Establishing An Identity For Your Program

CREATING CONSISTENT HABITS TO IDENTIFY YOUR PROGRAM

By Kevin Thomas CAddo mills high school

As I prepare to enter year 20 of coaching, I reflect back on year 19 and look at areas that I can improve on: things that went well, things that didn’t, and most importantly, was I impactful for kids? As the good word tells us on Sunday mornings, we will never be perfect. However, in the coaching world, great coaches are never satisfied with anything less than perfect and are going to keep striving for that perfection.

Quick little background info: I’ve spent most of my 19 years coaching in the DFW metroplex where I have had the privilege of coaching under some phenomenal leaders and being a part of some tremendous coaching staffs. My roles have included: Asst. Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Special Teams Coordinator, and just about every football position there is to coach, as well as roles in men’s track, women’s track, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball. I only include these roles to say that I’ve had the opportunity to work with several different programs and types of kids.

As I was preparing to write this article, I asked several head coaches, “What is your program’s identity?” You would be surprised at the number of different responses that I received. Some consistent responses, some completely different responses, and some were not really sure what their identity is. There is no right or wrong answer, but you better know what one or two things you are going to hang your hat on for your program. If you don’t have an identity, you probably find yourself spinning in circles from year to year trying to figure out how to get better. I believe identities look completely different from coach to coach, community to community, type of kids to type of kids, etc. So how do you figure that out? It has to start with an honest evaluation of the program. Whether you take a new head coaching position, or you just want to re-evaluate your program after a less than successful year, you need to take a look at what is consistently being done well and what is not. For an Athletic Director/Head Football Coach, you have to look at each role separately. You should look specifically at your overall athletic program and then specifically at your football program. Maybe it’s that your kids are small, but really fast and athletic. So, you are going to focus on speed, quickness, timing, etc., and game plan according to those strengths. Maybe your kids are really big and strong, but really slow and unathletic. Well, you’re probably going to focus on power and explosiveness while trying to chip away at getting faster and more agile. Whatever the case is, evaluate the program, be honest about the things that your kids are not great at, and formulate a consistent plan to maintain the strengths while trying to close the gaps of the program weaknesses.

When my family and I were re-locating from the metroplex, as I interviewed for jobs, one of the questions that I asked each AD was, “What is the identity of your athletic program?,” for two reasons. First, I wanted to know above all else what they are about and in which direction we are leading young men and women. Secondly, I wanted to know if I would be a good fit for them based on those discussions. After six different interviews, our family ended up in Caddo Mills; I didn’t know anything about Kodi Crane (AD) or too much about Caddo Mills, but after spending the day with Coach Crane, I felt like I had a very good understanding about what he was about and the vision of where he wanted to take the athletic program. When I asked him what the identity of the football program was, he told me that they hang their hat on three things: Intense Strength and Conditioning, Character Education, and Competition. Coach Crane felt like with the type of kids we have here, and the great administration and community support we get, that these three things are something our kids can consistently do really well. Right or wrong, win or lose, everyone involved in the program could stand behind these things.

In looking at the identity of our athletic program as a whole (which includes every sport we offer plus all off-seasons), you can walk into our team room and you will see really quickly what we are about. There are two pillars at the front of the room that rise from floor to ceiling. The first pillar is labeled “Physical Toughness”, the second one, “Mental Toughness”. Here at Caddo Mills, “physical toughness is defined by our breaking point”. “Mental toughness is defined by our response to adversity”. And it is important that we challenge our athletes consistently in these two areas during off-season, as well as in-season practices and lifting so that it becomes habit for competition. One thing we do here that has a direct impact on our mental and physical toughness is STRONGLY encourage all of our kids to run track. We build in track workouts into our athletic period so that all kids at some point are on the track each week. And 50 second runs are part of our testing and record board system. Now, are we perfect? No, we are not and probably never will be. There will be times where one of our kids doesn’t handle a frustrating situation well and gets an unsportsmanlike penalty or a technical foul, because at the end of the day, kids are kids and are still learning how to handle those situations. However, we strive for that perfection, and you better believe when our kids come up short in these areas that are the identity of our program, that it will be addressed and re-focused. EVERY TIME.

This is just what we believe in and what we feel like OUR kids can have success with. In the five year span that Coach Crane has been the Athletic Director at Caddo Mills where this identity has been established, there have been tremendous strides and improvement in our programs. This year alone, every one of our women’s sports programs reached the post-season and all but two of our men’s programs did the same. Are we contending for state titles yet? No, not yet, but our programs are improving each year and continuing to head in the right direction. However, it takes more than ideas and talk. It takes action. With the athletic leadership we have in Coach Crane and Coach Camacho (Girl’s Coordinator), they have been able to establish these identities and have instilled in their coaches to understand, adhere to, and consistently coach these expectations. I feel that our staff does a really good job with this.

Whatever you decide your identity is, no matter what sport or program, one thing over my last 19 years has consistently remained the same……Integrity and discipline will always win. In my opinion, these two pieces are the ULTIMATE PILLARS of any successful athletic program.

It doesn’t matter what the identity of your program is, without these two things, it may not matter. Sure, you can have success here and there because of talent, but you cannot sustain a championship program for multiple years without consistent discipline and integrity. And I offer a sincere gratitude to the men and women who coached long before I joined the profession (and to those still coaching) that have established these foundational pieces in their athletic programs so that I have been able to see exactly just how monumental these pillars are.

One of the best true examples of “Integrity first” that comes to mind is the situation that happened just a few years ago at the 2019 Football State Championship game when the Galena Park North Shore leadership had to make a very difficult decision to send their 5-star RB home and not allow him to play in the title game due to an infraction of team rules. That is a true example of faith and belief in what their program is built on and that win or lose, the integrity of the program was the most important thing. In a quote in the Dallas Morning News, Coach Jon Kay said, “Obviously the stage [State Championship] is what it is, but the integrity of this program comes first!” In another story, the Austin American Statesman titled their front page, “North Shore strutted to its state title with integrity”. Had they made an exception and allowed the kid to play, would the outcome have been the same? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe the ball bounces Duncanville’s way a few more times and it’s a different story. For me, I can’t help but think about the same stage one year earlier with the Hail Mary ending. I truly believe that when you do things right, at some point, success is going to find your program. Because integrity and discipline always win. Maybe it finds your program at a time when it is least expected or your back is against the wall, like a Hail Mary situation. I applaud the leadership at North Shore for putting the integrity of the program first, even at the most critical time.

In closing, I would like to remind you that these are just some of the things that I have experienced in my career and truly believe. There are a ton of great athletic programs in the state of Texas who do some really great things. I think it is wise to self-reflect on these things from time to time, just as you would self-scout offense or defense at the end of the season to make sure you’re giving your kids the best chance of success both on and off the field or court. Whatever you decide on, stay consistent and keep the integrity and discipline in place. Again, I appreciate every Head Coach and Athletic Director that I have worked for, as I have learned a great deal from each of you. I am extremely proud to be a High School Coach in Texas and I wish all of you nothing but the best for your programs.

Read the entire October 2024 Issue of Texas Coach here: https://issuu.com/thscacoaches/docs/oct24upload?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ