Turnarounds
When asked who is the first person you think of in turning a football program around, the answer is often Bill Parcells. While a controversial figure, consider his success:
• Giants – After a disasterous 3-12-1 record in his first year, the Giants finished with three straight winning records and won the Super Bowl in 1986.
• Patriots – In his second year, Parcells led the team to a 10-6 record and their first playoff game in eight seasons.
• Jets – After going 4-28 under Rich Kotite, the Jets went 9-7 in Parcells’ first year and went to the AFC Championship with a 12-4 mark his second season.
• Dallas – After three straight 5-11 seasons, Parcells had the Cowboys in the playoffs in his first year with a 10-6 record.
• Miami – The Dolphins went from 1-15 before Parcells to 11-5 his first year as Vice President of Football Operations, a 10-game improvement.
What is his secret? Is there a formula for his ability to turnaround a franchise? Other coaches on the professional, college, and high school level have made miraculous turnarounds as well. In this issue of GS, we spoke with three high school coaches that did and summarized the reasons for their success. They are Luke Salmons of Cabell Midland High School (WV), Bob Buckel of Powers Catholic (MI), and Faustin Riley of Sunset High School (OR).
According to Salmons – who turned two different high school programs around – one of the major reasons for his teams’ success was finding athletes in the schools that were not playing football. In his first year at Lawrence County High School (KY), Salmons roamed the hallways and convinced two basketball players to join the football team. They did and both became starters on the defensive line. “I feel that if the best kids are not playing football and they’re in your school, then you’re not doing your job,” said Salmons. The team improved in Salmons’ first year from 0-11 to 12-1.
We hope you enjoy this issue of GS and, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Respectfully,
Rex Lardner
Managing Editor