might expect, a lot of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth on the part of her relatives, and now, as if the government of Australia doesn't have enough other problems, it is offering to send "two senior lawyers" to Indonesia to assist with her appeal, and will ask Indonesia to consider a "prisoner exchange." Let her rot. She's not a teenager. She was plenty old enough to know what was going on. And NINE POUNDS is a hell of a lot of weed. It is an NBA-sized stash. *********** What is your cadence and how do you use it with the words and motion etc. That day we were in Westminster I tried to pick up on it but didn't gather it all in. We have always been a Down Ready Set Go cadence, but I am thinking if we are going to use more and more motion we might need a change. What are your thoughts? Our cadence is "GO! - ReadyyyyyyyyyyyHUT." We normally snap the ball on GO or on FIRST HUT. Normal motion starts on the "R" of "Ready" and isn't very long. If the motion has to be longer, we start the motion after GO (not ON go) with a flick of the QB's heels, because I've found that I don't want too much time to elapse between the "R" of Ready and the "Hut". When we shift, we shift on "GO," then set for a full second before sending anyone in motion (or running the play). I sense that you come to the line and go down when the QB says "DOWN". Nothing wrong with that, although I like my kids to come to the line and dig in. I want defenses to have to be ready to get smacked the instant we come to the line. If you wanted to do have a three-part snap count, like us, you could dispense with the "DOWN!" and say "READY! Set-t-t-t-t-GO!" (Motion starting on the "S" of "SET") I believe that that's what Delaware use to say. Or you could dispense with the "READY" and say "DOWN! Se-e-e-e-e-ett-GO!" BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Army's Will Sullivan wore his Black Lion patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners

NEXT CLINIC- BUFFALO - for more info - 2005 Clinics (UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS) May 27, 2005 - MEMORIAL DAY SPECIAL    "They never fail who die in a great cause." Lord Byron   *********** Memorial Day, once known as Decoration Day, was originally set aside to honor the men who died in the Civil War. (There was a time when certain southern states did not observe it, preferring instead to observe their own Memorial Days to honor Confederate war dead.)   The Civil War soldiers called it "seeing the elephant." It meant experiencing combat. They started out cocky, but soon learned how suddenly horrible - how unforgiving and inescapable - combat could be. By the end of the Civil War 620,000 of them on both sides lay dead. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were left dead or homeless. "I have never realized the 'pomp and circumstance' of glorious war before this," a Confederate soldier bitterly wrote, "Men...lying in every conceivable position; the dead...with eyes open, the wounded begging piteously for help." "All around, strange mingled roar - shouts of defiance, rally, and desperation; and underneath, murmured entreaty and stifled moans; gasping prayers, snatches of Sabbath song, whispers of loved names; everywhere men torn and broken, staggering, creeping, quivering on the earth, and dead faces with strangely fixed eyes staring stark into the sky. Things which cannot be told - nor dreamed. How men held on, each one knows, - not I." Each battle was a story of great courage and audacity, sometimes of miscommunication and foolishness. But it's the casualty numbers that catch our eyes. The numbers roll by and they are hard for us to believe even in these days of modern warfare. Shiloh: 23,741, Seven Days': 36,463, Antietam: 26,134, Fredericksburg: 17,962, Gettysburg: 51,112, and on and on (in most cases, the South named battles after the town that served as their headquarters in that conflict, the North named them after rivers or creeks nearby. So Manassas for the South was Bull Run for the North; Antietam for the Union was Sharpsburg for the Confederacy). General William T. Sherman looked at the aftermath of Shiloh and wrote, "The scenes on this field would have cured anybody of war."   From "Seeing the Elephant" Raw Recruits at the Battle of Shiloh - Joseph Allan Frank and George A. Reaves - New York: Greenwood Press, 1989   Probably the best known poem from the Civil War, The Blue and the Gray, by Frances Miles Finch illustrates the truth that as bitterly as the men of the two sides were divided, as ferociously as they fought, the fallen - winner and loser alike - are finally united, "Under the sod and the dew, Waiting the judgment day."   The Blue and the Gray, by Frances Miles Finch By the flow of the inland river,  Whence the fleets of iron have fled,  Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver,  Asleep on the ranks of the dead;  Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment day;  Under the one, the Blue;  Under the other, the Gray.  These in the robings of glory,  Those in the gloom of defeat;  All with the battle-blood gory,  In the dusk of eternity meet;  Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment day;  Under the laurel, the Blue; Under the willow, the Gray.  From the silence of sorrowful hours,  The desolate mourners go,  Lovingly laden with flowers,  Alike for the friend and the foe;  Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment day;  Under the roses, the Blue;  Under the lilies, the Gray.  So, with an equal splendor,  The morning sun-rays fall,  With a touch impartially tender,  On the blossoms blooming for all;  Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment day;  Broidered with gold, the Blue;  Mellowed with gold, the Gray.  So, when the summer calleth,  On forest and field of grain,  With an equal murmur falleth  The cooling drip of the rain;  Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment day;  Wet with the rain, the Blue;  Wet with the rain, the Gray.  Sadly, but not with upbraiding,  The generous deed was done;  In the storm of the years that are fading,  No braver battle was won;  Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment day;  Under the blossoms, the Blue;  Under the garlands, the Gray.  No more shall the war-cry sever,  Or the winding rivers be red;  They banish our anger forever,  When they laurel the graves of our dead. Under the sod and the dew,  Waiting the judgment day;  Love and tears for the Blue;  Tears and love for the Gray.  *********** Following World War I, Americans began to celebrate the week leading up to Memorial Day as Poppy Week. It was because of a poem by Major John McCrae, a Canadian surgeon, that the poppy, which burst into bloom all over the once-bloody battlefields of northern Europe, came to symbolize the rebirth of life following the tragedy of war.   Long after World War I ended, veterans' organizations in America, Australia and other nations which fought in the war sold imitation poppies at this time of year to raise funds to assist disabled veterans.   After having spent seventeen days hearing the screams and dealing with the suffering of men wounded in the bloody battle at Ypres, in Flanders (a part of Belgium) in the spring of 1915, Major McCrae wrote, "I wish I could embody on paper some of the varied sensations of that seventeen days... Seventeen days of Hades! At the end of the first day if anyone had told us we had to spend seventeen days there, we would have folded our hands and said it could not have been done." Major McCrae was especially affected by the death of a close friend and former student. Following his burial - which, in the absence of a chaplain, Major McCrae had had to perform - the Major sat in the back of an ambulance and, gazing out at the wild poppies growing in profusion in a nearby cemetery, began to compose a poem, scribbling the words in a notebook as he went. But when he was done, he discarded it. It was only thanks to the efforts of a fellow officer, who rescued it and sent it to newspapers in England, that it was published. The poem, "In Flanders Fields", is considered perhaps the greatest of all wartime poems. The special significance of the poppies is that poppy seeds can lie dormant in the ground for years; only when the soil has been turned over do the poppies flower. The violence of war had so churned the soil of northern Belgium that by the time Major McCrae wrote his poem, poppies were said to be blossoming in a way that no one could ever remember having seen them do before. In Flanders Fields... by John McCrae In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.   MEMORIAL DAY IN OUR LITTLE TOWN - CAMAS, WASHINGTON It's not the worst thing in the world to live across the street from a cemetery, as we do - not when the cemetery is as beautiful as our town's cemetery is. And it's especially beautiful on Memorial Day and Veterans' Day, when the lush green hilltop is studded with flags and flowers. The tall evergreens, silhouetted against the sky, stand guard in the background. My wife and I look forward to Memorial Day as the informal kickoff to summer, but also as a reminder that Americans still care. Every year, the routine is the same: on Saturday a local Boy Scout troop places flags on the graves of veterans at the town cemetery while each Veteran's name is read aloud by a member of the local American Legion post; then, for the rest of the three-day weekend, a steady stream of visitors passes through to place flowers and pay their respects.   *********** Robert W. Service is one of my favorite poets, and this poem, about a young Englishman and his loving father, is especially poignant on a day when we remember our people who gave everything, and extend our sympathy to those they left behind. Young Fellow My Lad by Robert W. Service "Where are you going, Young Fellow My Lad, On this glittering morn of May?" "I'm going to join the Colours, Dad; They're looking for men, they say." "But you're only a boy, Young Fellow My Lad; You aren't obliged to go." "I'm seventeen and a quarter, Dad, And ever so strong, you know." "So you're off to France, Young Fellow My Lad, And you're looking so fit and bright." "I'm terribly sorry to leave you, Dad, But I feel that I'm doing right." "God bless you and keep you, Young Fellow My Lad, You're all of my life, you know." "Don't worry. I'll soon be back, dear Dad, And I'm awfully proud to go." "Why don't you write, Young Fellow My Lad? I watch for the post each day; And I miss you so, and I'm awfully sad, And it's months since you went away. And I've had the fire in the parlour lit, And I'm keeping it burning bright Till my boy comes home; and here I sit Into the quiet night." "What is the matter, Young Fellow My Lad? No letter again to-day. Why did the postman look so sad, And sigh as he turned away? I hear them tell that we've gained new ground, But a terrible price we've paid: God grant, my boy, that you're safe and sound; But oh I'm afraid, afraid." "They've told me the truth, Young Fellow My Lad: You'll never come back again: (OH GOD! THE DREAMS AND THE DREAMS I'VE HAD, AND THE HOPES I'VE NURSED IN VAIN!) For you passed in the night, Young Fellow My Lad, And you proved in the cruel test Of the screaming shell and the battle hell That my boy was one of the best. "So you'll live, you'll live, Young Fellow My Lad, In the gleam of the evening star, In the wood-note wild and the laugh of the child, In all sweet things that are. And you'll never die, my wonderful boy, While life is noble and true; For all our beauty and hope and joy We will owe to our lads like you."   ON MEMORIAL DAY, WE HONOR THE MEN OF THE BLACK LIONS, AND ALL-AMERICA DON HOLLEDER "THE BIG RED ONE", the 1st Infantry Division, of which the Black Lions are a part, is a very proud U.S. Army division.   The 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry "Black Lions", the U.S. battalion which fought the Battle of Ong Thanh on October 17, 1967, was part of a rich military tradition. The first U.S. victory of World War I was won when the 28th Infantry Regimentof the !st Division attacked and seized the small French village of CANTIGNY on the 28th of May 1918, earning for The 28th Infantry Regiment the nickname "Black Lions of CANTIGNY". General John J. Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, said of the 1st Division: "The Commander-in-Chief has noted in this division a special pride of service and a high state of morale, never broken by hardship nor battle." These words have never been forgotten by the 1st Infantry Division. All military units seek to be known as special and unique - the best. The 1st Infantry Division has been able, over the many years of its existence, to retain that esprit, and most of those who have served in many different US Army divisions remember the special esprit which the 1st Division was able to imbue throughout its ranks. LOST AT ONG THANH, VIET NAM, OCTOBER 17, 1967 K I A ... Adkins, Donald W.... Allen, Terry... Anderson, Larry M.... Barker, Gary L.... Blackwell, James L., Jr.... Bolen, Jackie Jr. ... Booker, Joseph O. ... Breeden, Clifford L. Jr ... Camero, Santos... Carrasco, Ralph ... Chaney, Elwood D. Jr... Cook, Melvin B.... Crites, Richard L.... Crutcher, Joe A. ...... Dodson, Wesley E.... Dowling, Francis E.... Durham, Harold B. Jr ... Dye, Edward P. ... East, Leon N.... Ellis, Maurice S.... Familiare, Anthony ... Farrell, Michael J. ...Fuqua, Robert L. Jr. ...Gallagher, Michael J. ...Garcia, Arturo ...Garcia, Melesso ...Gilbert, Stanley D. ...Gilbertson, Verland ...Gribble, Ray N. ...Holleder, Donald W. ...Jagielo, Allen D. ...Johnson, Willie C. Jr ...Jones, Richard W. ...Krischie, John D. ...Lancaster, James E. ...Larson, James E. ...Lincoln, Gary G. ...Lovato, Joe Jr. ...Luberta, Andrew P. ...Megiveron, Emil G. ...Miller, Michael M. ...Moultrie, Joe D. ...Nagy, Robert J. ...Ostroff, Steven L. ...Platosz, Walter ...Plier, Eugene J. ...Porter, Archie ...Randall, Garland J. ...Reece, Ronney D. ...Reilly, Allan V. ...Sarsfield, Harry C. ...Schroder, Jack W. ...Shubert, Jackie E. ...Sikorski, Daniel ...Smith, Luther ...Thomas, Theodore D. Jr. ...Tizzio, Pasquale T. ...Wilson, Kenneth P. .... M I A ... Fitzgerald, Paul ...Hargrove, Olin Jr. Several years ago, while visiting the First Division (Big Red One) Museum in Wheaton, Illinois I read these lines, and thought of those men... If you are able Save a place for them inside of you, And save one backward glance When you are leaving for places They can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, Though you may or may not always have. Take what they have left And what they have taught you with their dying, And keep it with your own. And in that time when men feel safe To call the war insane, Take one moment to embrace these gentle heroes You left behind. by Major Michael D. O'Donnell... shortly before he was killed in action in Vietnam, 1970 DON HOLLEDER - THE MAN WHOSE STORY INSPIRED THE BLACK LION AWARD... Army's All-American Don Holleder... Donald W. Holleder's name on the Vietnam Wall... Don Holleder as a West Point cadet A TRIBUTE TO DONALD WALTER HOLLEDER UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY CLASS OF 1956 KILLED ON THE BATTLEFIELD IN VIETNAM 17 OCTOBER 1967 By retired Air Force General Perry Smith (Don Holleder's West Point classmate, roommate and best man)  "If you doubt the axiom, 'An aggressive leader is priceless,' ...if you prefer the air arm to the infantry in football, if you are not convinced we recruited cadet-athletes of superior leadership potential, then you must hear the story of Donald Walter Holleder. The saga of Holleder stands unique in Army and, perhaps, all college gridiron lore." Hence begins the chapter, "You are my quarterback", in Coach Red Blaik's 1960 book, You Have to Pay the Price. Every cadet in the classes of 1956, 57, 58 and 59, and everyone who was part of the Army family at West Point and throughout the world will remember, even 50 years after the fact, the "Great Experiment". But there is much more to the Holleder story. . Holly was born and brought up in a tight knit Catholic family in upstate New York. He was an only child whose father died when Don was quite young. Doc Blanchard recruited high school All American Holleder who entered the Point just a few days after he graduated from Aquinas Institute in Rochester. Twice turned out for academic difficulties, he struggled mightily to stay in the Corps. However as a cadet leader he excelled, serving as a cadet captain and company commander of M-2 his senior year. Of course, it was in the field of athletics that Don is best known. Never a starter on the basketball team, he nevertheless got playing time as a forward who brought rebounding strength to a team that beat a heavily favored Navy team in the early spring of 1954. That fall, the passing combination of Vann to Holleder quickly caught the attention of the college football world. No one who watched those games will ever forget Holly going deep and leaping into the air to grab a perfectly thrown bomb from Peter Vann. Don was a consensus first team All American that year as a junior. Three football defeats in 1955 after Holly's conversion to quarterback brought criticism of Coach Blaik and Don from many quarters but the dramatic Army victory over Navy, 14 to 6 brought redemption. Shortly thereafter, Holly received the Swede Nelson award for sportsmanship. The fact that he had given up all chances of becoming a two time all-American and a candidate for the Heisman trophy and he did so without protest or complaint played heavily in the decision by the Nelson committee to select him for this prestigious award. Holly's eleven year career in the Army included the normal schools at Benning and Leavenworth, company command in Korea, coaching and recruiting at West Point and serving as the commanding general's aide at Fortress Monroe. After graduating from Command and General Staff College, he was off to Vietnam. Arriving in July, 1967, Holly was assigned to the Big Red One--the First Infantry Division-- and had considerable combat experience before that tragic day in the fall--October 17. Lieutenant Colonel Terry Allen's battalion was ambushed and overrun--the troops on the ground were is desperate shape. Holleder was serving as the operations officer of the 28th Brigade--famous Black Lions. Hearing the anguished radio calls for help from the soldiers on the ground, Holly convinced his brigade commander that he had to get on the ground to help. Jumping out of his helicopter, Holly rallied some troops and raced toward the spot where the wounded soldiers were fighting. The Newsweek article a few days after his death tells what happened next. "With the Viet Cong firing from two sides, the U. S. troops now began retreating pell-mell back to their base camp, carrying as many of their wounded as they could, The medic Hinger was among those who staggered out of the bush and headed across an open marshy plain toward the base, 200 meters away. But on the way he ran into big, forceful Major Donald W. Holleder, 33, an All-American football player at West Point..., going the other way--toward the scene of the battle. Holleder, operations officer for the brigade, had not been in the fight until now. ' Come on Doc, he shouted to Hinger, 'There are still wounded in there. I need your help.' "Hinger said later: 'I was exhausted. But having never seen such a commander, I ran after him. What an officer! He went on ahead of us--literally running to the point position'. Then a burst of fire from the trees caught Holleder. 'He was hit in the shoulder recalled Hinger. 'I started to patch him up, but he died in my arms.' The medic added he had been with Holleder for only three minutes, but would remember the Major's gallantry for the rest of his life." Holly died as he lived: the willingness to make great sacrifices prevailed to the minute of his death. Caroline was left a young widow. She later married our West Point classmate, Ernie Ruffner, who became a loving husband and father to the four Holleder daughters. All the daughters are happily married and there are eight wonderful and loving grandchildren. The legacy of Donald Walter Holleder will remain an important part of the West Point story forever. The Holleder Army Reserve Center in Webster, New York, the Holleder Parkway in Rochester and the Holleder Athletic Center at West Point all help further Don's legacy. In 1985, Holly was inducted into College Football Hall of Fame. A 2003 best selling book, They Marched into Sunlight, by David Maraniss tells the story of Holleder and the Black Lions. Tom Hanks has purchased the film rights to the book. An innovative high school coach, Hugh Wyatt, decide to further memorialize Don's legacy by establishing the Black Lion Award. Each year at hundreds of high schools, middle schools and youth football programs across the country, a single football player on each team is selected "who best exemplifies the character of Don Holleder: leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self-sacrifice, and--above all--an unselfish concern for his team ahead of himself." Starting in 2005, this award is presented to a member of the Army football team each year. Anyone who wishes to extend Holleder's legacy can do so by approaching their local football coaches and encouraging them to make the Black Lion Award a part of their tradition. Coach Hugh Wyatt can be contacted by e mail (coachwyatt@aol.com). All West Pointers can be proud of Donald Walter Holleder; for him there were no impossible dreams, only challenges to seek out and to conquer. Forty years after his death thousands of friends and millions of fans still remember him and salute him for his character and supreme courage. By Retired Air Force General Perry Smith, classmate and roommate, with great assistance from Don's family members, Stacey Jones and Ernie Ruffner, classmates, Jerry Amlong, Peter Vann and JJ McGinn, and battlefield medic, Doc Hinger.   *********** A YOUNG MEN'S REMEMBRANCES OF DON HOLLEDER... In 1954-55 I lived at West Point N.Y. where my father was stationed as a member of the staff at the United States Military Academy. Don Holleder was an All American end on the Red Blaik coached Army football team which was a perennial eastern gridiron power in 40s and 50s. On Fall days I would run home from the post school, drop off my books, and head directly to the Army varsity practice field which overlooked the Hudson River and was only a short sprint from my house. Army had a number of outstanding players on the roster back then, but my focus was on Don Holleder, our All-America end turned quarterback in a controversial position change that had sportswriters and Army fans buzzing throughout the college football community that year. Don looked like a hero, tall, square jawed, almost stately in his appearance. He practiced like he played, full out all the time. He was the obvious leader of the team in addition to being its best athlete and player. In 1955 it was common for star players to play both sides of the ball and Don was no exception delivering the most punishing tackles in practice as well as game situations. At the end of practice the Army players would walk past the parade ground (The Plain), then past my house and into the Arvin Gymnasium where the team's locker room was located. Very often I would take that walk stride for stride with Don and the team and best of all, Don would sometimes let me carry his helmet. It was gold with a black stripe down the middle and had the most wonderful smell of sweat and leather. Inside the helmet suspension was taped a sweaty number 16, Don's jersey number. While Don's teammates would talk and laugh among themselves in typical locker room banter, Don would ask me about school, show me how to grip the ball and occasionally chide his buddies if the joking ever got bawdy in front of "the little guy". On Saturdays I lived and died with Don's exploits on the field in Michie Stadium.   In his senior year Don's picture graced the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine and he led Army to a winning season culminating in a stirring victory over Navy in front of 100,000 fans in Philadelphia. During that incredible year I don't ever remember Don not taking time to talk to me and patiently answer my boyish questions about the South Carolina or Michigan defense ("I'll bet they don't have anybody as fast as you, huh, Don?").   Don graduated with his class in June 1956 and was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Coincidentally, my Dad was also assigned to the 25th at the same time so I got to watch Don quarterback the 14th Infantry Regiment football team to the Division championship in 1957. There was one major drawback to all of Don's football-gained notoriety - he wanted no part of it. He wanted to be a soldier and an infantry leader. But division recreational football was a big deal in the Army back then and for someone with Don's college credentials not to play was unheard of.   In the first place players got a lot of perks for representing their Regiment, not to mention hero status with the chain of command. Nevertheless, Don wanted to trade his football helmet for a steel pot and finally, with the help of my Dad, he succeeded in retiring from competitive football and getting on with his military profession.   It came as no surprise to anyone who knew Don that he was a natural leader of men in arms, demanding yet compassionate, dedicated to his men and above all fearless. Sure enough after a couple of TO&E infantry tours his reputation as a soldier matched his former prowess as an athlete.   It was this reputation that won him the favor of the Army brass and he soon found himself as an Aide-de-camp to the four star commander of the Continental Army Command in beautiful Ft Monroe, Virginia.   With the Viet Nam War escalating and American combat casualties increasing every day, Ft Monroe would be a great place to wait out the action and still promote one's Army career - a high-profile job with a four star senior rater, safely distanced from the conflict in southeast Asia.   Once again, Don wanted no part of this safe harbor and respectfully lobbied his boss, General Hugh P. Harris to get him to Troops in Viet Nam. Don got his wish but not very long after arriving at the First Division he was killed attempting to lead a relief column to wounded comrades caught in a Viet Cong ambush. I remember the day I found out about Don's death. I was in the barber's chair at The Citadel my sophomore year when General Harris (Don's old boss at Ft Monroe, now President of The Citadel) walked over to me and motioned me outside.   He knew Don was a friend of mine and sought me out to tell me that he was KIA. It was one of the most defining moments of my life. As I stood there in front of the General the tears welled up in my eyes and I said "No, please, sir. Don't say that." General Harris showed no emotion and I realized that he had experienced this kind of hurt too many times to let it show. "Biff", he said, "Don died doing his duty and serving his country. He had alternatives but wouldn't have it any other way. We will always be proud of him, Biff."   With that, he turned and walked away. As I watched him go I didn't know the truth of his parting words. I shed tears of both pride and sorrow that day in 1967, just as I am doing now, 34 years later, as I write this remembrance. In my mind's eye I see Don walking with his teammates after practice back at West Point, their football cleats making that signature metallic clicking on concrete as they pass my house at the edge of the parade ground; he was a leader among leaders.   As I have been writing this, I periodically looked up at the November 28, 1955 Sports Illustrated cover which hangs on my office wall, to make sure I'm not saying anything Don wouldn't approve of, but he's smiling out from under that beautiful gold helmet and thinking about the Navy game. General Harris was right. We will always be proud of Don Holleder, my boyhood hero... Biff Messinger, Mountainville, NY, 2001   ***********"They never fail who die in a great cause: the block may soak their gore, their heads may sodden in the sun; their limbs be strung to city gates and castle walls--but still their spirit walks abroad. Though years elapse, and others share as dark a doom, they but augment the deep and sweeping thoughts which overpower all others, and conduct the world at last to freedom." Lord Byron Like many other phenomena in life, history has a tendency to be fickle. In 2001, some thirty-four years after the Battle of Ông Thanh, and the subsequent withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam in 1973, which was followed by the "honorable peace" that saw the North Vietnamese army conquer South Vietnam in 1975 in violation of the Paris Peace Accords, most historians, as well as a large majority of the American people, may consider the U.S. involvement in Vietnam a disastrous and tragic waste and a time of shame in U.S. history. Consider, however, the fact that since the late 1940s, the Soviet Union was the greatest single threat to U.S. security. Yet for forty years, war between the Soviet Union and the United States was averted. Each time a Soviet threat surfaced during that time (Greece, Turkey, Korea, Berlin, Cuba, Vietnam, and Afghanistan), although it may have been in the form of a "war of national liberation," as the Vietnam war was characterized, the United States gave the Soviet Union the distinct message that each successive threat would not be a Soviet walkover. In fact, the Soviets were stunned by the U.S. reactions in both Korea and Vietnam. They shook their heads, wondering what interest a great power like the United States could have in those two godforsaken countries. They thought: "These Americans are crazy. They have nothing to gain; and yet they fight and lose thousands of men over nothing. They are irrational." Perhaps history in the long-term--two hundred or three hundred years from now--will say that the western democracies, led by the United States, survived in the world, and their philosophy of government of the people, by the people, for the people continues to survive today (in 2301) in some measure due to resolute sacrifices made in the mid-twentieth century by men like those listed in the last chapter of this book. Then the words of Lord Byron, as quoted in this book's preface, will not ring hollow, but instead they will inspire other men and women of honor in the years to come. From "The Beast was Out There", by Brigadier General James Shelton, USA (Ret.)   Jim Shelton is a former Delaware football player (wing-T guard) who served in Korea and Vietnam and as a combat infantryman rose to the rank of General. He was at Ong Thanh on that fateful day in October, 1967 when Don Holleder was killed. He had played football against Don Holleder in college, and was one of those called on to identify Major Holleder's body.   Now retired, he serves as Colonel of the Black Lions and has been instrumental in the establishment of the Black Lion Award for young American football players. General Shelton personally signs every Black Lions Award certificate.   The title of his book is taken from Captain Jim Kasik's description of the enemy: "the beast was out there, and the beast was hungry."   *********** "Major Holleder overflew the area (under attack) and saw a whole lot of Viet Cong and many American soldiers, most wounded, trying to make their way our of the ambush area. He landed and headed straight into the jungle, gathering a few soldiers to help him go get the wounded. A sniper's shot killed him before he could get very far. He was a risk-taker who put the common good ahead of himself, whether it was giving up a position in which he had excelled or putting himself in harm's way in an attempt to save the lives of his men. My contact with Major Holleder was very brief and occured just before he was killed, but I have never forgotten him and the sacrifice he made. On a day when acts of heroism were the rule, rather than the exception, his stood out." Dave Berry   click to read ... MORE ABOUT DON HOLLEDER - THE FOOTBALL PLAYER AND THE MAN   *********** Finally, if ever there was a Black Lion Award winner... Monday, May 23's Wall Street Journal contained a "credo paper" written by a high school senior named Michael Carlson. It was dated May 11, 2000. He was 17 years old, and the events of September 11, 2001 were still 17 months in the future. Mr. Carlson wrote about how much he admired his dad - his toughness, his ambition, hid work ethic. "For 30 years he has gone to work every day," he wrote, "for 30 years he has come home, gone to the garage and worked 10 hours more. I don't know how he does it, but I do know why. He does it for us." And then he went on... "I love sports. I love football, wrestling, weight lifting, skiing and hockey. I love the thrill of competition, the roar of the crowds, the agony on the faces of your opponents as the final seconds tick off the clock. However, I don't want to do it as a profession. I think it would be fun for a while then it would get boring. I guess the point that I am trying to make is that when I am on my deathbed what am I going to look back on? Will it be 30 years of playing a game that in reality means nothing, or will it be 30 years of fighting crime and protecting the country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. "I want my life to account for something more than just a game. In life thre are no winners, everyone eventually losers their life. I only have so much time; I can't waste it with a game. I don't want those close to me to look at me and tell me that I was good at a game. I want to be good at life; I want to be known as the best of the best at my job. I want people to need me, to count on me. I am never late; I am either on time or early. I want to help people, I want to fight for something, be part of something that is greater than myself. I want to be a soldier or something of that caliber, maybe a cop or a secret service agent. "I want to live forever; the only way that one could possibly achieve it in this day and age is to live on in those you have affected. I want to carve out a niche for myself in the history books. I want to be remembered for the things I accomplished. I sometimes dream of being a soldier in a war. In this war, I am helping to liberate people from oppression. In the end, there is a big parade and a monument built to immortalize us in stone. Other times I envision being a man you see out of the corner of your eye, dressed in black fatigues, entering a building full of terrorists. After everything is completed I slip out the back only to repeat this the next time I am called. I might not be remembered in that scenario, but I will have helped people. "I guess what I want most of all is to be a part of the real world, not an entertainer. I want want to have an essential role in the big picture. I want adventure, challenge, danger, and most of all I don't want to be behind a counter or desk. Maybe when I am a 100 years old I will slow down and relax. Till then, I have better things to do." On January 24, 2005, Sergeant Michael Carlson, United States Army, was killed in Iraq when his Bradley fighting vehicle overturned. He was 22 years old, but so long as we remain true to the faith, he will live forever BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Army's Will Sullivan wore his Black Lion patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS) May 24, 2005     "If my family had a motto, it would be 'Don't Snivel.'" Janice Rogers Brown, still waiting to be confirmed by the Senate as a federal court judge because she is "too conservative" Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here OUR SEASON - MADISON HS - PORTLAND, OREGON, 2004 A VISIT TO WEST POINT, NOVEMBER, 2004      NEW!A LIST OF SOME OF 2004'S TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS NEXT CLINIC- BUFFALO - for more info - 2005 Clinics   *********** I PROMISED YOU PHOTOS... A visit to NFL Films *********** It has been said that time heals all wounds. It has also been said that on occasion, time wounds all heels. This was once such occasion... You may remember my writing a few months back about the school board in Hempfield, Pennsylvania voting 6-3 to remove Bo Ruffner, the high school football coach. Evidently a handful of people with axes to grind (mainly regarding their own sons and their playing time) got the ears of some of the board members, especially those of the feminine gender, and despite the overwhelming support Coach Ruffner received from his players and their parents, he was gone. Several hundred parents and a number of his football players showed up at a February board meeting in an attempt to save coach Ruffner's job, but to no avail. Then, on top of that, the board botched the hiring of Coach Ruffner's replacement. After several big-name area coaches either turned down invitations to apply or removed their names from consideration (Gee- I wonder why), they hired a former NFL player named Greg Meisner, whose coaching experience as far as I can tell consisted of two years as a high school assistant. And they offered him a compensation package that taken altogether - football coach, athletic director and weight-training coordinator - came to $87,800, quite a bit more than most classroom teachers make. Well, anyhow... they held school board elections recently, and the returns are now in, and what do you know? Three of the incumbents on the board were tossed out on their asses. I'm sorry to have to put it that indelicately, since two of them were ladies, but they were three of the board members most vocally opposed to Coach Ruffner. *********** It pisses me off to read articles claiming that the gap between rich and poor is widening, there isn't the social mobility that there once was, the guy from the poor, humble upbringing just can't make it to the top anymore, blah, blah, blah. It pisses me off because - if it is true - it is largely because our government agencies and our schools - using our tax dollars - are teaching poor people how to stay poor. For example, the word has gone out in schools in our area that teachers are not to hassle kids who come to school late - no matter how late, no matter how often. See, it's not their fault if their "single moms" stay up late smoking weed and copulating with their boyfriends, then sleep in and fail to get the kids up on time. No, it's not their fault. But what's the difference whose fault it is? Those kids are being encouraged to continue being the losers that their families are. The schools' job (I thought) is to help make useful and productive citizens out of those kids, and chronic lateness is a self-defeating habit that, left uncorrected, can be to be devastating to that kid's chances for success in life. But no matter. The order has been handed down that instead of being disapproving, teachers are supposed to be welcoming: "Oh look, class! Look, look! See who's here today - and it's only eleven o'clock! Oh, thank you for coming, Johnny (even though you and I both know damn well that's not his name)! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" (Yeah. Thanks for showing up for the game tonight. Kickoff's in five minutes. Hurry up and get dressed.) Forget the role of the schools in helping the kids become successful in our culture. They are far too busy reinforcing the kids' lifestyle, teaching them "tolerance" and non-judgementalism, and how to put a condom on a banana. Think it's not important to be on time? Ask a lawyer in Tacoma, Washington, where the judge tossed out a $600,000 discrimination lawsuit because, despite being warned about being late to court, the guy showed up 15 minutes late. He said the judge was unfair - he was only five minutes late. *********** My class will soon observe its 45th reunion, and we all received a nice little book containing the names and addresses of all our classmates, as well as those who have passed on. Their number, inevitably, grows with each passing year. Listed, too, are the women who survive them, one of whom, the widow of our classmate Jack Heinz, the late senator from Pennsylvania, is referred to simply as "Ms. Theresa Heinz." Hmmm. I can't help wondering if she just took on the "Kerry" moniker for the duration of the campaign. *********** "Now the big deal is outrage about Sadam in underwear.Man what I would give to see Fidel like that in prison.Really.At least he looks well fed.I wonder how the Kurds he gassed would treat him." Armando Castro, Roanoke, Virginia (Would you have believed, 20 years ago, that we would ever turn into such a nation of pussies that we would even give a sh-- what people thought about a Hitler in skivvies? BFD. We should show photos of Saddam in bed with a goat. Wonder what this "Arab Street" that we worry so much about would have thought about it when the Italians strung Mussolini up by his heels. HW) *********** I hope you had a chance to watch the Preakness. If you did, you saw one of the great athletic feats of all time. If you didn't, and you've watched any sports shows since, you saw what happened as the lead horses rounded the turn to head up the home stretch. If you still don't know what I'm talking about, the third-place horse, Afleet Alex, was attempting to pass the number two horse, Scrappy T, on the outside. There is always the danger, in passing on the turn, that the horse being passed will "lug out" - veer outside the arc his path had been taking. It's a simple matter of inertia that jockeys have to fight hard to control, and in this case, Scrappy T's jockey compounded the danger by switching his whip from his right to his left hand. His horse reacted by swinging far to the outside, nearly throwing him out of the saddle. In an instant, Afleet Alex's front hooves hit Scrappy T's rear hooves, causing Alex to stumble to his knees. Anybody who knows horse racing had to gasp at the near-certainty of a spill that would send both horse and rider down, the horse with a likely-fatal injury, the jockey surely to be pummeled by the passing hooves of the eleven horses behind them in the field. There was even the danger of a mass pileup, with injuries to horseflesh and jockeys too horrible to contemplate. But in a sports moment that will live as long as people love horse racing, Afleet Alex somehow kept his balance and regained his footing, and saved his life and his rider's, too. But he did more that that - he'd already been running a fast race, but as if shocked to life by his near-death experience, he seemed to find another gear, and shot away from the field, winning by almost five lengths over Scrappy T, which finished five lengths ahead of the third-place horse, Giacomo, the winner of the Kentucky Derby. Tell me jockey's aren't athletes! Afleet Alex's jockey, Jeremy Rose, gave all the credit to the horse. But Rose deserves a lot of credit for fighting through a jockey's worst nightmare. He admitted afterward that he was scared. Come to think of it, maybe Afleet Alex was, too. Rose, incidentally, was a high school wrestler (103) at Bellefonte High, in central Pennsylvania, which every hard-core wrestling fan knows is hard-core wrestling country. *********** It has been no secret that "children having children" is the curse of the Inner City. Too often, people who are physically able to procreate are unwilling or unable to raise the children they brought into the world, putting the burden on the children's grandparents. In New York City, at least, it is a growing burden: A 1991 study by New York City estimated that there were 14,000 homes in the cuty which kids were being raised by grandparents. By 2000 there were 84,000 such families in the city, according to the US Census. The Census Bureau only began compiling such information nationally in the 2000 census when it estimated it identified 2.4 million such families raising 4.4 million children. The older folks may offer the kids the stability and the parenting skills that their own parents lack, but they are frequently poor financially. Now, a new public housing project, called the GrandParentFamily Apartments, is set to open in the South Bronx, specifically aimed at grandparents raising grandhildren. - a 51-unit apartment building in the South Bronx that is the first public development in the United States designed and built exclusively for grandparents raising grandchildren. It will have three full-time social workers, support groups, parenting classes and, for the children, tutoring, a full-time youth coordinator and organized activities in the afternoons and evenings. It also will have features normally associated with senior residences: emergency pull cords in the bedrooms and bathrooms, shower thermostats to keep the water from getting too hot, and a community center. This, it seems to me, is a sensible idea. One nagging question - since this practice results in giving many members of an entire generation a pass on raising their own kids, where we will find enough grandparents to raise the children of today's little kids when they begin having them? *********** Coach, Curious as to your opinion on this. You may remember the 1997 Nebraska-Missouri 'flea kicker' where the tying touchdown was booted into the receiver's hands with no time left. Missouri won the OT toss, and did what the conventional wisdom is, take defense. They got run over by Scott Frost, and the offense failed to convert, ending the game. It is a particularly sore spot for my Wolverines who gave up the coaches' poll #1 after the Orange Bowl. Never mind that. Later, Tigers coach Larry Smith (who was on Bo's first staff at UM with Jim Young) said he should have gone on offense, citing that their defense had just given up a long drive and the Huskers had momentum. I've never been a fan of 'crib sheet' coaching, where all the decisions are made on a laminated sheet before the game. I couldn't argue with his logic - you? I think that unless your defense was really tired, having just come off at the end of regulation after being on the field for an unusual length of time, common sense would suggest going on defense first: (1) Your offensive strategy is often laid out for you by what your defense does: if the opponents fail to score, you have only to make a field goal to win; if they kick a field goal, you have only to kick a field goal to stay in it. (2) If you go on defense first, it means that if you go into a second overtime period, your opponent will likely choose to go on defense first in the next period, meaning his defense will be on the field for two straight possessions. It is just my opinion, but I think that defenses tire before offenses do. *********** This is page is GREAT! http://oldbluejacket.com/General_Patton_Message.htm --- (Be sure to check out the rest of the site, too!) *********** First of all how are you doing Coach? I was at your Burbank clinic this year & you did a heck of a job. Your Mac demonstration really convinced me that I should try one out & I think it's the best computer buy I've ever made. I have a question. Do you use or have you used playbook software? Do you reccomend any? Our coaching staff is looking to buy one. Have you ever used Play Maker Pro? Thanx for the help. Coach Ramon Ruiz, Indio, California Hi Coach Ruiz- Glad to hear that you like your Mac. It probably came with the iLife package, which gives you, among other things, iMovie and iDVD. And I believe it comes with QuickTime, too. If it doesn't, go to apple.com and download QuickTime 7.0. That's what you use to make the clips that you can play on your laptop or project onto a screen. You import the video from your camera into iMovie, then you edit the video into the sort of clips you need, and then you convert (File>Share) your edited movie to a QuickTime movie. PlayMaker is very good software. I use Appleworks to draw my plays. It is a multi-part program, one part of which is a "drawing" program, and I find that that is all I need to draw up my plays. Of course, I have had a lot of experience with Appleworks, so things come easy for me. I can't say how difficult it would be for you to pick up, but it might be worth a try. I have heard that it is being discontinued, but it is still available through Apple (http://www.apple.com/appleworks/), and at $79 it is the best software value I've ever bought. One really neat thing that you will discover about the Mac operating system (OS X) is how easy it is to create pdf files - you just click on "Print," then choose "save as PDF", and you create a pdf file (of a play drawing, for example) which you can e-mail to anyone. *********** A rare gem from Michael Josephson (www.charactercounts.org) I'm still basking in the warmth of my latest visit with my hero, Coach John Wooden. I remember vividly when I first heard the Coach talk about the "last game I ever taught," using a phrase that indelibly etched in my mind the idea that the most lasting and important achievements of a great coach are embedded in the character and conduct of his or her athletes. I once had the occasion to interview the Coach for a short video and he said the coach whose philosophy he admired as much as any other was Amos Alonzo Stagg, a football coach at the University of Chicago when it was a national power. Coach Wooden tells the story that when Coach Stagg was asked if a particularly successful team was one of his greatest ever, Stagg said, "I won't know that for another twenty years or so." You see, Coach Wooden explained, Coach Stagg knew that it would take that long to see how the youngsters under his supervision turned out in life. Elsewhere, Coach Wooden has said, "That's how I feel. I'm most proud of the athlete who does well with his life. That's where success is. Basketball is just a very small part of it." Very few coaches are remembered for single victories or for the records of their athletes. Some are remembered for a legacy of achievement and influence on their sport, but truly great coaches find impact and immortality in the lives of everyone they taught. John Wooden never made more than $32,000 a year as a coach, but his impact on his players and all of sports is priceless. *********** I saw the name Honor Wolverton in our local paper, and my attention was immediately drawn to her obituary. Could it be? Yes, indeed it could. Sure enough, Mrs. Wolverton was the widow of Basil Wolverton. THE Basil Wolverton. Perhaps the most famous person ever to come out of Vancouver, Washington. Honor and Basil graduated from Vancouver High School in 1927. They were married in 1934, and were married until 1978 when Basil died. Honor moved to Thousand Oaks, Californa, to live near her family, and that's where she died last week, at the age of 98. Basil Wolverton was a famous cartoonist, a very famous cartoonist in the days when comic books were widely read, and his work is instantly recognizable to fans of those old-time comics. Self-taught, he developed a style that has been described as "grotesque," and "bizarre." He became somewhat famous for his character "Powerhouse Pepper," a Popeye type (upper left), and as his career moved along, much of his work was done for science fiction comics, where what has been called his "gift for exaggeration and monstrosity" came in quite handy. I first became a fan of his as a high schooler, through my appreciation of his work in MAD Magazine ("10 cents - Cheap"). Shown above right is his drawing of "Lena the Hyena" on Mad's takeoff of Life Magazine. He is also remembered by many people for his rather scary cartoon version of the Apocalypse. Shown at left is his depiction of the H-Bomb explosion which marks the beginning of the End Time.   *********** Maurice Clarett took some pretty serious shots at Ohio State and coach Jim Tresell, but now it sounds as if it was all in fun and he's ready, as they like to say, to "move on." "My memories of Ohio State is that we won the national championship and that was that," he said last week. " I love Ohio State and I'll always be a fan of them. I wish Ohio State all the luck in the world and I wish that they get through these problems they do have because I'll always be a fan, I'll consider myself from being from Ohio State." My fear now is that if he makes it in the NFL, it'll mean one more gas bag introducing himself as being from "THE Ohio State University." *********** Pitt is back! Pitt is back! Not that I ever called it anything different, but a few years back, a phony Nebraskan named Steve Pederson came in as athletic director and gave University of Pittsburgh football a makeover, changing its colors from the bright (royal blue and sunflower gold) to the dreary-ass (midnight blue and grey poupon), and notifying the sports world that from here on out, they were no longer to use the common, low-class name "Pitt," but instead were to say "Pittsburgh." Well, excu-u-u-use me. It was like a guy we all knew growing up as Sparky showing up at our class reunion and informing us that he now prefers to be called William. Actually, I was surprised that Pederson, as arrogant as he is, didn't go all the way, and try renaming the city of Pittsburgh itself. I'm sure that there were some local realtors willing to provide suggestions. Names like "Riverpointe", or "The Village at Three Rivers" come to mind. His makeover done, Pederson has moved on, taking his act to Nebraska, where he has already managed to trash more than 40 years of staff continuity, but has yet to propose changing the red in "Big Red" to maroon. (Watch him carefully, Huskers.) And now, back at Pitt, realizing that there were tens of thousands of alumni who never could find sing the school's fight song - "Hail to Pitt" - without saying "Pitt," the athletic powers at the University, overcome by a fit of sanity, have announced that the name will once again be PITT. (Are you listening, Pederson?) Next, perhaps, the return of the Pitt colors? And those beautiful uniforms of the Johnny Majors-Tony Dorsett-Dan Marino days? And the script "PITT" on the helmets, instead of that gruesome stylized panther that Pederson probably paid some graphic design thousands to design? *********** Mike Lude, former AD at Washington and then at Auburn, was Dave Nelson's line coach at Maine and then at Delaware, which really makes him the co-inventor of the Delaware Wing-T. (Read THE FIRST WING-T LINE COACH IN HISTORY) Mike's recently-released book, "Walking the Line," is a great read. From his boyhood in rural Western Michigan, to his playing days at Hillsdale College, from his service in the Marine Corps to his joining Dave Nelson as his right hand man, from his first - and only - head coaching job at Colorado State to his second career as an AD, starting at Kent State and moving to Washington and then to Auburn, Mike has seen it all, and he tells about it in a way that is both interesting and informative. Here's how to order a copy - go to www.huskyfever.com and down at the bottom right, look for "Walking the Line.") *********** The 2004 Madison High Highlights tape is now ready to ship. It runs about an hour and a forty minutes, and includes hundreds of plays from this past season, in which he turned a program that had gone 0-9, 1-8 and 2-7 into a 7-2 season. (MADISON HIGH, 2004)The real significance of our success, I think, is the way we were able to make use of the kids that we had. We were not overly talented, but we had a very tough, hard-working, unselfish group of kids, a few of them with unique gifts, and I think we coaches did a great job of putting them all in the right places - places where they could enjoy the most individual success, and at the same time make the greatest contribution to the team. I also think we did a great job of zeroing in on what it was that these particular kids did best, and not letting ourselves get too far from the basic plan. There is a certain emphasis on the "Multiple Wing" - you will notice that we did not remain in one formation - we ran at least one play from at least 20 different formations - but at the same time you will notice that we did not run a great number of different plays. (For example, you will be interested, I think, to see how many different ways you can employ "power" blocking.) If you are a Double-Wing coach or if you are even thinking of using some Double-Wing in your program, I think this tape will open your eyes. To order a copy of the tape, send $29.95 (check, money order or school P.O.) to Coach Hugh Wyatt - 1503 NE 6th Ave - Camas, WA 98607   "The Beast Was out There," by General James E. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about. --- BE THE BLACK LION TEAM --- HONOR BRAVE MEN - RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING KIDS ENROLL YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2005 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD (FOR MORE INFO)

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS) May 20, 2005     "If we are just out after the money, why don't we simply buy up a stable of derby-winning horses and let them represent us?"  Robert Maynard Hutchins, president of the University of Chicago, decrying the growing professionalism of college sports (Under his leadership, Chicago dropped football - and dropped out of the Big Ten 0 following the 1939 season) Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here OUR SEASON - MADISON HS - PORTLAND, OREGON, 2004 A VISIT TO WEST POINT, NOVEMBER, 2004     A LIST OF SOME OF 2004'S TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS A visit to NFL Films NEXT CLINIC- BUFFALO - for more info - 2005 Clinics Hugh: LTG (Lieutenant General - 3 stars) Dave Petraeus is responsible for the training of the Iraqi military and police. He was one of my company commanders (captain) when I was a brigade commander. He commanded the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during the invasion of Iraq when he was a 2 star. He is in the center with his left arm around an Iraqi chief and his right arm around my son Terry. It is an Iraqi Special Forces unit. Terry is my youngest son and is an Army Warrant Officer, 2nd in command of a special forces A team. Dave was on the cover of NEWSWEEK in the July 5, 2004 edition. I believe he is THE most important officer in our Army today, and he is the most competent officer I have ever known.Hope that helps. Black Lions. Jim Shelton, Englewood, Florida *********** Imagine what Enron could have done with the Boston Red Sox... Billionaire Malcolm Glazer, known to those Americans who have heard of him as owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has swooped in and bought control of perhaps the world's best-known sports team, Manchester United. It has reportedly cost Glazer $1.5 billion, but he now owns one of the world's great brands. The team draws record crowds wherever it plays - even in the US! - and its branded sports apparel outsells that of any other team world-wide. It is a great acquisition - from a businessman's standpoint. But not from the standpoint of Man-U fans, who are legion. And, being British "football" fans, quite capable of expressing their displeasure. To them, Man-U is a birthright. To Glazer, they feel, it is a chance to pad his already-thick wallet. He is not known to have any interest in soccer whatsoever, and their fear is that he will sell off talented players and raise ticket prices. It is probably too late to have any effect, but fan groups have calling on supporters not to renew their season tickets, to cancel subscriptions to Man-U's pay-per-view telecasts, and boycott the team's major sponsors - Vodafone, Nike, Budweiser and Audi. Demonstrations are planned. Meantime, there is the matter of the NFL, which normally opposes such cross-ownership. It's uncertain whether there is anything in its rules that would prevent Glazer from owning a foreign sports team. Come to think of it.... in view of the NFL's financial interest in the CFL, Arena Football and NFL Europe, not to mention "USA Football" and its ties to Pop Warner, you don't suppose that Malcolm Glazer is just a front for a surreptitious move by Big Football to control futbol, too, do you? Hmmm. *********** Let others poke fun at Temple football. I'm not going to do it. Temple actually has a decent football history - true, you have to go back a ways to find it - and some of my earliest football memories are of watching the Owls play. Back in the early 50s, Temple played Friday night home games, (most Philadelphia-area high schools back then played Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday afternoon games), and my buddy and I would regularly take the "S" bus out to Temple Stadium to watch the Owls. Temple enjoyed a good run during the 1970s under Wayne Hardin, suffering only one losing season from 1970-1979, and going 10-2 in 1979. But it all started to come apart in 1980 with a 4-7 finish, and in the 24 years since then, the Owls have had just three winning seasons. (They had back-to-back 6-5 seasons in 1985-86, and went 7-4 in 1990, and that's been it.) Since 1990, the Owls have had five one-win seasons and five two-win seasons. The closest they've come even to mediocrity were three four-win seasons. So bad did it get that the Big East threw them out. The BIG EAST, for God's sake! But now comes news that Temple has found a new home in the Mid-America Conference. This would seen to be good news, but I do suspect that among the Temple folks there may be a fair amount of underestimating of the MAC, which is loaded with good football teams. Worse, though, is the fact that Philadelphia is an Eagles' town now, with little use for any college football, and I just don't see the likes of Bowling Green, Toledo or Miami of Ohio being much of a draw. I think Temple should have just sucked it up and made the move to D-IAA. There, it could have competed against traditional rivals such as Villanova and Delaware, which, being local, would have been much better draws than even the best of the MAC. And with the NCAA having granted D-IA schools a 12th game, there would always be the chance that even as a D-IAA school, Temple could work out home-and-homes with Navy and Army, always decent draws in Philadelphia. Meantime, with all the marketing talent there is in Philadelphia, I can't believe someone hasn't proposed a hookup between the Owls and Hooter's. *********** Coach Wyatt, I guess the generation gap is growing. As a youngster growing up in the South, boys never wore pink shirts. It was considered "unmanly". So when our soccer team received their team T-shirts and they were hot pink, I was a bit taken aback. Of course, I told the boys wearing the shirts that next year's football team will be wearing pink too. Right after my funeral. Coach Dan King Evans, Georgia *********** Coach, Did you ever call/coordinate both sides of ball?  How were you able to prepare well enough to make it work? Coach, I have done it in Europe simply because I had no assistants, and I have done it in the US at small high schools, where I often had no assistants who were ready yet to take over on either side of the ball. Too many people, I think, become slaves to the NFL organizational chart, without realizing that NFL coordinators are highly qualified, a step away from being head coaches themselves. In fact, many of them have already been head coaches elsewhere. That is not reality at most of the places I see. Very few head high school coaches that I know have the luxury of having highly-qualified assistants in charge of both offense and defense. The slavish imitation of the pros is often carried to ridiculous extremes at the youth level. For many youth head coaches, it's as if all that's needed is to confer the title of "coordinator" on a guy, regardless of his qualifications, and that makes him one. When you find yourself forced to do it all yourself, you can do it, but I have found that there are a few keys to making it work: 1. Run an offense that's relatively simple, but one that forces defenses to adjust to you, rather than the converse. That reduces the need to scout opponents' defenses. Spend your offensive video study time looking at your offense and how you can eliminate mistakes. 2. Run a defense that is basic and sound and adjustable to anything you might see. Devote most of your scouting of opponents to determining what they do offensively. 3. Do as much work as you can as a team. 4. Make sure you have someone reliable to run the scout teams, so you devote your full attention to getting the first team offense or defense ready for the game. 5. Put an extra leadership load on your seniors to handle conditioning, stretching, scout teams, etc. 6. Tell assistants that they are going to have to learn on the fly. Look for any who are eager to learn and willing to work and give them increasing amounts of responsibility. *********** Cool site devoted to the renovation going on at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium *********** Is there a rule that stipulates how many R players have to be within 15 yards of the ball? If so I cannot find it. I am wanting to pull a lineman to an upback position and play with 4 up front. But for some reason I am thinking that you have to have 5. I don't believe that the 15 yards from the ball rule that applies on scrimmage downs applies to a kick return. As for your other question... I always went along with the "5 up front" rule until recent years, when it seems to me I thought I remembered a rules change eliminating the requirement. But I have gone back through several different rule books, including 2004, and I'll be damned if I can find anything anythere that stipulates any number of men needed up front. (I would ask an official but it is hard to find one who reads his rule book faithfully.) *********** We have all seen instances where a team achieved a victory against great odds, but got so beaten up in the process that its season went downhill from there. True, it was a victory, but it was such a costly one that in the greater scheme of things it might as well have been a defeat. Such a thing is called a "Pyrrhic Victory." A Pyrrhic (PEER-ick) Victory is one that is achieved at such a high cost that the winner may actually be left worse off than if he had lost. The term is derived from Pyrrhus, a king of Greece, who after defeating the Romans questioned whether the victory was worth the price he had to pay. "One more such victory," he told those congratulating him, "and Pyrrhus is undone." *********** "My year in professional football with the New York Jets taught me about commitment. It was a tremendous opportunity, but I didn't really understand the intricacies of it and I probably wasn't adequately prepared for it. I didn't go there with a commitment-I went to work every day thinking, 'Well, if this doesn't work out, I can always go back to college football.' I wasn't happy and I wasn't helping. There wasn't anything wrong with the New York Jets or professional football. It was Lou Holtz. I didn't do a very good job and I'm not happy to stand up and tell people that-but that's the way it is." Lou Holtz *********** I received a letter from a coach from another country asking about the hierarchy of football coaching in America. He apologized - unnecessarily - for his lack of English proficiency, and then went on to describe his own situation, one which appears to be common elsewhere than America: a centralized bureaucracy that exercizes the sort of control over coaches that we Americans wouldn't understand (much less tolerate). Here was my response: Please do not apologize for your "bad English." I have no Spanish ability whatever, so if it were not for your English, we wouldn't be able to correspond at all. I will try to describe the typical American high school football program. Typically in an American high school, there will be a "varsity" team, and under it a "junior varsity" team, and under it a "freshman" team (usually 14-15-year-olds). The head coach of the top team or varsity is in charge. This is typical of an American high school, where the top team is the one that most people care about, the one that the newspapers write about and the one that people pay to see. He is evaluated by the performance of that team, and if its performance is deemed unsatisfactory, he may very well find himself out of a job. For the most part, the major decisions regarding his team are his to make, although he may consult with his assistant coaches. It would be extremely rare for him to allow his actions to be dictated to him by a superior, such as an athletic director or a principal. The head varsity coach usually has the power to hire and fire his assistants, as well as the coaches of the other teams at his school, because if they are not doing the job, it will ultimately hurt his varsity team. He normally tells them what offense and defense to run, and observes what they do, but otherwise he allows them to coach their teams without interfering. In American youth programs, which operate independent of school funding and school control, it is sometimes the rule that every team in an organization will run the same offense or the same defense, but based on my observation, it is just as common for the offense and the defense to be the choice of the head coach of each team. It is not common in America for a person who is not directly involved in coaching the team to dictate strategy to the people who do the actual coaching. (One of the worst things that anyone can say about an American coach is that he is a "puppet.") *********** Lest any of you judge Islam too harshly... In Saudi Arabia, a Pakistani man was beheaded Sunday after he was caught smuggling heroin into the country. So far this year, 43 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia, whose strict interpretation of Islam calls for execution of persons convicted of drug trafficking, murder, rape and armed robbery. They are beheaded with a sword, in a public square. Cool. We, on the other hand, are far too enlightened for that. Instead, we send those people to "correctional institutions," where after relatively short lengths of time, we deem them rehabilitated and release them, free to return to their old ways (drug trafficking, murder, rape and armed robbery). *********** First, there "Whizzer" White - Byron White, who was an All-American at Colorado, studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He left football for a distinguished career as a lawyer, and was appointed by President Kennedy to the Supreme Court, where he served for more than 30 years. Then there was "Whizzinator" Smith - Onterrio Smith, who was caught recently at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport with a device whose clear intent is to enable its "users" to trick urine testers. A two-time drug-test loser, he wasn't technically in violation of NFL drug regulations, since he hadn't (yet) used the device - which he said he was delivering to a cousin - to cheat on a test. But shortly after he reported to Viklings' camp, it was announced by the team that "Whizzinator" will miss the rest of their offseason program for "undisclosed reasons." "He's been excused from the rest of the offseason program and he'll be gone indefinitely," Vikings head coach Mike Tice said Thursday. "I really can't speak about any reasons why or when he'll be back. It's in the league's hands. We'll leave it at that." Interestingly, the league said it was a team matter. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said he couldn't comment, other than to say, "He's been excused from the club at this point, by the club - not by the league." I have a feeling that the Ole Whizzinator might be headed for the Supreme Court, too. *********** Justin Rodriguez, of the Middletown, New York Times Herald-Record, wrote this little piece, which I thought worth reprinting as an example of what real class is... Carol Tunney walked into George Seip's room at Elant Inc., a nursing home in Newburgh, and noticed his curtains were closed. It was a gorgeous day back in March. Tunney asked Seip if he wanted her to open the curtains so he could see out his window. Seip told her yes, and a whole lot more. Seip spun for Tunney several stories about his days as a West Point football player and his time serving in the Army. "I was touched when I walked away," said Tunney, the director of nursing at Elant. Seip, 88, was touched himself yesterday morning when Army football coach Bobby Ross paid him a surprise visit at the home. Tunney helped arrange the visit in honor of Seip and Older Americans Appreciation Month. "It was a wonderful surprise," said Seip, who played tight end for Army in 1941, graduating in '42. "Coach Ross was very nice and friendly. I'm honored." Seip has spent the last five months at Elant. His wife, Helen, could no longer take care of him after he took several falls at their Cornwall home. The couple was married by a justice of the peace in Highland Falls immediately after Seip's West Point graduation. Ross was accompanied by Army tight end Tim Dunn. They spent a half hour talking with Seip and his wife. "I went because I have great respect for the elderly," Ross said. "Both my parents are dead, but I saw them (in nursing homes). I have great empathy for them. I'm glad I went by to see him." *********** When Baltimore Ravens' coach Brian Billick agreed to address the graduates at University of Maryland-Baltimore, he was asked to keep his speech to 15 to 20 minutes. Uh-oh. Not going to be easy. "Hell, I don't even take a breath for the first 15 minutes," he said. *********** Mike Lude, former AD at Washington and then at Auburn, was Dave Nelson's line coach at Maine and then at Delaware, which really makes him the co-inventor of the Delaware Wing-T. (Read THE FIRST WING-T LINE COACH IN HISTORY) Mike's recently-released book, "Walking the Line," is a great read. From his boyhood in rural Western Michigan, to his playing days at Hillsdale College, from his service in the Marine Corps to his joining Dave Nelson as his right hand man, from his first - and only - head coaching job at Colorado State to his second career as an AD, starting at Kent State and moving to Washington and then to Auburn, Mike has seen it all, and he tells about it in a way that is both interesting and informative. Here's how to order a copy - go to www.huskyfever.com and down at the bottom right, look for "Walking the Line.") *********** The 2004 Madison High Highlights tape is now ready to ship. It runs about an hour and a forty minutes, and includes hundreds of plays from this past season, in which he turned a program that had gone 0-9, 1-8 and 2-7 into a 7-2 season. (MADISON HIGH, 2004)The real significance of our success, I think, is the way we were able to make use of the kids that we had. We were not overly talented, but we had a very tough, hard-working, unselfish group of kids, a few of them with unique gifts, and I think we coaches did a great job of putting them all in the right places - places where they could enjoy the most individual success, and at the same time make the greatest contribution to the team. I also think we did a great job of zeroing in on what it was that these particular kids did best, and not letting ourselves get too far from the basic plan. There is a certain emphasis on the "Multiple Wing" - you will notice that we did not remain in one formation - we ran at least one play from at least 20 different formations - but at the same time you will notice that we did not run a great number of different plays. (For example, you will be interested, I think, to see how many different ways you can employ "power" blocking.) If you are a Double-Wing coach or if you are even thinking of using some Double-Wing in your program, I think this tape will open your eyes. To order a copy of the tape, send $29.95 (check, money order or school P.O.) to Coach Hugh Wyatt - 1503 NE 6th Ave - Camas, WA 98607   "The Beast Was out There," by General James E. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about. --- BE THE BLACK LION TEAM --- HONOR BRAVE MEN - RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING KIDS ENROLL YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2005 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD (FOR MORE INFO)

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS) May 17, 2005    "You can't sell to a man who isn't listening." Bill Bernbach, a legend in the advertising business Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here OUR SEASON - MADISON HS - PORTLAND, OREGON, 2004 A VISIT TO WEST POINT, NOVEMBER, 2004      NEW!A LIST OF SOME OF 2004'S TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS NEXT CLINIC- BUFFALO - for more info - 2005 Clinics   *********** I PROMISED YOU PHOTOS... A visit to NFL Films *********** The Northern California clinic gave me a chance to combine two of my greatest pleasures - driving someplace with my wife, and getting together with other coaches. We'd made the drive to the Bay Area numerous times when our kids were in college down there, so this time, instead of flying to Oakland or Sacramento and then renting a car to get me to the Stockton area as I normally would, I decided to drive, and invited my wife to join me. It is not a drive you normally choose to take in the wintertime, because the mountain passes on the Oregon-Califirnia border are often a snow-clogged hell, but we're pretty much done with snow for this year. Man, I'd forgotten what a beautiful drive it is - from the green (really, really green. Ireland green) of Oregon's Willamette Valley, to the couple hundred miles of steep grades (serious hills) and winding roads through the mountains of Southern Oregon and Northern California and, yes, even to the long drive through the Sacramento Valley of California, it is an impressive look at America. There is no place in the lower 48 where a mountain looms so huge, so majestic, so visible over an Interstate Highway for so long a distance as snow-capped Mount Shasta does over I-5. And as giant lakes go, only Lake Coeur D'Alene in Idaho can rival Northern California's Shasta Lake in the beauty of its alpine setting. There is one minor drawback - for nearly two hours, there is a mountainous stretch between Redding, California and Ashland, Oregon, where there is absolutely nothing but static on the car radio. (Sirius people please note.) *********** For the third year in a row, the clinic was held in Lathrop, California. Lathrop, once a small, farm town, is near enough to Stockton to become a suburb of Stockton - except that it's rapidly becoming a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland, both at least an hour's drive west across the mountains. It is not unusual for folks in Lathrop to start the morning commute at four o-clock in the morning, in an effort to beat the traffic. That commute is the price they pay in return for nice housing at affordable prices in the kind of town they want to be able raise their kids in. The clinic was hosted by the Lathrop Titans football organization, and their president, Jaime Hernandez. Handling the actual logistics was Coach Richard Scott. That's some of the Lathrop staff at left. *********** Friday night dinner for my wife and me was at a place the locals had introduced me to on my previous visits - Tio Lui's, a great Mexican restaurant. Saturday night, Derek Wade and Christopher Anderson joined us for drinks and dinner at a place in nearby Manteca called Brickyard Oven, home of Kelley Brothers Brewing Company. Coming from the Northwest, the home of the microbrewing movement that has now stretched from coast to coast, I have become something of a connoisseur of these places, and based on the atmosphere, the service, the menu and the brews themselves, I'd have to say that this place was as good as it gets. So much for all those stereotypes about sleepy little Valley towns. *********** For me, one of the highlights of the Northern California clinic was being able to introduce Coach Joe Daniels in his first public appearance in his first head coaching job, as the new head man at Natomas High, in Sacramento. (That's Coach Daniels on the left.) Joe is ready. He has paid his dues, as a JV head coach and an offensive coordinator at Highlands High School and then most recently as offensive coordinator at Natomas. He has also been coaching baseball at Natomas, so he knows the kids and they know him. Joining him as his defensive coordinator will be his longtime associate at Highlands, Dave "Bubba" D'Ambrosio. Joe has been running a Wing-T offense at Natomas, but having hosted two of my clinics at Highlands, he is a Double-Winger at heart, and now, as his own offensive coordinator at Natomas, it is safe to say that Coach Daniels will be showing people his version of the Double-Wing. *********** Derek Wade, who lives in Santa Rosa, California and coaches at Tomales High School, rode his motorcycle to the clinic - about a 2-1/2 hour ride each way. In the process, he invented a new market for the Wrist Coach - he wore the directions to the clinic on his sleeve. *********** Following the clinic - On the left, that's Steve "Dipper" Popovich, who started out as a Double-Winger in Connecticut, then moved to Arizona before finally settling in as a coach with the Lathrop Titans' program; Derek Wade, who in his other life is a Coast Guardsman, but in his real life is a Double-Wing coach in Tomales, California; Christopher Anderson, now a graduate student and sports writer at Stanford who has been wasting his potential as a high school football coach; and some old guy. *********** We spent Sunday night in Roseburg, Oregon. Roseburg, a nice town of about 20,000 people, nestled in a mountain valley some three hours south of Portland, is a football town by anybody's standards. Roseburg owes its living to the forests that surround it - even in these days when we have to spare entire forests because they might contain one Northern Spotted Owl, Roseburg's economy is still dependent on forest products - and the people who work in the woods and the mills tend to like their sports rough and their football hardnosed, If I had the money and the time, I would love to spend a season shadowing Roseburg Coach Thurman Bell. Coach Bell, who is going into his 35th year as head coach of the Roseburg High Indians, has taken his team to the state final game nine times, and won three state titles. (He shared a fourth title, back when very-PC Oregon thought it was cruel to make teams play overtime if the championship game ended in a tie.) His record at Roseburg is 266-102, and he has been named state Coach of the Year three times. I would go around town interviewing the local movers and shakers, as well as the old guys who drink coffee at the cafe on Saturday mornings and know exactly what went wrong the night before. (Did I say I would have a camera crew with me?) I think that after spending a season following a team that would either go well into the playoffs, as is its custom, or crash and burn somewhere short of that, which is always shocking to the community, I would come out with a great football documentary. *********** The oldest living winner of the Outland Trophy, given to the nation's outstanding college lineman, is Army's Joe Steffy, who won the award in 1947, the second year it was given. (First to win it, in 1946? George Connor, of Notre Dame.) Mr. Steffy, now 78, lives in Newburgh, New York, where he was interviewed a while ago by Justin Rodriguez, of the Middletown, New York Times Herald Record. Q. You did serve in the Korean War, though. Anything like M*A*S*H? A. No, sir. There were people getting killed every day. You saw soldiers dying right next to you. I was in Korea 15 minutes when I thought about what the old Civil War general, William Sherman, said: "War is hell." Willie Sherman said everything when he said that. Q. You ever cry? A. When my father died. When my mother died. More so when my father died - that wasn't expected. When John Trent (former Army football captain), the best man at my wedding, died next to me when we were fighting in the Korean War. When my wife, Ann, died. I can't think of another. Q. Chad Pennington or Eli Manning? A. Pennington. He's from Tennessee, like me, and he came up to West Point and beat us with Marshall. Tennessee didn't even recruit him. I know why: They saw that baby face and didn't think he could play football. Coaches make mistakes, make no doubt about that. Q. Would you have liked the opportunity to play in the NFL? A. They didn't pay anything in the NFL. In 1954, the Dallas Texans wanted me to try out for their team. They said they could pay me $11,000 a year. I told them, "I'm making $30,000 selling used cars on Broadway in Newburgh." *********** Coach, I am in the 3rd season of coaching for a youth team (1 as a Defensive Coordinator, 2 as the Head Coach) and this is our 2nd season of using the Double Wing offense. We are located in Rockville MD, and our team name is the Rockville Chargers, we are an unlimited weight class team and I coach youths age 12-14 preparing them for high school ball. I love the double wing. My first year coaching was the first time I ever saw the offense, as that was when we ran it. It was amazing! Not many teams could stop us when we ran it correctly. That season we made the playoffs and lost in the first round 7-6. Not bad. My second season (first as head coach) we started with the double wing, but my offensive coordinator slowly started moving away from it as he was highly influenced by the NFL. This season with a whole new coaching staff, I am making sure we stick with the double wing as it is a highly effective offense even on this level. It confuses the hell out of the other teams and not many teams are running it. The coaches seem to think that it's too difficult for the players to learn. Well I disagree and am living proof of that, one season we were 7-1 using the double wing, and last season 3-7.....first 3 games we ran the double wing and shut out 2 opponents. Once you teach the kids the basics, technique and the holes, the rest is simple. We even came up against one opponent that ran the double wing as well and they ran it very effectively, so effectively they shut us out!! I will keep you updated during the season as to how we do. I have learned a lot from your tapes and clinics, thanks for all the advice coach. Rodney Garner, Rockville, Maryland *********** The law of unintended consequences strikes again - the recently announced military base closings are sure to cause pain and hard feelings in many of the places affected, but one unintended beneficiary could be Army football. Because every cadet at our service academies is expected to graduate in four years, there is no such thing as redshirting at Army, Navy or Air Force. Therefore, in order to prepare their recruits for the rigors of service academy academics, it is not uncommon to have them spend a post-grad year (all expenses paid) at a service-academy prep school. There, the recruits get the academic help they need, and in addition, they play a somewhat elevated level of football, against other prep schools, junior colleges, and college jayvees. Upon graduation, although they are not legally required to enroll in that service academy, most do. In the case of Army, the prep school is the US Military Academy Prep School (USMAPS), which for the past several years has been located at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Fort Monmouth happens to be one of the bases on the Pentagon's hit list, so when Monmouth closes, the USMAPS goes, too. Problem? Not necessarily. The likelihood is that the USMAPS will be relocated some 100 miles north, to West Point itself, better integrating the future cadets into the life of the academy, and giving their future coaches a better look at them. *********** When the Baltimore Ravens drafted Oregon State's Derek Anderson, it was noted that he has a terrific upside as a QB, but that he has a few problems with accuracy and decision-making. Maybe the Ravens' new QB coach will be able to help him in the accuracy department, but is Rick Neuheisel the guy to be helping anybody with "decision-making?" *********** I was reading on the News about a coach running 49-C and 58-C to win against a crashing DE.  I vaguely remember reading that play in the playbook, (maybe) and I was wondering if you could tell me the differences betw. 47-c and 49-c and when you feel like it would be effective.  The biggest difference is that there is less misdirection and more power. You don't run 58/49 back against motion, but instead use the playside wingback to block, same as you would on the playside of power/super power. It is a change-up that attacks the defensive end in a different way. Also, with 49/58, the handoff is made "outside." (It's on Page 54 of the Playbook.) *********** A young coach asked me not long ago if I'd go into coaching if I had it to do over, and here's what I wrote. (It wasn't as easy an answer as you might think.) I have to admit that I struggle with the answer, and ask myself if I'd get into coaching again if I were younger. I can't say that the answer is an unqualified "Yes." I see what guys go through nowadays - especially "old school/young guys" who want to do things right, and want to teach kids the right things - and I ask myself, "how did I survive?" One answer is that when I had a good boss, I could coach. If there were things he thought I should do differently, I would hear him out and then, because he was the boss and I respected him, I would do as he asked. In return, he would basically tell complaining parents the same thing he would tell them if they didn't like the way physics was being taught - "we hired Mr. Wyatt to run the football program and that's what we're going to let him do." And when I didn't have a good boss, one who didn't have the stones to stand up to parents, we would soon enough disagree about my coaching, and at some point I would have to go. In not every case was I smart enough to make the decision before he did. I think the problem nowadays is that there are a lot more of those bad bosses, partly because in the Good Old Days, a lot of principals were former football coaches. So were the ADs. They could make decisions and live with the consequences. And they could defend the people who worked for them. And they understood the importance of football to a school. Now, of course, the principal is quite likely to be a female, or if male, a former music teacher. Neither is likely to have any understanding of what makes football unique. The AD is sometimes just a generic administrator, or a former middle school soccer coach. Not to say that that guarantees that he or she will not be a good AD, but it is tough for a football coach when the boss doesn't really understand what he's going through and what he has to do. And, of course, in the Good Old Days, a lot of dads were service veterans, who understood the concept of training and discipline. Now, fewer and fewer parents are veterans, and even the armed forces find themselves having to go softer, treating their basic trainees more gently. And today's parents are used to hanging on to their kids. They don't want to let go. Educators urge them to "get involved," so parents of elementary school kids think that means they're invited to spend the day in their kids' classroom. In sports, they are used to sitting in folding chairs on the sidelines at the soccer games and listening to everything the coach says. They don't understand it when football comes along and shuts them out. I also think that fear - and maybe a little jealousy - play a big role. Many parents can't stand the idea that when a kid plays football, another person - a man! - comes into his life, one who can have a great influence on him. I think that many of today's fathers are wimps themselves, and many mothers harbor a mistrust of men in general; and I know that many administrators are intimidated by a strong male, and would prefer to have a "nice guy" in the football coaching job, one who doesn't threaten them. I don't think that the situation is hopeless. I just think it is essential that when you apply for the job, you get agreement right up front on what you are going to do, and what you expect in return. You need to outline your expectations for players and parents and administration. You need to explain how you will communicate with parents and administration, and you need to establish a step-by-step procedure for parents to follow if they have any concerns. For example: Step 1. Every point of concern begins with the player meeting with the coach. Only if things are not satisfactorily resolved at step 1 would things proceed to step 2. Step 2. The parent and the player meet with the coach. (None of these "He doesn't know that I'm talking to you" deals. This avoids the situation where a kid sets up a confrontation between his parent and his coach, then stands back and watches them duke it out. This also avoids a lot of "that's not what he said" hassles and has a tendency to keep angry parents somewhat more under control.) If - and only if -things are not satisfactorily resolved in this meeting do things proceed to step 3. Step 3. The parent and the player meet with the coach and a school administrator. And so forth. The key here is that there will be no meetings at which both the player and coach are not present. There must also be agreement that you are hired to be the resident expert on football, and the matters of playing time ("my son's not getting enough"), position ("my son is the best quarterback you have, and you've got him at center"), or strategy ("you should throw the ball more because my son has the best hands on the team") are not up for discussion. The emphasis is on heading things off before they get to the level of having to set up a meeting with the principal (or the superintendent). Obviously, this policy will not work where there are principals and superintendents who tend to micromanage, who enjoy giving the public the impression that they are the Great Fixers - all it takes is a call. You simply must have their support for the process, obtaining in advance their agreement to remind any parent who calls directly to the principal or the superintendent or a member of the school board that there is a policy in place, and it all starts with Step 1. Example: (1) A kid comes to the coach and says, "I can't be at practice Saturday. We're going to Disneyland." If Coach says "Fine" - end of story. If Coach says "be here or you'll lose your starting position" - you'll may find yourself proceeding to step 2. (Actually, this particular situation should have been covered by your team rules, which should have been gone over and agreed to at a pre-season meeting.) (NOTE that Step 2 is NOT "parent calls superintendent" or "parent calls coach.") (2) Coach and parent/player meet. If the two sides can't agree, the procedure goes to step three. In any event, I think that if you are prepared to say in advance exactly what you will and won't do and will stick to it, if you will lay out your rules and explain how you will make sure that players and parents understand them, you have a right to ask for the school's agreement that it will support you in this way. If they won't give it to you, you won't be successful there, anyhow. *********** Coach- How much responsibility do you delegate to your assistants? This will be my first year as a head coach and I am trying to figure out what responsibiltiies I want to delegate. I am the only coach left on the Varsity staff left from last season. The other varsity coaches left with the head coach. I really do believe that we have a very talented team and we have a chance at the championship. What I want to know is should I call the offense and the Defense? I have one assistant who was on the staff last year. He thinks that he is my offensive coordinator. He feels that he went to bat for me when the previous head coach left, so he feels he "IS" the offensive coordinator. The problem is he doesn't see eye to eye with me. He wants to do too much offensively. He wants a lot of formations and a lot of plays. But I had to put him on my staff. I feel that since I have a tough schedule and I am doing all the work (weightroom, all head coaching stuff) that I should do both. Do you think it is too much? No, I don't think it's too much. Nobody who disagrees with me to that extent would ever work on my staff. In any capacity. Period. The last thing you need is dissension. As head coach, your job is to manage the program and do what's best for the kids. That is the job you have been entrusted with. It is enough to handle without also having to run a day-care for egotistical assistants. It is their job to please you. As for delegation, my policy is "you demonstrate, I delegate." In other words, first you must show me that you are capable of doing the job, and then I will consider letting you do it. One of the wisest men I've ever known was our next-door neighbor, Art Tattersfield. The day I got my driver's license, I was all hot to drive, and I remember him saying, "Not so fast. You're not a driver yet. You're not a driver until I can go to sleep with you at the wheel." That's exactly how I feel about making someone a "coordinator." It's really simple - your life, and your job, mean more to you than they do to someone else. Don't trust either one to a guy who doesn't operate in a manner you disagree with. You are far better off with your life - and your job - in your own hands. Guess what? That assistant may think he "went to bat" for you, but unless he's the principal, or the superintendent, or the chairman of the school board, he didn't get you the job. You got the job on your merits, and that means you were given the right to make decisions. You are the head coach. Evaluate all your decisions this way - what is best for the program, and - ultimately - the kids? Can you afford to jeopardize either one, just to massage one coach's ego? If he's going to take a hike, now is the time to force the issue. Otherwise he could cause you big problems later. *********** My bright idea for a Survivor Show... "OLD-FASHIONED TWO-A-DAYS" - MORNING SESSION: On the field at 8 AM - wearing a tight-fitting Riddell suspension helmet... canvas football pants... heavy cotton jersey... "Take a lap, men!" ... do jumping jacks.... push-ups.... updowns... leg lifts... neck bridges... then more of everything. (COACHES SCREAMING LOUDLY: "LET'S SEE WHO WANTS TO PAY THE PRICE!") Progress to agility drills - lots of bear crawls and forward somesaults (COACHES SCREAMING LOUDLY: "COME ON! PUT OUT!") Full-speed tackling drills (COACHES SCREAMING LOUDLY: "LET'S SEE WHO WANTS TO HIT!") - Line up three experienced football playersone in front of the other at five yard intervals. Give each cast member a football, and then, one by one, tell them to run past all three tacklers. If they try to avoid being tackled by running too far to one side or the other, coaches will holler in their faces that they are CHICKENSH---! Nutcracker drill (COACHES SCREAMING LOUDLY: "LET'S SEE WHO WANTS TO PLAY FOOTBALL!") - One large, slow, timid cast member is positioned directly opposite a real football player (a large one), who grunts, for effect. Behind the large, slow, timid member is a small, slow timid member. When the coach says "GO!", the general idea is for the large, slow, timid cast member to block the real football player, so that the small, slow, timid cast member, who has been handed a football, can run through a rather narrow passageway (created by stacking tackling dummies) without being tackled. When both the large and small cast member fail, coaches will holler in their faces that they are CHICKENSH---! Other coaches will holler loudly, "LET'S GET SOME FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN THERE!" Break time: cast members wait their turn in line, then, one at a time, dip a ladle (the same one used by every other cast member) into a bucket of water and take a sip - then spit it out (COACHES SCREAMING LOUDLY: 'DON'T DRINK THAT WATER! YOU'LL CRAMP UP! SPIT IT OUT!") Scrimmage: Real football players on offense against cast members, wearing red scrimmage vests, on defense (COACHES SCREAMING LOUDLY - TO FALLEN CAST MEMBERS - : "GET UP! YOU'RE NOT HURT!"... IN CASES OF REAL INJURY: "I NEED A LINEBACKER!") Wind sprints: 50 of them, 100 yards each. (COACHES SCREAMING LOUDLY: "PUSH YOURSELF! DON'T CHEAT YOURSELF!") Break for lunch at noon. It is now 90 degrees and there is no air conditioning in the locker room and no shade outside. Try to eat. AFTERNOON SESSION: (Temperature in the 90s and humidity somewhere around 75 per cent.) Back on the field at 1:30, repeat the morning routine (in damp, sweaty uniforms). Continue until only one cast member is standing. (COACHES SCREAMING LOUDLY - TO THE LOSERS - : "YOU KNOW WHY ANDERSON'S STILL STANDING? HE'S STILL STANDING BECAUSE HE WANTED IT MORE THAN THE REST OF YOU!") *********** Hi Coach, was just visiting your website, and thought that I would send an email and make sure I have the right procedure in purchasing your videos. I'm a Pop Warner coach in Charlotte, NC.. last year i ran the double wing for the first time, with mixed results. as with the first time doing anything, you make mistakes. I never did get anyone's video tutorials, as I should have, and ended up getting mix and match playbooks of it, all the while not fully understanding the blocking schemes...ie. I left out the little things! which I know you cannot do with this or any other offense.... this year, I'm truly ready to learn from the successes and failures of last year, and do it correctly and efficiently from the start! I do love how every position is as much of a threat as the other, as I had seven players with multiple td's. Also, i'm moving down to pee wee (9-12) from midget (12-15) this year, and had a couple of questions... Ron DeJoseph, Charlotte, North Carolina 1.  because it's new to the kids, i was thinking of having our first practice at my house and having them watch your video as well as my highlights of last years DW team...so they can see it for themselves, and how much diff't this is from what they've done before.  should make it easier to relate to them on the field? Excellent idea. They will have a better understanding of the offense when they hit the field. Not only that, but some of them will be fired up by watching it run right. You won't have to sell them on its effectiveness. 2. how many base running plays should they have by the first game? Maybe three or four - power (both ways), counter and wedge would be enough. See my tip #130 3.  how many passing plays should they have by the first game? Maybe two. The main thing is, whatever you choose, make sure it is a pass your QB can throw, and make sure it is to a kid who can catch. Sounds obvious, but it is amazing to me how some coaches think the pass play is more important than the people executing it. You're right to realize that with our offense, it may look simple, but the devil is in the details. The upside is tremendous, but there is a lot that can go wrong that you will never realize if you don't learn it correctly. *********** Mike Lude, former AD at Washington and then at Auburn, was Dave Nelson's line coach at Maine and then at Delaware, which really makes him the co-inventor of the Delaware Wing-T. (Read THE FIRST WING-T LINE COACH IN HISTORY) Mike's recently-released book, "Walking the Line," is a great read. From his boyhood in rural Western Michigan, to his playing days at Hillsdale College, from his service in the Marine Corps to his joining Dave Nelson as his right hand man, from his first - and only - head coaching job at Colorado State to his second career as an AD, starting at Kent State and moving to Washington and then to Auburn, Mike has seen it all, and he tells about it in a way that is both interesting and informative. Here's how to order a copy - go to www.huskyfever.com and down at the bottom right, look for "Walking the Line.") *********** The 2004 Madison High Highlights tape is now ready to ship. It runs about an hour and a forty minutes, and includes hundreds of plays from this past season, in which he turned a program that had gone 0-9, 1-8 and 2-7 into a 7-2 season. (MADISON HIGH, 2004)The real significance of our success, I think, is the way we were able to make use of the kids that we had. We were not overly talented, but we had a very tough, hard-working, unselfish group of kids, a few of them with unique gifts, and I think we coaches did a great job of putting them all in the right places - places where they could enjoy the most individual success, and at the same time make the greatest contribution to the team. I also think we did a great job of zeroing in on what it was that these particular kids did best, and not letting ourselves get too far from the basic plan. There is a certain emphasis on the "Multiple Wing" - you will notice that we did not remain in one formation - we ran at least one play from at least 20 different formations - but at the same time you will notice that we did not run a great number of different plays. (For example, you will be interested, I think, to see how many different ways you can employ "power" blocking.) If you are a Double-Wing coach or if you are even thinking of using some Double-Wing in your program, I think this tape will open your eyes. To order a copy of the tape, send $29.95 (check, money order or school P.O.) to Coach Hugh Wyatt - 1503 NE 6th Ave - Camas, WA 98607   "The Beast Was out There," by General James E. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about. --- BE THE BLACK LION TEAM --- HONOR BRAVE MEN - RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING KIDS ENROLL YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2005 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD (FOR MORE INFO)

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS) May 13, 2005    "Now, if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing.  You have to make the mind run the body.  Never let the body tell the mind what to do.  The body will always give up.  It is always tired morning, noon, and night.  But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.  When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired...You've always got to make the mind take over and keep going." General George S Patton Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here OUR SEASON - MADISON HS - PORTLAND, OREGON, 2004 A VISIT TO WEST POINT, NOVEMBER, 2004      NEW!A LIST OF SOME OF 2004'S TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS NEXT CLINIC- NORTHERN CALIFORNIA - for more info - 2005 Clinics *********** THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CLINIC WILL BE HELD THIS SATURDAY AT THE HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS, LATHROP LATHROP IS ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF STOCKTON, NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF I-5 AND I-205 (Take I-5 to the Louise exit. Exit Louise and go to Harlan. Make a right on Harlan and the Holiday Inn Express will be on your right.) *********** I PROMISED YOU PHOTOS... A visit to NFL Films *********** We ran into a problem in the state playoffs and also had this happen a couple of times during the regular season.  We had a center who was soft and had a tendency to play high.  As we were scouted, teams would line up and have the nose guard shoot through his legs.  They would also line up in a tight TNT and all slam into him in order to throw off the timing of the pullers.  A few times they actually ran into the back on the power plays.  Besides the obvious solution of getting him lower, have you seen much of this out west?  It kind of concerns me, but I thought you might have a few tricks up your sleeve for this situation. I have seen just about everything, either at my place or somebody else's, and if I saw this tactic we would (1) automatically block down on all powers and counters (2) go to Over Tight (our code word for that is Omaha) and Under Tight (Code word Utah) and we would run 6-G/7-G until they realized what we had done, at which point they would have to shift their line, and get that guy off our center. *********** In the beginning of your 2004 Madison Highlights video, it looks as though the boys were having a sponge fight. It looked like a hoot and I know that my boys would love this on a hot night in August. What did you use for sponges/balls? The "weapons" we are using in that tape are called "Splash Bombs," and we bought them at a sporting goods store for somewhere around $1-$2 each. They are foam-filled, about the size of a tennis ball, and when they are filled with water, nearly the same weight as a tennis ball. PRINTED WARNING ON THE LABEL: "Do not aim or throw ball at anyone's head or face." Right. *********** Portland, Oregon might seem a bit out of the way to some, but as the headquarters of both Nike and Adidas USA, it is often ground zero in the sports-apparel world, and the local newspaper covers their goings-on the way the Detroit News covers the automobile industry. The latest skirmish between the two is taking place over logo size. Most sports' international governing bodies put limitations on the size of the logo an apparel company may place on clothing or uniforms worn in competition. But Nike argues that Adidas is being allowed an unfair competitive edge: while keeping its triangular logo within size limits, Adidas, Nike claims, has actually been allowed to exceed the limits by adding its well-recognized three stripes to shirtsleeves and other items of sportswear. Nike made news recently - in Portland, anyway - with its announcement that it plans to start putting big - make that HUGE - Nike swoooshes on some of the athletes it sponsors, in order to make its point with the powers that be. Stay tuned. *********** I knew that Onterrio Smith wound up at Oregon, home of the Second Chance, because he'd been thrown out of Tennessee for marijuana use. I also heard from a very reliable source that it came as a complete shock to those who knew of his high school "work" to learn that there was a college any place in the United States that would take him. But then, he is a very good running back, which means that until he kills somebody, there will be a place for him in football. Even then, as long as he can help some NFL team, he will probably get off. But I didn't realize what a pathetic excuse for a human being he is until I read about his being caught with a "Whizzinator" at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. In the words of its manufacturer, the Whizzinator is "an easy to conceal, easy to use urinating device with a very realistic prosthetic penis." It is intended to help druggies beat drug tests. In simpler terms, it is a dildo that pees - it pees reconstituted urine (made from powder, the same way the astronauts made tang), clean urine of course, kept at body temperature ("guaranteed!") by "our organic heat pads." It's all concealed by a jock, so when it's time to produce a sample, the testee merely whips it out and - voila! - produces a clean sample. Apparently it can be worn for long periods of time, in preparation for any unannounced, random test. (The, um, "prostheses" come in "white," "tan," "Latino," "brown" and "black." No intent on my part to make humor here - you know me better than that - but I think Whizzinators come in just one size.) Even more pathetic than the device itself are the letters of testimony sent sent by various losers to the manufacturer's Web site (www.whizzinator.com). The writers boast of how, thanks to the miracles of the Whizzinerator, they have been able to hang onto good jobs without having to give up smoking. Based on the low level of literacy revealed by their writing skills, I am reasonably sure that none of them is an airline pilot. Smith, by the way, said the device was not for his use - said he was taking it, along with some vials of "powdered urine" - to a cousin. Right. The real irony is that Old Onterrio wouldn't have gotten away with it anyhow, because the NFL requires everyone being tested to drop their drawers down to the knees. (I can picture the feigned look of surprise on his face as he pulls down his boxers and discovers that - whaddaya know? - nature has endowed him with not one, but two male members. I can just hear him saying, "Hey! How did that get there?") *********** Coach, Thought you might want to see this...it was posted on a message board. Just goes to illustrate what you've been saying all these years. Onward, Brian Rochon, North Farmington HS, North Farmington, MIchigan Coach Tilley has the right ideas. We actually have tackled the guards and never been called. Also, we beat an excellent double wing team by flexing our nose and playing with two 3 techs or 4i's and slanting the crap out of them. we played man and man free. the only play they beat us on was criss cross. Great offense but you have to take away that darn super power. Coach is right, we cheat by tackling everyone. Good luck Unbelievable that a guy would admit - proudly - that he's a cheat. And teach his kids to cheat. If his school has drug testing, he'll probably equip all his kids with Whizzinators. HW *********** A high school head football coach in Dade County earns a coaching stipend of about $2500. Contrast this with the obscene deal that Urban Meyer got at the University of Florida... * A $500,000 signing bonus * A base salary of $225,000 for the 2005 season, increasing by about $7,000 each year for the duration of the contract * A $60,000 annual expense account * $100,000 annually for "family education expenses" * $500,000 a year for his "apparel" (shoe) contract * $300,000 a year for his radio and television shows * $200,000 a year for speaking to the school's booster clubs. * Up to $425,000 in performance bonuses - $75,000 for winning the SEC championship game, $100,000 for going to the BCS ($150,000 for making the BCS title game) and $250,000 for winning the national championship game. * Assorted unspecified bonuses for being named Associated Press SEC or national coach of the year, and for finishing in the top 10 in either the AP or coaches' poll. * A "longevity clause" paying him a total of $2.1 million if he remains at the school for the full length of the seven-year contract, payable as follows: $250,000 in a lump sum payment at the end of the 2006 season; $500,000 after 2007; $250,000 after 2008; $500,000 after 2009; and $600,000 after 2011. * A period of time between the end of the regular season and January 2 during which he is free to pursue another job, and to leave Florida without any "buyout clause." * Should Florida fire him, they'll have to pay him $1 million for each year remaining on his contract. Damn shame he didn't ask me before signing. I'd have advised him to walk if they didn't throw in a house, a car, and a country club membership. And at least a dozen season tickets on the 50. *********** Christopher Anderson sent me an article from the Seattle Times about a girl at Seattle's Ballard High School. Sounds like a great kid. Good grades, editor of the school paper, athlete. Yeah, athlete - she's a pitcher on the JV baseball team. Great. She's living in one of the hottest of softball hotbeds - the state of Washington, where girls' softball is damn near as big as baseball - but she has to play baseball. Move over, fellas - make room for another girl. And then there are the Pop Warner people, who seem to think - in league with their partners in USA Football (aka the NFL) - that it's just great for girls to be playing football. In the latest issue of their magazine, "Kickoff", which does a wonderful job, incidentally, of promoting the NFL, the editor responds to a 7-year-old girl who writes in that she plays football, even though "the boys tease me." He writes - I am not making this up - "Football is too much fun to be limited to boys only." WTF!?!?! Have we become such slaves of women - such eunuchs - that we have to allow women entry into every f--king aspect of male existence? *********** I am preparing for my second year as a Head Coach of our local Youth Football JR. Midgets. Last year we did not win a single game. Worse yet the kids I am coaching have only won 1 game in 3 seasons. I never even heard of the double wing until last year when I was informed we would be going up against it in our next game. So I did some research on the internet and learned a little how to defend it. Well we got beat 34 - 6. So this year I have been wanting to come up with something that will be more challenging for defenses to defend and I have concluded that is the double wing. As you seem to have learned, there is a lot of bogus advice on the Internet, coming from people who really don't have much of a football background. Not that you would have any way of knowing that, since anybody can pose as an expert on the Internet, especially when they never use their real names and never tell you where or how long they've coached. HW *********** Coach Wyatt, We play our spring game jamboree this Thursday (May 12) Practice has gone well despite the loss of Justin Kelly to the tragic accident 2 weeks ago. Our TE Richard Dickson is being heavily recruited, so we have college coaches at practice daily. Dickson will be one of the top 3 prospects in the state. He has 16 Division 1 offers at this time, which include: Miami (Florida and Ohio), Florida, Florida State, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Rice, Tennessee, LSU, Memphis, Southern Miss, Nebraska, and Michigan. Arkansas, Vanderbilt, UCLA, and Southern Cal have all requested video. We have 4 other kids who are being recruited also. Things look good for another good season next year. Steve Jones, Ocean Springs, Mississippi *********** Mike Lude, former AD at Washington and then at Auburn, was Dave Nelson's line coach at Maine and then at Delaware, which really makes him the co-inventor of the Delaware Wing-T. (Read THE FIRST WING-T LINE COACH IN HISTORY) Mike's recently-released book, "Walking the Line," is a great read. From his boyhood in rural Western Michigan, to his playing days at Hillsdale College, from his service in the Marine Corps to his joining Dave Nelson as his right hand man, from his first - and only - head coaching job at Colorado State to his second career as an AD, starting at Kent State and moving to Washington and then to Auburn, Mike has seen it all, and he tells about it in a way that is both interesting and informative. Here's how to order a copy - go to www.huskyfever.com and down at the bottom right, look for "Walking the Line.") *********** The 2004 Madison High Highlights tape is now ready to ship. It runs about an hour and a forty minutes, and includes hundreds of plays from this past season, in which he turned a program that had gone 0-9, 1-8 and 2-7 into a 7-2 season. (MADISON HIGH, 2004)The real significance of our success, I think, is the way we were able to make use of the kids that we had. We were not overly talented, but we had a very tough, hard-working, unselfish group of kids, a few of them with unique gifts, and I think we coaches did a great job of putting them all in the right places - places where they could enjoy the most individual success, and at the same time make the greatest contribution to the team. I also think we did a great job of zeroing in on what it was that these particular kids did best, and not letting ourselves get too far from the basic plan. There is a certain emphasis on the "Multiple Wing" - you will notice that we did not remain in one formation - we ran at least one play from at least 20 different formations - but at the same time you will notice that we did not run a great number of different plays. (For example, you will be interested, I think, to see how many different ways you can employ "power" blocking.) If you are a Double-Wing coach or if you are even thinking of using some Double-Wing in your program, I think this tape will open your eyes. To order a copy of the tape, send $29.95 (check, money order or school P.O.) to Coach Hugh Wyatt - 1503 NE 6th Ave - Camas, WA 98607   "The Beast Was out There," by General James E. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about. --- BE THE BLACK LION TEAM --- HONOR BRAVE MEN - RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING KIDS ENROLL YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2005 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD (FOR MORE INFO)

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS) May 10, 2005    "Sport is not about being wrapped up in cotton wool.  Sport as about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify plans at the last minute.  Sport, like all life, is about taking risks." Sir Roger Bannister, first person to run a four-minute mile Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here OUR SEASON - MADISON HS - PORTLAND, OREGON, 2004 A VISIT TO WEST POINT, NOVEMBER, 2004      NEW!A LIST OF SOME OF 2004'S TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS NEXT CLINIC- NORTHERN CALIFORNIA - for more info - 2005 Clinics *********** THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CLINIC WILL BE HELD THIS SATURDAY AT THE HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS, LATHROP LATHROP IS ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF STOCKTON, NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF I-5 AND I-205 (Take I-5 to the Louise exit. Exit Louise and go to Harlan. Make a right on Harlan and the Holiday Inn Express will be on your right.) *********** I PROMISED YOU PHOTOS... A visit to NFL Films SATURDAY'S DENVER CLINIC... The coaches at Saturday's Denver clinic were treated to a "hands-on" session in the afternoon, thanks to the efforts of Westminster High School head coach Kevin Uhlig, and the cooperation of some of his returning players. After a morning of chalk talk and video clips, the coaches were able to take their questions out to the field, where a contingent of Westminster Warriors (shown above with their coaches) were able to provide demonstrations on the spot. I knew we were in for a great couple of hours when Coach Uhlig and his offensive coordinator, Landon Wiederstein, lined up an offensive unit and had the kids run 88 Super Power. It was executed to perfection. The first thing I always look for is whether the pulling backside linemen have been drilled to turn inside as they turn upfield, because it is not an easy thing to teach. The natural tendency is to pull through the hole and go outside, but not these kids. We were not only able to run the usual basic stuff, but also to illustrate a number of the formations that were so good to us at Madison High in Portland this year. I've been talking about them at other clinics, and I think I've done a decent job of illustrating them with clips from this past season, but it's always helpful to be able to demonstrate them with a real team, and the fact that these kids knew the offense and the terminology so well made them a great teaching aid for the other coaches. The 2004 Westminster Warriors began a massive turnaround last season, finishing 5-5. They finished fourth in Colorado - all classes - in rushing yards, and for his efforts Kevin Uhlig was named Skyline League (Class 4A) Coach of the Year. We're hoping that the Portland clinic, set for June 11, will also include a "demo" session. *********** Still in Denver... Friday night, before the clinic, several of us went out to dinner, at The South, a Mexican restaurant in Englwood, Colorado. It was suggested by Kevin Uhlig, who said that the owner and manager was his fiancee's grandfather. Kevin added that granddad was a "former Bronco." You know how that goes - seems like every big guy over the age of 50 lies about having played in the NFL. But when I asked Kevin what his name was, and he said, "Jerry Sturm," I said, "Holy Sh--! He was an Original Bronco!" Well, turns out I was wrong there, Jerry told me, when he joined us at our table. No, he wasn't an original Bronco - he joined the team for its second season, 1961, but those were still the days when the Broncos' colors were brown and yellow (!) and the stockings were vertically-striped. He played six seasons in Denver, and 13 overall, and he had us roaring with some of his stories about those early days in the AFL. Hanging on the walls are photos from the early days, and the entrancy to the restaurant is covered with framed AFL bubble-gum cards. All the stars that ever played in the American Football League are there. Jerry had an old Broncos' helmet on display until some a**hole stole it, so he's taking no chance with the card displays - they are tightly screwed to the wall. To think that we'd have missed a chance to meet a guy from the early days of the NFL if it hadn't been for Kevin Uhlig! By the way, the food was great. *********** Mike Coffman is the Colorado State Treasurer. But not for long - he announced last week that he will step down in order to rejoin the Marines. In Iraq. At the age of 50. He will report in June, just days after his upcoming wedding. (His bride-to-be says she understands. If you've got a witchy girl friend who thinks you spend too much time on football, let this be a lesson to you - there are better women out there.) Following two months of training, he will be shipped to Iraq to assist Iraqis in establising local governments. He enlisted in the Army at age 17, and finished high school in Germany while on active duty as an infantryman. Following his discharge, he served in the Army reserve, making it to sergeant. After graduating from the University of Colorado in 1979, he was commissioned as an officer in the US Marine Corps and served on active duty until 1982. He then beaome involved in Colorado poltics and in 1988 was elected to the state House of Representatives. In 1991, he took a leave of absence to serve in the Gulf War. In 1994, he retired from the USMC as a major. "I love my work here, and it has been such an honor to be the state treasurer. But in my heart, I know my skills and training are needed in Iraq." He'd like the Governor to hold his job for him until he's finished in Iraq, but that's not likely. Nevertheless, he said he feels the call to duty. "It's not just a Marine thing," he said. "My father was a great soldier. He fought in World War II and Korea. He volunteered for combat on three separate occasions. Growing up really taught me those values of honor, integrity and courage and duty to the country." *********** In case you need any illustration between what is honor at a service academy and what all too often passes for honor in the world outside... After assisting at Air Force for four years, 32-year-old Chris Mooney took over as head basketball coach this past season, and went 18-12 in his first season. The top brass at the Academy were so pleased that they offered him a five-year contract back in April, calling for a 10 per cent pay increase. He agreed to the contract, which went into effect last Sunday. But on Monday, the University of Richmond asked the AFA for permission to talk with Mooney. On Tuesday, he interviewed in Richmond. On Wednesday, he was offered the job, which he accepted. And on Thursday, he told his (former) team at Air Force about his decision. "I feel like I let the guys down," he said. Yeah, coach, I can see where you might think that. Meanwhile, at a place that believes rather strongly in commitment - those Cadets will give their country five years of active-cuty servive after graduation - the Air Force brass rolled right over and let the guy go. By all accounts, there wasn't even a buyout clause in the contract. How in hell can they face those kids, locked in as they are to a multi-year commitment, after letting their coach stroll away from a newly-signed five-year contract? *********** Coach, Most of the defenses I face are a 5/3.  The DT is usually on the outside eye of my tackle. When running power vs this defense should I have the TE and C back double team the OLB?  Or, should I try to have the C back block the OLB by him by himself and have the TE double team on the DT? Thanks for your help. Coach, without even discussing how to block power, if someone is playing a 5-3 with tackles on the outside shoulder of your tackles, you should be running inside the tackles. That is a VERY unsound defense. It is set up to try to make it difficult for you to block the power, but in doing so it gives you the trap by allowing your tackle to get on their MLB, while your guard and center double-team the nose. *********** I was looking at your list on the website. You can add Bellevue East to your list of successful double wing teams. After an 0-3 start, we once again we went 6-5, making it to the Nebraska Class A Quarterfinals. The DW works! R. Mason, Bellevue East High School, Bellevue, Nebraska *********** Coach Wyatt, I want to thank you for a great day at the Detroit clinic.  We learned what we needed to after our first year of running the system.  I am confident we will be a much improved coaching staff and team. I do have a question for you regarding NCAA rule change.  On page 6 of the AFCA's extra point it reads:  "In the past, blocking from behind was allowed near the line of scrimmage.  The committee passed a rule that will limit these blocks to contact above the knee."  I am sure this would include our "shoe shine block."  Now I know this is just the NCAA so far (I have not heard any changes from the High School National Federation), but they may follow suit soon. My question is: 1. Can we still cutoff that backside chaser if we hit above the knee?  And 2. If we cannot get that block, how do you feel that would affect the offense? Mark Hundley, Dublin Jerome HS Celtics, Dublin, Ohio It is quite possible that the NFHS will at some point adopt that rule, although I would then like the NFHS to copy the NCAA rule regarding blocking below the waist from the front. Should such a rule pass, I think we are still deep enough that we would not make contact from the back - we rarely do. We don't normally shoeshine anyone farther away than a "3" technique. If you measure it, you will see that a backside TE, lined up back off the ball, knowing the snap count, and taking the correct steps, should be able to cut off a defensive linemen without having to clip him. We do try to stress throwing the far arm across the front of the legs of the man we're cutting off, then bear crawling. I believe we'll be okay, but there will be no margin for error. *********** Coach, Sorry it has been such a long time since I have emailed you. The past year has been a whirl wind. We finally got into our new school in January and it is beautiful and we are very proud of it. It was a tough couple of years having to make do in an old elementary school and cross a couple of streets to eat lunch and go to the athletic fields. It was especially bad when it rained and it seemed to do that right as classes were changing or ending for the day. Our weight room was relegated to an old elementary kindergarten room, and we could only get two platforms, two squat racks, 2 benches, the incline and the curl bench in the room. The rooms on both sides of me housed English and Spanish classes, and those teachers were very glad when our gym was finished and we moved out and they didn't have to listen to weights banging on the floor and guys rooting for each other to get a new one rep max. But we endured and are better for it. This past week we received over $19,000.00 worth of new weight room equipment and now have a weight room that our kids are really proud of. They all helped unload all the equipment off of a 53 foot semi in about an hour, and we had everything set up and ready for classes about three hours later. It is just amazing how proud they are of the new stuff and how they feel they are better for having to endure the past couple of years and still remain very competitive. It just makes me feel that I have the best job in the world, and I enjoy getting up and going to work every day. I wouldn't want to be doing any other job at any other place that Umatilla, Florida. I have been blessed. I am sure being a double-wing team helped our players get through all the adversity, since they knew they would be competitive, regardless of the circumstances. I am sorry I have missed the past couple of clinics in Atlanta, but things just kept me from being there. I was reading about you being in Denver this weekend and I thought about the first couple of clinics I went to there when I was in Nebraska and how much I enjoyed them. I have made so many good friends in this double-wing coaching fraternity over the years and continue to constantly make new ones. It is wonderful. I thank you for making this all possible. I am convinced that each year I send young men who have played for us out into the world better prepared to deal with everyday situations they will face. A couple of things I wanted recommend and let you know that I have read recently that I really enjoyed. The first is a book called "A Season of Life", by Jeffrey Marx. It deals with former NFL star Joe Ehrman (a defensive linemann for the Baltimore Colts) now an ordained minister and coach at Gilman High School in Maryland. Although the football program at Gilman has been very successful the real success is in the precepts of his Building Men or Others program: Being a man and emphasizing relationships and having a cause bigger than yourself. It is a book that I think all coaches would really enjoy. I couldn't put it down until I was finished. The other is a quote from a recent interview with General Norman Schwartzkopf. When asked if he thought there was room for forgiveness toward the people who have harbored and abetted the terrorists who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks on America, his answer was classic Schwartzkopf. He stated "I believe that forgiving them is God's function. OUR job is to arrange the meeting." Hope all is going well for you and I promise to stay in closer contact in the future. Ron Timson, Umatilla High School, Florida *********** Coach Wyatt: This is Rich Ottley football coach at Lincoln County High School in Panaca, Nevada. I came across this article (posted below) and while I agree that the Florida fans could turn quickly on Urban Meyer if things don't go well, I struggle with of few things this guy says. One thing is the Idea that displine isn't important and the other is say Mormons are morons. My guess is if he had substituted any other religious groups name in there the public outcry would have been immediate and fierce. Anyway I was curious as to your take on this, I have always enjoyed your writing on outlook on things. "If discipline was the most important criteria to success, Army and Navy would be playing for a national championship every year." Bobby Bowden paraphrase from about 1977 I am about to bake myself a huge helping of Crow Pie and I expect some of you guys to store this post and serve it back up to me in a couple of years if Urban Meyer is succesful at Florida. If my prophesy is correct however I want you to take heed when it comes time to select a replacement for Bobby Bowden. I want a guy who understands the culture of the Southeastern student-athlete, 80 percent of whom are African American. I want a guy with proven Florida recruiting roots. I want a guy who has a proven track record, at least as an assistant, for defeating Top 10 teams, for winning SEC or ACC titles and national championships. I want a guy who values defense and the kicking game as much as he does his offense. I ain't buying all the hype from the Florida and Florida State fans who have annointed Meyer as a great coach. He has yet to beat a top 10 team. He has yet to win in the SEC. He has yet to run that offense against anyone with the speed he's about to see, or the destructive wrecking power on a quarterback. He's yet to have to defend the kind of offenses he'll face in the coming year. He's yet to play in a football crazy place like Tennessee or Starkville or Tallahassee. He's yet to face the acidity of the Gator nation after a loss, or the venomous pen of a Mike Bianchi, or the behind the scenes medling of the Bull Gators. He's yet to prove he can recruit or that he can sustain morale after a pair of losses. Let them have their fun rallying their troups but don't buy it for a minute. A little discipline goes a long way when you are winning but let those jokers lose a couple of games and you will see the morale down there fall faster than an internet stock. Let's see how well they recruit when their injured players tell recruits the stories about carrying chains and stones around their neck, like 18th century slaves, or how they are denied access to the big house because they have not earned the right to clean workout clothes or a shower after a "voluntary" practice. Give me a break. This juvenile stuff may work with a bunch of mormons (or morons) but I don't see the fellas buying into any of it after they drop one or two ball games. "At the end of the day, the most important thing is the morale of the troups. If you don't have morale, call in the dogs and pour coffee on the fire, because the hunt is over." Former defensive end coach Jim Gladden throughout the Dynasty era. Jerry Kutz has been a columnist for The Osceola, a weekly newspaper devoted to FSU sports, for more than 20 years. Coach Ottley- To a certain extent, I go along with some of the things the guy says - they are factual... I ain't buying all the hype from the Florida and Florida State fans who have annointed Meyer as a great coach. He has yet to beat a top 10 team. He has yet to win in the SEC. He has yet to run that offense against anyone with the speed he's about to see, or the destructive wrecking power on a quarterback. He's yet to have to defend the kind of offenses he'll face in the coming year. He's yet to play in a football crazy place like Tennessee or Starkville or Tallahassee. He's yet to face the acidity of the Gator nation after a loss, or the venomous pen of a Mike Bianchi, or the behind the scenes meddling of the Bull Gators. He's yet to prove he can recruit or that he can sustain morale after a pair of losses. But frankly, I think that this Seminole is scared to death. Gator Nation has bought in 100 per cent because they WANTED Urban Meyer's discipline. I think that the "slaves in chains" slant (interesting that the writer seems to think it's okay to slur Mormons) means a whole lot more to certain black "leaders" and well-meaning white sports reporters than to today's young athletes, who might factor some history into the recruiting equation, but are far more likely, in my opinion, to go to the place that they think is best for them personally - right here and now. If the racial factor were all that mattered to a kid, Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State would be gathering in the cream of the crop in the South, and Tyrone Willingham would still be at Notre Dame. I also think I can turn the "he hasn't won at any place big" argument against those critics by asking them, "if Urban Meyer can win big at Bowling Green and Utah, what will he be able to do at a place where he can recruit the kind of athletes Florida can recruit?" The Army and Navy joke is funny, but let's put it another way - given their limitations in recruiting, where would Army and Navy - and Air Force - be without discipline? As a matter of fact, I think that discipline still does make a difference - it does seem to me that most of the disciplinary problems you read about in the papers seem not to be occuring at the top echelon schools. And conversely, using Penn State as an example, I think that when you feel you have to recruit certain kids that have the potential to cause problems, your program is likely to suffer as a result. *********** Retired Army Colonel David Hackworth died last Wednesday at the age of 74. Whatever one may have thought of his views, he was a courageous man. Col. Hackworth was one of the very first senior officers to speak out publicly against the war in Vietnam. He served his country with four tours of duty in Vietnam, and was highly decorated, but when he retired from the military in 1971, he gave up his medals in protest. He served as a correspondent for Newsweek during the Gulf War. He most recently wrote for King Features, and was frequently critical of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war. Americans might disagree with Col. Hackworth, but they could not attack his credentials to criticize. His combat experience in Vietnam made him an outspoken critic of wars being fought by "desk jockeys." "Most combat vets pick their fights carefully. They look at their scars, remember the madness and are always mindful of the fallout," he said. "That's not the case in Washington, where the White House and the Pentagon are run by civilians who have never sweated it out on a battlefield." He caused a furor last summer when he reported that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was using a machine to sign letters of condolence sent to the families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Secretary Rumsfeld has since begun signing each letter by hand.) My article elicited a strong response from retired Brigadier General Jim Shelton, and on the theory that "the lie travels a thousand miles while the truth is still putting its boots on," I have already added his comments, rather than waiting until Friday. Hugh: I don't know if we ever talked about Hackworth, but I wished we had. As far as I am concerned he was a worthless, self-serving jerk who turned disloyal to the Army and played to the "populist" sentiment--ie, always attack the guys who are in charge if he wasn't. Please read the enclosed link carefully. < http://slate.msn.com/id/2381/ > It is all true. Hackworth should have been courtmartialed for his actions, but got off because the Army was on the ropes for MyLai and many other failures when Hackworth was charged. He was a self-serving bum who was medal crazy(I've seen many like him). I don't think you can find many Hackworth supporters out of the officers I know. Anyway, I don't know of anything else we disagree on but Hackworth was a sore point for me for a long time. He was such a skunk nobody wanted to pee with him. Black Lions. Jim I wrote back: We don't disagree on this. I was no big fan of his anyway, but I sure wish I'd mentioned him to you. What we do agree on here is that I was had - like way too many Americans I went for the media line. I take so much pride in being skeptical that it pisses me off that I was taken in by the story of this self-styled "Army's most decorated officer." I think it would be a great service to my readers if they heard a real professional's opinion. *********** Steve Nash has just been named the NBA's MVP. Apart from the fact that I personally don't understand why Shaquille O'Neal didn't get it, I suppose I'm supposed to be jumping up and down with excitement, because Nash is the first white guy to win the award since Larry Bird won it in 1986. One pop sociologist named Jon Entine is using the occasion to plug his book, "Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We Are Afraid to Talk About It." Actually, I'm not afraid to talk about it. In the NBA, at least, it has something to do, I think, with the things that a culture values, and the options that a kid has. In America, for many black kids growing up in urban areas, basketball and football are the sports of choice. That's all there is. And sadly, in some big cities football is so poorly supported that basketball is the only option. So basketball gets first claim on the best athletes. Combine the competition that this creates with the sort of toughness required by life on the streets, and you are going to produce some great basketball players. (Why not baseball? It's clearly not the sport of choice of many black athletes. Lack of places to play is one explanation given, but I submit that it is a cultural thing as well - I suspect that in a community that respects toughness and wants action, baseball is not seen as a particularly manly, virile sport. And it is boring, besides. Write off soccer for the same reasons.) Relatively affluent suburban white kids have additional options that include swimming, diving, gymnastics, water polo, wrestling, lacrosse and, in some places, ice hockey. And, of course, soccer. There is basketball, of course. In fact, take away all the other sports that white kids have available to them, and there are still more of them playing basketball than there are black kids. Yet the NBA is pretty much a black man's league, and this guy Entine wants us to believe that it's mainly because of a lack of role models. His theory goes like this - "There are a large number of young white players who drop out of basketball because they don't see enough role models like Steve Nash to believe they can succeed in the NBA." Are you kidding me? If our white kids are looking for a role model, they'd better look someplace else, because Steve Nash is a Canadian. He grew up in a country in which basketball is not nearly as big as it is in the USA. Not even is it not close to being the number one sport, it's not even the number one winter sport. So who the hell were his white role models? The fact that he's white and made it to the top of the NBA doesn't in any way make him a role model for American white kids. If anything, his mere presence on the floor should say to them: "If I can make it, coming from a country where they don't even pay their high school coaches, what the f--k's the matter with you?" What is this garbage about kids needing role models of their own kind, anyhow? Is race that important? I mean, isn't it possible that Steve Nash might have patterned his game after a black player? I wonder if it ever occured to Mr. Entine that if what Steve Nash needed were white, Canadian role models, he'd have wound up playing hockey. *********** Just heard something interesting. A fellow named Colin Cowherd, who apparently yaks on ESPN radio, was dissecting Notre Dame's schedule. Claims he follows college football religiously. So here are his claims that the ND schedule is very average, full of 'big names who aren't very good': Pittsburgh and BYU are 'junk programs' - which I might believe if Pitt didn't have Notre Dame's number Michigan - 'they play poor early', which is true Michigan State is 'playing off the name of their basketball program' Washington - agreed that they stunk, but he could have touched on the revenge factor for that game. He said Purdue 'couldn't play with the big boys,' doesn't mention their 25-point victory in South Bend. Navy - 'no real football program considers them a threat.' Doesn't mention their 10 victims last year. Syracuse is 'junk' - doesn't mention that they beat the Irish two seasons ago. Not so much that's he off target, he's just in denial of the fact that "junk programs" have been beating Notre Dame for a decade. I'm not saying UND can't win, but there are no cheapies when you look down the barrel, especially with USC and Tennessee back to back. Who the hell are they hiring at ESPN? I thought only Fox Sports had these goons. Christopher Anderson, Palo Alto, California  Colin Cowherd started out in Portland as a sports radio guy (you can only imagine how boring sports radio in a one-team town can be) who somehow impressed people in the Big Time. My impression of him is that like so many of those people, he is for the most part going overboard trying to be outrageous and off-the-wall, although with a tiny bit more depth of knowledge than many of the motormouth types. HW *********** Mike Lude, former AD at Washington and then at Auburn, was Dave Nelson's line coach at Maine and then at Delaware, which really makes him the co-inventor of the Delaware Wing-T. (Read THE FIRST WING-T LINE COACH IN HISTORY) Mike's recently-released book, "Walking the Line," is a great read. From his boyhood in rural Western Michigan, to his playing days at Hillsdale College, from his service in the Marine Corps to his joining Dave Nelson as his right hand man, from his first - and only - head coaching job at Colorado State to his second career as an AD, starting at Kent State and moving to Washington and then to Auburn, Mike has seen it all, and he tells about it in a way that is both interesting and informative. Here's how to order a copy - go to www.huskyfever.com and down at the bottom right, look for "Walking the Line.") *********** The 2004 Madison High Highlights tape is now ready to ship. It runs about an hour and a forty minutes, and includes hundreds of plays from this past season, in which he turned a program that had gone 0-9, 1-8 and 2-7 into a 7-2 season. (MADISON HIGH, 2004)The real significance of our success, I think, is the way we were able to make use of the kids that we had. We were not overly talented, but we had a very tough, hard-working, unselfish group of kids, a few of them with unique gifts, and I think we coaches did a great job of putting them all in the right places - places where they could enjoy the most individual success, and at the same time make the greatest contribution to the team. I also think we did a great job of zeroing in on what it was that these particular kids did best, and not letting ourselves get too far from the basic plan. There is a certain emphasis on the "Multiple Wing" - you will notice that we did not remain in one formation - we ran at least one play from at least 20 different formations - but at the same time you will notice that we did not run a great number of different plays. (For example, you will be interested, I think, to see how many different ways you can employ "power" blocking.) If you are a Double-Wing coach or if you are even thinking of using some Double-Wing in your program, I think this tape will open your eyes. To order a copy of the tape, send $29.95 (check, money order or school P.O.) to Coach Hugh Wyatt - 1503 NE 6th Ave - Camas, WA 98607   "The Beast Was out There," by General James E. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about. --- BE THE BLACK LION TEAM --- HONOR BRAVE MEN - RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING KIDS ENROLL YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2005 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD (FOR MORE INFO)

 

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS) May 6, 2005    "We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts." Aristotle Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here OUR SEASON - MADISON HS - PORTLAND, OREGON, 2004 A VISIT TO WEST POINT, NOVEMBER, 2004      NEW!A LIST OF SOME OF 2004'S TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS NEXT CLINIC- DENVER - for more info - 2005 Clinics *********** DENVER CLINIC THIS SATURDAY - Kevin Uhlig, host coach at this Saturday's clinic at Westminster High School, writes, "You need to remind coaches to come to the front of the high school (facing Hidden Lake), many come around to the back with is the athletic wing. But they must enter the main office doors. I would encourage you to include the hs number 303-428-9541 so they can call the main office for precise directions leading up to the clinic. It can be rather tricky getting to our school off of 68th and Sheridan." *********** I PROMISED YOU PHOTOS... A visit to NFL Films *********** Hugh: I have two video tapes here which I cherish. One is with Sir Lawrence Olivier, and Act 4, Scene 3 of Henry V; the other is Kenneth Branaugh doing the same part many years later. I have yet to watch those tapes that I did not cry. Just a part of it goes as follows: THIS STORY SHALL THE GOOD MAN TEACH HIS SON; AND CRISPIN CRISPIAN SHALL NE'ER GO BY,FROM THIS DAY TO THE ENDING OF THE WORLD, BUT WE IN IT SHALL BE REMEMBERED;WE FEW,WE HAPPY FEW,WE BAND OF BROTHERS,FOR HE TODAY THAT SHEDS HIS BLOOD WITH ME, SHALL BE MY BROTHER,BE HE NE'ER SO VILE,THIS DAY SHALL GENTLE HIS CONDITION;AND GENTLEMEN IN ENGLAND, NOW ABED SHALL THINK THEMSELVES ACCURSED THEY WERE NOT HERE,AND HOLD THEIR MANHOODS CHEAP WHILES ANY SPEAKS, THAT FOUGHT WITH US UPON SAINT CRISPIN'S DAY. This is what the Black Lions are all about. I don't know how any man that has lived could have said it better than the great Will Shakespeare. The words chill me--they ring so true--and they are eternal--forever. Shakespeare was a miracle man--to be able to wordsmith such a sentiment. I hold nothing against those who were not there. I just thank God I was--or at least those brothers who were hold me close to them. You certainly are our great friend and , in a way, our Shakespeare. Black Lions. Jim Shelton, Englewood, Florida *********** A VISIT TO SOUTH FLORIDA... A few weeks ago, I paid a visit to what some people (sorry, Texas) call the heart of football - Dade County, Florida. I was at Barbara Goleman High School, in Miami Lakes, at the invitation of head coach Leonard Patrick to spend a day with his staff and kids, as they prepared for spring ball.Goleman, with 4700 students, plays in Florida's largest classification, 6A. After years of struggling, the Goleman Gators were the big surprise of Miami-Dade County football in 2004, winning their district title, making it to the state playoffs, and finishing 7-4. Along the way, two of the Gators' backs, Angel Quial and Randy Sherrod, rushed for over 1,000 yards, and Angel was named Dade County Player of the Year. Make no mistake - South Florida football is Big Time. If you doubt it, get hold of a copy of the Documentary "Year of the Bull." Quarterback John Lopez Linebacker Darrell Gaiter An old coach talks - briefly, I hope - to young guys The Goleman team surprised me with a plaque thanking me for my help Goleman offensive coordinator Jeff Rogers and head coach Leonard Patrick Some of the Goleman staff, joined by an interloper Goleman's 1,000-yard rushers- Angel Quial (Left) and Randy Sherrod (Right) Coach Leonard Patrick prepares the Gators for the clinic The Goleman Gators pose for a team photo after the clinic *********** Trophies For Everybody! In an attempt to elevate the self-esteem of Division I-AA schools, the NCAA will rename its Division I components. What we have been used to calling Division I-A will henceforth be known as "DIVISION I FOOTBALL - BOWL DIVISION," and what we have been calling Division I-AA will be known as 'DIVISION I FOOTBALL - CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION." I sh-- you not. *********** The cowbird lays its eggs in another bird's nest, where as often as not, the baby cowbirds monopolize the brood, taking the food that should have gone to the rightful occupants of the nest. Ken Goe has taken on the cowbirds. I've known Ken Goe for quite some time, since the days when he was covering Portland State football for the Portland Oregonian and I was doing the color on their telecasts. (Those were glorious days for PSU football - the head coach was a guy named Pokey Allen, who went on to Boise State, where in 1994 he took the Broncos to the Division I-AA final game, only to be diagnosed less than a week later with the cancer that would kill him - December 30, 1996 - at the age of 53. PSU's offensive coordinator was Al Borges, who went on to Oregon, Cal, UCLA, Indiana and, most recently, Auburn. Think Portland State wasn't exciting to watch? But that's another story.) Now, Ken has taken on Oregon City girls' basketball. Maybe you've heard of Oregon City. Year in and year out, the Pioneers are someplace in the USA Today national rankings. They have finished first at least once. They go to all the big holiday tournaments that they can, turning down invitations for many more, and they make mincemeat out of their Oregon high school competition. They have won 10 state championships since 1992, and over the last 15 years, playing in one of the state's toughest conferences, they've lost only 12 league games. For example, this past season, they beat nearby Rex Putnam High, 78-23 and 73-21. If you think the secret of their success is great coaching, you are probably spending a lot of time wandering around looking for all the things that the Easter Bunny left you. Instead, the secret can be spelled out in one ugly word - TRANSFERS. Already, since this past season, two outstanding underclassmen from rival schools have transferred to Oregon City. There is a very real possibility that next season, four of the Pioneers' five starters will be transfers. Everything is on the up-and-up. These are kids of well-to-do parents who see buying a home in the Oregon City school district as just another step on the path to a college scholarship for their kid, a path lined with summer camps, personal trainers, shooting coaches and elite travel teams. Said one Oregon mother about her daughter's move to another school, "People have complained, and I have felt a lot of heat. But no one can tell me what is best for my daughter." The Oregon City basketball coach denies recruiting those kids, and I believe him. I believe that he doesn't recruit kids. Not any more, at least. He no longer has to. Those people contact him now. His reputation is now a magnet. But who's kidding whom - how was that reputation built? At some point, someone pointed out to talented young girls at other schools that there were certain advantages to be gained by transferring to Oregon City. In case you wonder how people like this reconcile their roles as educators with what takes place on their teams, rest assured. Just like conniving college recruiters, they are masters of spin. Listen to what the guy told the Oregonian: "Some people say this is bad for high school sports. At some level, they're right. But I'll be up front. It's not bad for high school sports in general, it's bad for the school they're leaving." Boy, talk about a screwed up sense of values. Yes, it's bad for the school they're leaving. But it is bad for high school sports in general, supposedly the last bastion of pure competition. The integrity of competition means nothing to those guys. They are like people who drive onto the athletic field in their four-wheel drive rigs, cutting cookies and tearing up the sod. They are having their fun - but in the process, they're destroying things for everyone else. And even though these jokers probably don't realize it, they're bad for the schools these kids are transferring to. The taxpayers in those districts have been sold a bill of goods, told that money spent on their school sports is an investment in the development of their children Schools like Oregon City don't have programs, in the sense most coaches think of one - they aren't building from the bottom up, developing the kids who live in their districts. Instead, they run glorified AAU teams. Seldom mentioned are the worst losers of all - the kids of that district who started in middle school - or earlier - doing all the things the high school coach told them to do, even to the point of dropping other sports, only to reach their junior or senior year and find their spots suddenly usurped by talented transfers - by cowbirds. When are their parents going to wake up to what cowbird coaches are doing to their kids? *********** With all his money, why'd Kellen Winslow II have to go and buy himself a crotch rocket? At least if he'd been riding an Orange County Chopper, I doubt that he'd have been able to fly over the handlebars. *********** It took a little longer for PC to reach Enterprise, Oregon, but it finally got there. Enterprise is tucked away in the rugged mountains of Eastern Oregon, up in the northeast corner of the state, where Oregon, Washington and Idaho come together. Unless you're an outdoorsman, you'll likely never go there, because it is 60 miles of bad road from the nearest town of any size, LaGrande (population about 15,000). For more than 100 years, Enterprise High School's teams have been called the Savages, and the logo on the gym wall was a caricuture of an American Indian. So just recently the students at the high school, recognizing the very real possibility that they were offending Indians, took it upon themselves to choose a new nickname, something less offensive. They missed the mark again. The new nickname is "Outlaws." Cool. That's certainly PC. I'm guessing it narrowly won out over "Gangsters." *********** It's the little things... Last Sunday, before Army's baseball doubleheader with Navy, nine seniors were honored. Eight of them had their parents on hand to stand with them as they were recognized, but Dave Plott's parents were unable to attend. Last fall, Dave went out for football - as a senior - and earned his letter playing on special teams, so standing in for Dave's dad was head football coach Bobby Ross. *********** It's hard for an outsider to imagine the passions that can get stirred among Northwesters when the subject of salmon comes up. There is no argument that between past overfishing, pollution, and dams that complicate the salmon's upstream migration to spawn, the once-fabulous salmon runs in the rivers of the Northwest are now a part of our history. The argument is over who gets what's left. Thanks to a judge's decision, Indians are entitled to half the harvest, as payment to them for the government's building dams that flooded their ancestral fishing grounds. The balance is fought over by commercial fishermen and sports anglers. And sea lions. Yes, those darling marine mammals have found their way into the Columbia River system. Many of them hang out at the base of Bonneville Dam, more than 100 miles upstream from the ocean. They have proved to be salmon-killing machines. In the midst of one of the poorest salmon runs in Oregon and Washington Fish & Wildlife people estimate that so far this season, sea lions have destroyed at least 1,000 mature salmon. Sometimes, they even eat one, but mostly, they just take a bite. Talk about angry - with all the avid hunters in these parts, there is no shortage of people willing to help "thin out" the sea lion population. Except for one thing - the sea lions, although in some places (such as the docks in San Francisco) they're as numerous and as desirable as Canada geese on a golf course, they are protected by the Marine Mammal Act. So far. I wonder if that softball player in the NCAA ad - the one who tells us she's majoring in "Marine Mammal Rescue" - has graduated yet. I have a feeling some sea lions up in the Northwest are going to be needing her pretty soon. *********** I've often sort of thought that Brett Favre was about as close as we'd come in this day and age to John Unitas. When told that Packers' wide receiver Javon Walker, who has two years left on the contract he signed in 2002, skipped mini=camp because he demands to renegotiate, Favre said, "I sure hope the Packers don't give in to him." And if that means Walker misses training camp? "I'd just as soon go without him," Favre said. Exactly what Unitas would have said. *********** Coach Wyatt, I am going to hire a couple of assistant coaches. I know you have a checklist or something to that effect that you have let other coaches use. I looked in your Coaching Tips and couldn't find it. I sure would appreciate it if you could direct me to them. I've attached the Assistants' Qualifications list I've used. Hope you can make use of it. I believe in showing it to prospective assistants, and telling them, "this is what I'm looking for in assistants, and this is how I evaluate assistants." And then going over it with them, point-by-point, in some detail, always probing ("do you have any problems with that?"), always alert for any sticking points. For me, failure to measure up on any point is a knockout. The problem will not go away. If we bring the guy on board, it is certain to cause problems down the line, and it is much harder to deal with it later on than it is simply to eliminate the guy from consideration at the very outset. (Woody Hayes: "Discipline is 90 per cent anticipation.") You complete the formalities of the interview, of course, but essentially, it is over. Better to forego the hire and go a man - or even two - short than to carry a guy whose personal issues can harm your program. *********** In the Wildcat snap - exactly how does the center snap the ball? It says low and soft in your book, but I doesn't tell whether or not it's a shot-gun like snap or if the backs are actually close enough for the center to snap it directly to them. How does this work? The backs are close enough that the center could dribble it on the ground and it would still work. Just like rugby, the backs could pick it up and play if they had to. We tell our center (1) keep your tail down (2) reach out with the ball (3) grab the back end of the ball with the two thumbs on the back end of the laces and the two middele fingers running along the side seams (4) lightly drag the ball along the ground and then (5) lightly flip the ball end over end, using just the wrists - DO NOT FOLLOW THROUGH It is fool-proof. Every kid on our team knows how to make that snap. It is the same snap technique we use for shotgun, single wing and tight punt. ----------- Wyatt's Offense May Be 'Boring,' But It Excites Plenty Of Football Coaches Double Wing Guru Hosts Clinic In R.I. By NED GRIFFEN Day Sports Writer, Connecticut Sun Published on 4/17/2005 Hugh Wyatt used to become "enraged" when people called his Double Wing offense "boring." Nowadays, he takes the criticism in stride. Wyatt, a Yale University graduate who developed the offense while coaching football in Finland in 1988, knows the Double Wing &emdash; predicated on a simple and effective power running game &emdash; isn't for everybody. Still, hundreds of high school and youth coaches have bought into the system. "I suppose it is boring, but it depends on how you've been conditioned to be excited," said the 66-year-old Wyatt, who hosted a clinic Saturday at the Comfort Inn in Warwick, R.I. "I think, unfortunately, too many people see the ESPN highlights or the video games, and neither one of them shows taking the football down the length of the field. They show one, quick exciting highlight play, and (the Double Wing) doesn't provide that. "Football is sometimes slow and methodical, and life is sometimes like that. Life is not a series of highlight plays. (The Double Wing) is much more like real life, what kids find when they get out in the real world." The Double Wing has probably been seen more in the Eastern Connecticut Conference than anywhere else in the state. Fitch High School used it during its championship years under former coach Mike Emery. East Lyme used it liberally the last two seasons to augment its power running game. "It helped put our kids in position to win and also helped teach them about teamwork and unselfishness," Emery said. "That kind of offense also promotes what you do in the weight room. You have to get off the ball and drive people. That's not going to happen unless you're strong. "We used to spend a lot of time defending against the blitz (when running the Delaware Wing-T), working on X's and O's stuff instead of fundamental stuff. Once we took that out of the equation because teams couldn't blitz it, then we could spend less time on X's and O's and more time on fundamentals, which made our team a lot better in December than we were in September." The Double Wing, for those who have never seen it, looks odd at first glance. Wyatt, who currently coaches in Portland, Ore., said its origins date back to Pop Warner's Single Wing, a system in which the wing back and tight end lined up next to each other. The theory was that it made for a better passing offense. Clarence "Biggie" Munn, who coached Michigan State from 1947-1953, was the first one to run the Double Wing, although he called it the "T Double Wing." The Double Wing makes use of the wing back and the tight end like the Single Wing, but isn't intended for passing. The Double Wing has the wing backs turned inward 45 degrees and the nine players on the line are bunched in tightly. Behind them are the quarterback and fullback, with the latter &emdash; lined up in a three-point stance &emdash; close enough to the quarterback to touch him. The offense looks odd the first time someone sees it, and it's just as confusing for the defense. A wing back is in motion on almost every play, and the ball is snapped so quickly that a defense has little time to react. Traps and misdirection figure prominently. "It really promoted the idea of the team rather than just one super running back," Emery said. "There are a lot of guys that have to block for one another. They aren't just running. It wasn't an offense that you had to have a superstar quarterback. If the quarterback got hurt, you could still win games. We liked that part of it." The Double Wing is simple and effective, but its detractors call it tedious. Emery heard that a lot, which never made sense to him. His 1999 team holds the state record for most points scored in a season (695) and his 2000 team scored 663. Still, Emery was told that he needed to throw more. "Sometimes, I don't know what people want," Emery said. "Hugh always said that people don't want a passing game, they want a successful passing game. I think people want success. We had success (with the Double Wing) and we still got credit for being boring. To us, winning wasn't boring." Saturday's clinic included Ledyard's Bill Mignault. Mignault favors the Wing-T offense, but Wyatt invited him to speak because of his 38 years of head coaching experience at Ledyard. "We've known each other for quite some time, and he has come to my clinics," Wyatt said of Mignault. "I have a great deal of respect for him, and he has some things that he can say to other coaches regardless of what offense or defense they run. You can't coach 30-something years and not have some experience that is going to benefit other guys." © The Day Publishing Co., 2005 *********** This is what you get (along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks) when you were smart enough (or lucky enough) to hang out with Bill Gates when you were younger... http://www.kpam.com/Personalities/PaulAllenYacht.htm  *********** Mike Lude, former AD at Washington and then at Auburn, was Dave Nelson's line coach at Maine and then at Delaware, which really makes him the co-inventor of the Delaware Wing-T. (Read THE FIRST WING-T LINE COACH IN HISTORY) Mike's recently-released book, "Walking the Line," is a great read. From his boyhood in rural Western Michigan, to his playing days at Hillsdale College, from his service in the Marine Corps to his joining Dave Nelson as his right hand man, from his first - and only - head coaching job at Colorado State to his second career as an AD, starting at Kent State and moving to Washington and then to Auburn, Mike has seen it all, and he tells about it in a way that is both interesting and informative. Here's how to order a copy - go to www.huskyfever.com and down at the bottom right, look for "Walking the Line.") *********** The 2004 Madison High Highlights tape is now ready to ship. It runs about an hour and a forty minutes, and includes hundreds of plays from this past season, in which he turned a program that had gone 0-9, 1-8 and 2-7 into a 7-2 season. (MADISON HIGH, 2004)The real significance of our success, I think, is the way we were able to make use of the kids that we had. We were not overly talented, but we had a very tough, hard-working, unselfish group of kids, a few of them with unique gifts, and I think we coaches did a great job of putting them all in the right places - places where they could enjoy the most individual success, and at the same time make the greatest contribution to the team. I also think we did a great job of zeroing in on what it was that these particular kids did best, and not letting ourselves get too far from the basic plan. There is a certain emphasis on the "Multiple Wing" - you will notice that we did not remain in one formation - we ran at least one play from at least 20 different formations - but at the same time you will notice that we did not run a great number of different plays. (For example, you will be interested, I think, to see how many different ways you can employ "power" blocking.) If you are a Double-Wing coach or if you are even thinking of using some Double-Wing in your program, I think this tape will open your eyes. To order a copy of the tape, send $29.95 (check, money order or school P.O.) to Coach Hugh Wyatt - 1503 NE 6th Ave - Camas, WA 98607   "The Beast Was out There," by General James E. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about. --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN - RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2005 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD (FOR MORE INFO)

(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS) May 3, 2005   "Once the pattern of a man's life is established, it is rarely, if ever, changed. The character of a man is not a variable thing, but it follows certain grooves cut long ago in youth" Louis Lamour Click Here ----------->> <<----------- Click Here OUR SEASON - MADISON HS - PORTLAND, OREGON, 2004 A VISIT TO WEST POINT, NOVEMBER, 2004      NEW!A LIST OF SOME OF 2004'S TOP DOUBLE-WING HS TEAMS NEXT CLINIC- DENVER - for more info - 2005 Clinics *********** DENVER CLINIC THIS SATURDAY - Kevin Uhlig, host coach at this Saturday's clinic at Westminster High School, writes, "You need to remind coaches to come to the front of the high school (facing Hidden Lake), many come around to the back with is the athletic wing. But they must enter the main office doors. I would encourage you to include the hs number 303-428-9541 so they can call the main office for precise directions leading up to the clinic. It can be rather tricky getting to our school off of 68th and Sheridan." *********** I PROMISED YOU PHOTOS... A visit to NFL Films *********** I made no secret of my detestation of Bill Clinton. Like many others, after four years of his moral turpitude, I saw the election of George W. Bush as signifying a return to family values. Instead, to my dismay, the Bushes themselves have taken the Presidency to newfound depths of degradation. At a Washington correspondents' dinner Saturday night, Mrs. Bush - dear sweet Laura the Librarian - artfully delivered a series of one-liners undoubtedly written for her by some smartass White House speechwriter, most of them ridiculing the President. Our First Lady portrayed life in the White House as just another TV sitcom, in which as we know all males are lazy and dimwitted, all females wise, perceptive and all-knowing. She brought down the house, but she did so at the expense of the dignity of the President of the United States, the leader of the free world and the man we entrust with the lives of our servicemen and women. The President, the man who makes the decisions to commit our troops to service overseas, to extend the tours of duty of National Guardsmen, was figuratively castrated by his own wife, who told those assembled that he was so stupid that he once tried to milk a horse - a male horse at that. Ha, ha. (Is it possible that she was so naive she didn't understand the joke that was handed to her to deliver?) Furthermore, he is such a dud, she said, that he is in bed at nine o'clock, leaving her to watch "Desperate Housewives." Why, one night after he'd turned in, she said, she and "Condi" Rice and Lynne Cheyney went to Chippendale's (I imagine she knows that it's a male strip club), where they saw justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sandra Day O'Connor. Hmmm. I wonder if those women of great accomplishments (that would be Doctor Condoleezza Rice, Laura - and Lynne Cheyney has published numerous books) thought it was cute to be included in the First Lady's little joke. I mean, at a time when Democrats are going ballistic over attacks on judges, how appropriate is it to be joking about two distinguished members of the Supreme Court being seen in Chippendale's? Even in the best of times, the presidency is not Saturday Night Live. And these, the President likes to remind us, are especially serious times. He tells us repeatedly that we're at war. So in times like these, when he is asking our young people to put their lives on the line, it is not wise for anyone, least of all the President's wife, to be describing their Commander in Chief, even jokingly, as an ineffectual buffoon. Our President asks us to back him, not always an easy thing to do even for those of us who consider ourselves his supporters. So when his own wife demeans him publicly, and in a disgusting, off-color manner at that, it threatens to undermine what support he still enjoys among those people who happen to think a male strip club is an abomination. Considering some of the evil things that President Bush's opponents have had to say about him, considering the unprecedented disrespect shown the office of the presidency, it scarcely would seem wise for Mr. Bush's closest associate to join in the chorus in hopes of getting a few cheap laughs. And then there is the matter of the feminization of America. It is galling enough having to live with the fact that women and girls are free to ridicule males at will ("Girls Rule... Boys Drool." Ha, ha), while turnabout is completely unthinkable. It was a low blow, indeed, to American men - what's left of us - when the wife of the President of the United States publicly belittled her husband. *********** At a Palmdale, California party back in May, 2000, an 18-year-old named Christopher O'Leary was beaten and stomped to death by three high school football players. The three were all charged initially with second-degree murder, but one of them. Rodney Woods, who may or may not have actually taken part in the fatal beating, copped a plea, pleading no contest to felony assault on another 18-year-old. He was given some jail time. The other two young men, Marcus Raines and Richard Newton, were found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years each. Woods served a little time, and after his release played two years of JC ball at Fresno City College, where his play attracted the attention of college recruiters. Oregon really pursued him. Only one problem - the University of Oregon couldn't admit a convicted felon. No problem-o. Find a judge who'll change the felony to a misdemeanor. Do it by convincing the judge that this is the only way that Rodney will ever get a "college education." And presto - Rodney Woods became a Duck. Hey, this is America, right? Everybody gets a second chance, right? And besides, Rodney Woods was only 17. Didn't you ever make a mistake when you were 17? So as long as we're talking second chances and youthful mistakes, what about Marcus Raines? According to testimony at the trial, Richard Newton knocked O'Leary to the ground, whereupon Raines kicked him in the head. "Like a football," as one witness put it. O'Leary died a couple of days later. Convicted, Raines served a year in a juvenile institution and two years in a boot camp, then enrolled at Pasadena City College where - you guessed it - his play at linebacker attracted college recruiters. Kansas State offered, and Raines committed, but the scholarship offer was withdrawn after KSU boosters, to their everlasting credit, raised hell after learning about Raines's past. This guy's a convicted felon, and not even Houdini can change that felony to a misdemeanor. So what's a felon - sorry, a fellow - to do? No problem. There's always a program somewhere that'll take a guy like this, as long as he's a good enough football player, and in this case that program, sadly, appears to be Southern Mississippi. Said Southern Miss athletic director Richard Giannini piously, "He didn't hide anything from us. He deserves a second opportunity. He's dedicated his life to being a positive mentor, helping people like him." "Helping 'people like him?'" There's going to be "people like him" at Southern Mississippi? God help you all. (Write the AD: Richard.Giannini@usm.edu - write the USM President: Shelby.F.Thames@usm.edu) *********** Coach Wyatt: I haven't e-mailed in a while, so I hope you're doing well. I wanted to give you a quick update and nominate a kid for the Black Lion Award. We love to give this award at our annual Awards Night, which this year will be May 21. This past season we moved from the Georgia Independent Schools Association to the Georgia High School Association, which is the official state association with all the public schools. We moved up to play with the big boys. We went 8-2, played for the region championship in the final game (lost 34-21 to state power Landmark Christian) and reached the state playoffs, where we lost to Hancock Central in a great battle, 20-12, despite having five starters out with injury (including three starting linemen - guard, center, guard - and a senior linebacker who had an emergency appendectomy the night before the game). My tight end signed a full scholarship with Purdue University, where he will pursue a degree in either mechanical engineering or aeronautical engineering. My quarterback signed with Dartmouth, where he will run the Fun-n-Gun under Spurrier disciple and former Stanford coach Buddy Teevens. My tight end was Region 5-A Most Valuable Player and Atlanta Journal-Constitution Clayton/Henry Defensive Player of the Year. My QB was Region 5-A Coaches Choice Award winner for Outstanding Athlete. We had eight kids named to the All-Region 5-A Team. I was awfully proud of my boys. And then, after the season, I resigned to concentrate on my duties as minister to adults on the church side, which is the position I was called here to fill originally before they asked me to take over the football program, which was in disarray. Two full-time jobs - especially football - were hurting my family time, so I decided to pour my life into my two sons (8 and 4). As my last act, I will give away team awards on Awards Night on May 21. I certainly am going to encourage my successor to remain a Black Lion team. He was my quarterbacks coach and did a fine job. He's going to be a terrific head coach. Thank you for all you have done for young men and coaches. I'm glad I was able to meet you and use your wonderful system. Thanks, Tim Luke, Eagles Landing Christian Academy, McDonough, Georgia *********** Oregon State, like many big-time colleges, knows a thing or two about thugs on campus. Given OSU's location in the small city of Corvallis, the misbehavior is especially conspicuous, and finally, after a recent string of outrages, the OSU athletic department has reacted strongly. Not that it had any choice. I mean, you know people are pissed at the conduct of your football players when the administrators of a trust fund set up to provide financial aid so students from rural areas can attend Oregon colleges votes to exclude Oregon State. You know people are pissed when you have to go out and shake down thousands of alumni to help pay for the stadium expansion and other goodies needed to stay in the Big-Time arms race - and you keep hearing, "Come back and see me when you've cleaned up the mess." Finally comes a new get-tough policy revealed last week by AD Bob DeCarolis. It touches on areas such as MIP (Minor in Possession) - 1st offense, suspension for one contest; second offense, suspension from at least 30 per cent of contests; DUII -1st offense, suspension for at least 10 percent of contests (wait a minute - if there are four games left, does that mean .4 games?); second offense, suspension from all athletic activity; POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES (Including steroids): 1st Offense, suspension from at least 20 per cent of contests; subject to random testing; permanent dismissal upon conviction or a no-contest plea; PHYSICAL ASSAULT: 1st offense, 10 per cent suspension if it's a misdemeanor, total suspension if it's a felony charge; misdemeanor or felony, permanent dismissal upon conviction or a no-contest plea; SEXUAL OFFENSE: 1st offense, 30 per cent suspension if it's a misdemeanor, total suspension if it's a felony charge; misdemeanor or felony, permanent dismissal upon conviction or a no-contest plea Just one problem, as I see it... the policy deals with the aftermath of thuggery - with what happens after those guys bring their street culture to a leafy college campus in a sleepy little town in the Northwest. But isn't discipline 90 per cent anticipation? So where is the incentive - positive or negative - for coaches not to recruit the sort of people who have no business being on college campuses? *********** Coach, I would like to hear what you have to say about digital video as a way of meeting my simple needs. Digital format (Mini-DV to be precise) gives you the best selection of cameras, with a wide range of features, costing from a couple hundred (too cheap) to a couple thousand (you don't need to spend that much). To exchange tapes, you make a VHS copy - merely connect your Mini-DV camera to any VHS tape deck and then record as you normally would. Should you ever get into digital editing (via computer), you have the ability to do so, because your tape is already digitized (in a form that your computer will understand). You might be amazed at the things you can do (besides highlight tapes). And - the image is really sharp. I have used my Mini-DV camera as my "play" deck when showing tapes to kids because the image is so good, and the freeze-frame and slow-motion features are so crisp.  *********** If you want to see where Social Security is headed, look no further than Detroit. Thanks to contracts that management willingly signed, back in the days when there seemed to be no end to prosperity, General Motors is obligated to enormous pension and medical care commitments to its retired employees. The problem is that GM is now at the point where it has 2.5 retirees for every worker, and for every car GM now sells, roughly $1500 goes to cover the costs of pensions and retirees' medical care. *********** Retired General Jim Shelton wrote me about a recent correspendence between him and his grandson, Matt Rasmussen, a West Point graduate and Army Ranger now stationed in Iraq... Hugh: Matt sent me a piece about how the war was going in Iraq. It was upbeat. I sent him a reply acknowledging that the 14 page article was pretty good. Then I made a point that in the years ahead we will be faced with many more challenges perhaps even more challenging than Iraq. I thought the ending of my note to him was pretty good, as follows:" Matt---The task for men who dare will continue to be the best of challenges.Life is short and treasures fleeting. In the final analysis you will, if you stick with it, be able to say, "I WAS THERE" and we gave our best for the greater good. Most of all the rest is sh--. Black Lions. All the Way. Gpa It is interesting that Jim used that phrase, because I can remember my HS headmaster telling us, back in 1956, that if you didn't serve in the armed forces, you wouldn't be part of your generation. He was saying basically the same thing as you, except now you're even more special if you've served, because you can say "I WAS THERE." *********** Coach Regarding those A-holes at the ACLU, Dennis Miller put it best one time when he said the ACLU doesn't have F^&*$kin C L U E !!!!, Those A-Holes at the ACLU, they're all for Civil Liberties, but they pick and choose whose Liberties they will fight for !! A$$HOLES !!! Former Mass Gov. Mike Dukakis claimed he was a card- carrying member of the ACLU. That is great News about Army and ESPN !! I looked at their schedule for 2005, and that is No shake either !! There is some heavy Lifting in that schedule, I thought they were leaving Conf. USA to avoid this B.S so they could have some flexibility and control, I hope the Poor Bastards Don't Over Schedule !! I remember Bobby Ross last year, claiming they want to use the Navy's model the 3-3-3 theory ( Air Force and Navy the other Two teams ) 3 Teams that will be a Challenge ( Top 20 from a BCS ) 3 teams that you are on par with and 3 teams you will be the Favorite ( lower 1-A and a couple of 1-AA's ),but anyways with that Nitwit AD gone and the New one in, Him and BoBby Ross are pumping energy and excitement back into Army Football, like Jim Young did - see ya next week coach - John Muckian Lynn, Massachusetts (The immediate trick for Army, just one year removed from a zero-win season, is to find those 3 teams they're favored over. HW) *********** Coach Wyatt, We are all heart broken here in Ocean Springs. Justin Kelly our Junior starting Defensive Tackle was killed last Wednesday morning in a Train-car collision. It was a tough day around here on Wednesday. We did return to the practice field today. The players seem to be handling the situation fairly well. We here at OS ask for everyone's prayers to be with Justin's family. I will keep you posted on our progress during the spring. I think we will have a very good football team next year. Steve Jones, Ocean Springs, Mississippi (Join me in saying a prayer for Justin Kelly and his family. HW) *********** Many thanks to Tom Hinger, a native western Pennsylvanian, for this one... An assistant high school coach in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania is suing the head coach and the school district because he claims that after having served as a paid assistant, he was made a volunteer coach so that the head coach could hire someone else. He insists that he had nothing to do with a letter sent to the superintendent of schools offering to serve on a volunteer basis, claiming in his suit that the letter was written by the head coach. Think this is crazy? How about this... The newly-created paid position was used to hire the head coach's son. The involuntary "volunteer" was the head coach's brother. He had been paid $4800 as an assistant, and although his brother told him that the booster club would see to it that he was paid, he received only $500 for the 2004 season. He claims that when he approached the superintendent about the matter, he was assured that he would be paid the balance of the money, but later was told he would not. The lawsuit claims breach of contract, negligence and fraud; his lawyer claims that his client suffered embarrassment and humiliation. *********** Bob Gajda died last week in suburban Detroit at the age of 88. described as an "old school pro." A long-time gold pro, he had been head pro at Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan for 24 years. One of those who remembered him described him as an "old school pro" - said he remembered the time one really notorious duffer finally shot 100, and came into the pro shop all excited. "Bob," he said, "I want to buy some new clubs." Mr. Gajda, no salesman, replied, "Get out of here. You can't play with the ones you got." *********** A coach in Inkster, Michigan - I think he was a basketball coach - was fired recently for violating the Michigan High School Athletic Associations "undue influence" rule. I gather they're referring to a coach putting "undue influence" on a kid to come play at his school - in simpler terms, recruiting. Sounds as if the guy is a slow learner - he had just come off a one-year suspension, and three pages of April's MHSAA bulletin were devoted to this guy and his previous violations. In one case, he got caught after he'd promised to provide a kid with transportation and then reneged on his promise - and the kid set his car on fire. (Suggested punchline: the "transportation" he'd promised was a new Escalade.) *********** It may or may not be owing to recruiting, as is often charged, but the fact is that in Illinois, certain private schools tend to dominate the competition in their class, and in an attempt to deal with the many complaints it has received, the Illinois High School Association has recently passing a rule applying to all private schools and all public schools without fixed attendance boundaries with enrollments of 450 or more - for purposes of classification, the schools' actual enrollment will be mutiplied by 1.65 *********** Coach Wyatt, I enjoyed your response to the coach who wanted to add numbers to the backs etc… I have used your system for 7 years and been fairly successful. We have won over 60% of our games. One of the biggest reasons we went to your system was the terminology. It is simple to use and descriptive enough so that players know what to do. I believe that the more unnecessary numbers and terms you add the more you invite confusion amongst your players. Over the years we have always added a few gadgets or specials but never messed with the base terminology. Just about any play I can draw up I can find terminology in your system to describe it. My advice is don't mess with the terminology. Lack of clarity leads to uncertainty. Uncertainty leads to confusion. Confusion leads to chaos. Chaos leads to losing. Sincerely, Keith Lehne, Head Coach, Grantsburg High School, Grantsburg, Wisconsin *********** "essentially have a three-digit play Yeah, this makes a lot of sense. Why not throw in a passing tree to go with this? Why do people still think an Offense is a formation? When will they understand it is a system, and not just a different look? Frank Simonsen, Cape May, New Jersey *********** Hugh, hope the clinic went well this weekend? I was reading your news and I came across the part with the coach wanting to change the terminology and so on. I just started laughing!!! I mean I have been studying your offense since 96 and I can't even think why anyone would change your terms. Not only are they easy to understand but it makes perfect sense. I thought you maintained your composure very well in your reply. Take care. Mike Foristiere, Boise, Idaho  *********** The NCAA has approved a 12th game for Division I football teams, beginning in 2006. Not only that, but, obviously out of fear that one of these years, with so many bowl game slots to fill there may not be enough bowl-qualified teams to fill them, the NCAA ruled that the 12th game can be played against a I-AA team, and it will count in the team's record for purposes of bowl eligibility. Under current rules, only one D-IAA game in a four-year span can be counted, so many D-1A schools have been reluctant to schedule D-1AA opponents. The D-IAA people are delighted, because it means more "guarantee" games for them. Yet the D-1A coaches are opposed, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. I've read something about their concern for their players' studies, but we all know that's a bunch of garbage. So tell me - why would your typical D-IA coach be opposed to a near-guaranteed win every year? *********** A high school girl in Winona, Minnesota saw a performance of "The Vagina Monologues" (that's really its name - can you imagine sitting through a performance?) and came away so affected by whatever its meaning was that she came to school wearing a button that said "I (HEART) MY VAGINA" The school has a dress code prohibiting attire that might disrupt the work at hand, so she was told to remove it. But as you might expect from the sort of person who would wear such a button to school, she refused to do so. Not that she has caused any disruption or anything, but she has received backing from some of her schoolmates, including girls wearing similar buttons, and boys wearing "I SUPPORT YOUR VAGINA" buttons (now, where do I get the idea that, high school boys being high school boys, they may have something different in mind when they say "support?") Anyhow, she has appealled to the ACLU, patron saint of such cases, so who knows where this will end up? It would serve the Supreme Court right if they had to sit and listen, straight-faced, as high-priced lawyers debate whether it's constitutional for a high school girl to tell one and all that she loves her vagina. (PLEASE- I know what you're thinking, but this is a SERIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL MATTER. Do NOT make light of it. PLEASE - no limp (sorry) jokes about Penis Papers or Scrotum Scripts or whatever. I shouldn't even had had to interrupt my story to say that, but I couldn't help hearing you giggling.) Now, here's the best - The Minneapolis Star-Tribune thinks that in cases like this, when we butt heads with teenagers, we are doomed to lose. So we might as well back off and let kids be kids. A Star-Tribune editorial, sounding more like advice from Doctor Spock, read, "This confrontation should never have been allowed to develop. It did because the adults in this drama, trained educators, seem to have missed two important lessons: beware of getting involved in a head-to-head power struggle with kids, because one way or another, you will lose..." Yeah, right. Whenever a kid pulls crap like that, "trained educators" are supposed to roll over. Now, I know that there are "trained educators" - and soccer moms - out there who really do believe that. Not me. I figure if a kid's a jerk - or acting like one - it's part of my job as a coach to help speed him on his way to full recovery. Coaching and teaching would be pretty bleak if the kids were in charge like that in the classroom or on the field, the way they are in so many modern households. I never read far enough to find out what the second important lesson was. *********** Think Tolland, Connecticut doesn't have a fair chance of being a good Double-Wing team? The principal, Joe Bacewicz, is a former Double-Winger, and a very successful one at that. The new head coach - after a failed attempt at spreading it out, is Patrick Cox, who has solid experience as a Double-Winger, and the first assistant he hired was Tom Dunn, whom he was able to coax out of retirement. Coach Dunn was a very successful Double-Wing head coach at Stonington, Connecticut High. He said that at Stonington, his teams' inspiration was Rocky Marciano, one of the greatest of all heavyweight champs, because going up against The Rock was like playing Stonington - Like the Rock, they were "small, white and slow... But by the 13th round, you'd be so tired of being hit by them that you wouldn't be able to keep your hands up." *********** A tribute to the Team Mom (from Jason Clarke, Millersville, Maryland) In our system, next to the head coaches the team Mom is the most important person on the staff. She is more like a team manager. Our team Mom is a National Youth Sports Coaches Association member (this includes the background check). She handles all the secretarial duties; team registrations, team roster, paper work (including certifying all birth certificates, etc). She attends all league meetings, takes notes, and casts the team vote when the coaches cannot be there.. She represents our team at the booster meetings when the coaches can't make them. She goes to any local coaches' clinics. She sets up the calling list and Email list for emergency meeting or practice changes. She sees that all upcoming players receive the coaches' monthly Team News Letter. She is in charge of collecting the jersey money, ordering and sizing ( our township supplies the uniforms except for the jerseys, which we let the kids buy. They can get their name put on them after the season). She helps to outfit the players, and makes sure the equipment gets returned.. Our team Mom understands the "O" and "D" system we teach as well as the head coaches do. This lets her help explain to the parents what we are trying to do. She must - and does - back up the coaches on every point. She is in charge of financing and organizing the year-end banquet. A good team Mom is basically in charge of everything except the actual coaching . Her input on things is accepted with great respect on such things as, "you're pushing someone a little hard," "get Jimmy aside and talk to him," "John is screwing around in the huddle," "Mrs. Jones said Tim needs more time for homework," etc.) She is also a certified timekeeper, and used to run the clock, but we had to relieve her of that. She got so excited that she would forget to watch the official and stop the clock. There is more to this, but I'm sure you get the idea. A good team Mom is just as important as a good coach. In fact she (or he - hey, it can be a team Dad. We have some very good ones) can make you look good or bad. It's best if you can get one whose kid has moved on. One last note. Our team Mom recruits other Moms and Dads to help with the concession stand, filming games, etc. I have Dads that volunteer to scout (scouting is accepted in our league), chain gang, down marker, and the banquet. They love it. The busier you can keep them the less time they will have to hear you yelling at little Jimmy to keep his eyes up, etc. *********** DON'T LAUGH. I saw this on a Web site called eHow.com - How to Spike a Football Spiking the ball is an appropriate exclamation point after scoring a touchdown, but getting the right bounce is crucial. Steps: 1.  Cross the goal line. 2.  Hold the football tightly in one hand with your fingers over the laces. 3.  Raise the ball overhead, then throw it into the turf as hard as you can. Tips: Keep the points of the ball parallel to the ground so that the ball hits on its side. A hard impact on its side will shoot the ball straight up 10 to 15 feet. Warnings: Do not spike the ball directly at an opposing player or a referee, or you may incur an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. If you're a Pop Warner, high school or college player, spiking during a game is probably illegal.  *********** Mike Lude, former AD at Washington and then at Auburn, was Dave Nelson's line coach at Maine and then at Delaware, which really makes him the co-inventor of the Delaware Wing-T. (Read THE FIRST WING-T LINE COACH IN HISTORY) Mike's recently-released book, "Walking the Line," is a great read. From his boyhood in rural Western Michigan, to his playing days at Hillsdale College, from his service in the Marine Corps to his joining Dave Nelson as his right hand man, from his first - and only - head coaching job at Colorado State to his second career as an AD, starting at Kent State and moving to Washington and then to Auburn, Mike has seen it all, and he tells about it in a way that is both interesting and informative. Here's how to order a copy - go to www.huskyfever.com and down at the bottom right, look for "Walking the Line.") *********** The 2004 Madison High Highlights tape is now ready to ship. It runs about an hour and a forty minutes, and includes hundreds of plays from this past season, in which he turned a program that had gone 0-9, 1-8 and 2-7 into a 7-2 season. (MADISON HIGH, 2004)The real significance of our success, I think, is the way we were able to make use of the kids that we had. We were not overly talented, but we had a very tough, hard-working, unselfish group of kids, a few of them with unique gifts, and I think we coaches did a great job of putting them all in the right places - places where they could enjoy the most individual success, and at the same time make the greatest contribution to the team. I also think we did a great job of zeroing in on what it was that these particular kids did best, and not letting ourselves get too far from the basic plan. There is a certain emphasis on the "Multiple Wing" - you will notice that we did not remain in one formation - we ran at least one play from at least 20 different formations - but at the same time you will notice that we did not run a great number of different plays. (For example, you will be interested, I think, to see how many different ways you can employ "power" blocking.) If you are a Double-Wing coach or if you are even thinking of using some Double-Wing in your program, I think this tape will open your eyes. To order a copy of the tape, send $29.95 (check, money order or school P.O.) to Coach Hugh Wyatt - 1503 NE 6th Ave - Camas, WA 98607   "The Beast Was out There," by General James E. Shelton, subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois. to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/ and click on "Publications and Products") Or contact me if you'd like to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of the Black Lion Award).   I have my copy. It is well worth the price just for the "playbooks" in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and "Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all those military terms, so that guys like you and me can understand what they're talking about. --- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN - RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING KIDS SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2005 "NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST" inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD (FOR MORE INFO)