Great motivator, great DC, great guy, just not an offensive coach. He followed Goldsmith (tough act to follow who also served as OC) with a team full of returning starters that made the state semi final game the year before. We won the Coral Coast Conference easily beating Venice; but went out in the first round against Tampa Catholic, which was for the Region back then. A bunch of us have talked a lot about it over the years, we should have gone much deeper.
He was a huge asset to have on the defensive side of the ball, but we played his upcoming team in the Senior game that CHS used to do. We coached ourselves and scored more points than we ever had as a group (just by running what worked from our Junior year) beating the upcoming team 48-6.
He was at our JV Game last month, his grandson is a good looking QB at Venice. Again, great guy, to be fair that was probably his first year as an OC. Always loved his screaming, fainting, putting on a helmet and jumping in on Oklahomas on occasion.
That first spring he had us dig a 6x6x6-foot pit out on Hell's Half Acre. Me and Dooley worked at Ehrenfelds Nursery; knew a shovel well, so he told us to dig. I said I'd be happy to if I got to break it in. It was ready for the first day of spring practice. We used to do eye-openers, do anything you want except kick or swing a helmet. Three of us went in the pit the first time, you had to throw your opponent out to win. It was a lot of fun, but with everyone standing around the side of the pit to watch, and running guys up against the side trying to push them out, the sugar sand started collapsing a little. I got a face full while all three of us were wrestling on the bottom. After our group he made us stop till we had time to shore up the sides. I guess it scared some of the younger kids, someone said something and the next day they filled it in - apparently the school board got wind of it.
Man I'm full of stories lately...
