It used to pain me to see the obvious discomfort of certain coaches - or their just plain meanness and negativism - when interacting with players or the media. Not that they are without some justification when it comes to the media..... I am especially talking about back 10-20-30 years when things were much different than now. But even now, being upbeat and positive, and instilling good values are the most important things of all.
The then HC BB of the Cleveland Browns was in pure misery with his press conferences. I wondered how he was behind the scenes with his players and coaches. I KNEW he would never make it as a HC in the NFL. Well, so much for that conclusion, but the premise is still there: What rules the coaching world? Meanness and negativism? or more positive coaching vibes?
Then there were the famous college FB HCs dealing with kids in their teens. You have a curious mix of guys who were seemingly "nice guys" who bombed, or SOBs who succeeded, and you wondered why.
Some guys who seemed to walk the line included Tressel of OSU. Or guys who seemingly went off the deep end of blackness and negativism such as the most recent former HC at Nebraska. And many others.
What kids seem to be asking for, and responding to, in CFB today...is a sense of "family." At least most of the kids coming to Penn State do, based on so many comments appearing in BWI.
Reflecting back on OUR recent coaches, their is no doubt about most of their legacies. Joe was nothing if not an admirable guy making tough decisions usually for the sake of the players lives, not just in football.
Not many people who watched his antics, tempermental outbursts, charming wit and humor, doubted that.
HE was in charge. You didnt challenge him, but more importantly you didnt behave in a way that was detrimental to Penn State, and hang a round to tell about it. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Joe was the lifeblood of Penn State football. Warts an all. because he seemed to do pretty much everything "the right way."
Ive told this story before, so I will be brief: In the early 2000s, after multiple consecutive losing seasons, with all about him calling for his head, Joe entered Spring Practice with no obvious reason to be encouraged, at least to the outside world. A friend and I found ourselves in his office, on a day teeming with high school coaches from around PA the country. One by one, Joes coaches were coming to the front desk to meet them. LJ, Vandy, Galen, Jay, many others. Then here comes Joe. The place is alive with excitement, laughter, jokes, Old friends and total strangers who soon felt they were old friends. It was amazing. Joe was still the most energetic, positive, outgoing guy I had ever seen, totally within his element. It was like a fiesta, and it went on for hours.
Among all the meeting and greeting, and story-telling, Joe made sure he personally spoke with everyone. He even approaches my buddy and I and asked it we were being taken care of. ....if we were "OK". I scratched my head and said to my friend, "Can you believe that? " The two of us had gone in there with half-hearted expectations for the coming season,and expecting the same mood to prevail among the coaches After all, why not? the facts were obvious. Well, apparently, not to one man, and we were blown away by the positive energy Joe was exuding. As were all of his coaches.
I filed that away, as a nice memory, until later in that 11 victory football season. Joe had done it again, but I didnt know how.
Subsequent Head Coaches or acting HCs like Brad, LJ, OB, and CJF were pretty much out of the same mold - positive, encouraging, fatherly guys who would kick you in the pants if they thought it was needed, but whose players knew they were in their corner. You could argue, OB was the least similar, personality-wise, but he certainly had the players playing their hearts out, so you gotta hand it to him.
CJFs recent video delivering seasons tickets to the houses of some random alums, or his meeting fans in SC and talking to their husbands on their cell phones shows the joy and great sense of humor this man of boundless energy exudes. His players are achieving in the classroom. They believe in him, they want to be at Penn State, the are seeking and extended family and want to be part of a great tradition. They are still developing on the field, as are the new coaches, but you have to feel good about what has happened so far, and the trajectory of things to come.
And, for those who may have had concerns, its clear that the tradition of "family" in Penn State football is being carried on in a way that can only make us all proud to be Penn Staters.
The then HC BB of the Cleveland Browns was in pure misery with his press conferences. I wondered how he was behind the scenes with his players and coaches. I KNEW he would never make it as a HC in the NFL. Well, so much for that conclusion, but the premise is still there: What rules the coaching world? Meanness and negativism? or more positive coaching vibes?
Then there were the famous college FB HCs dealing with kids in their teens. You have a curious mix of guys who were seemingly "nice guys" who bombed, or SOBs who succeeded, and you wondered why.
Some guys who seemed to walk the line included Tressel of OSU. Or guys who seemingly went off the deep end of blackness and negativism such as the most recent former HC at Nebraska. And many others.
What kids seem to be asking for, and responding to, in CFB today...is a sense of "family." At least most of the kids coming to Penn State do, based on so many comments appearing in BWI.
Reflecting back on OUR recent coaches, their is no doubt about most of their legacies. Joe was nothing if not an admirable guy making tough decisions usually for the sake of the players lives, not just in football.
Not many people who watched his antics, tempermental outbursts, charming wit and humor, doubted that.
HE was in charge. You didnt challenge him, but more importantly you didnt behave in a way that was detrimental to Penn State, and hang a round to tell about it. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Joe was the lifeblood of Penn State football. Warts an all. because he seemed to do pretty much everything "the right way."
Ive told this story before, so I will be brief: In the early 2000s, after multiple consecutive losing seasons, with all about him calling for his head, Joe entered Spring Practice with no obvious reason to be encouraged, at least to the outside world. A friend and I found ourselves in his office, on a day teeming with high school coaches from around PA the country. One by one, Joes coaches were coming to the front desk to meet them. LJ, Vandy, Galen, Jay, many others. Then here comes Joe. The place is alive with excitement, laughter, jokes, Old friends and total strangers who soon felt they were old friends. It was amazing. Joe was still the most energetic, positive, outgoing guy I had ever seen, totally within his element. It was like a fiesta, and it went on for hours.
Among all the meeting and greeting, and story-telling, Joe made sure he personally spoke with everyone. He even approaches my buddy and I and asked it we were being taken care of. ....if we were "OK". I scratched my head and said to my friend, "Can you believe that? " The two of us had gone in there with half-hearted expectations for the coming season,and expecting the same mood to prevail among the coaches After all, why not? the facts were obvious. Well, apparently, not to one man, and we were blown away by the positive energy Joe was exuding. As were all of his coaches.
I filed that away, as a nice memory, until later in that 11 victory football season. Joe had done it again, but I didnt know how.
Subsequent Head Coaches or acting HCs like Brad, LJ, OB, and CJF were pretty much out of the same mold - positive, encouraging, fatherly guys who would kick you in the pants if they thought it was needed, but whose players knew they were in their corner. You could argue, OB was the least similar, personality-wise, but he certainly had the players playing their hearts out, so you gotta hand it to him.
CJFs recent video delivering seasons tickets to the houses of some random alums, or his meeting fans in SC and talking to their husbands on their cell phones shows the joy and great sense of humor this man of boundless energy exudes. His players are achieving in the classroom. They believe in him, they want to be at Penn State, the are seeking and extended family and want to be part of a great tradition. They are still developing on the field, as are the new coaches, but you have to feel good about what has happened so far, and the trajectory of things to come.
And, for those who may have had concerns, its clear that the tradition of "family" in Penn State football is being carried on in a way that can only make us all proud to be Penn Staters.
