When asked about what it takes to make a consistently successful program, coaches may differ with their responses. Jerry Kill, head coach at Northern Illinois, built Southern Illinois into a consistent winner and is now doing the same for NIU. When asked the question, he didn’t hesitate with an answer. According to Kill, there are four things necessary to have a consistently winning program:
1. A coaching staff that is committed to the school and is willing to stay onboard.
2. An administration that believes in you as a head coach and is supportive of the program.
3. Up-to-date facilities that include a near state-of-the-art weight facility.
4. A staff that is committed to the betterment – both on and off the field – of the school’s student-athletes.
With this issue, we have included two off-the-field articles that touch on ways to be successful. One is ‘5 Foundational Secrets To A Successful Football Program’ by Gary Lewis, an assistant coach at Belvidere North High School in Illinois. The second article is on ‘Working With The Media’ by retired high school coach Bruce Reynolds. Reynolds lists ten items that will help you ‘never fear the media again.’ This issue of GS also includes clinics on special teams play, an article on ‘Attacking the Trap’ and a strength and conditioning feature on the positives of using strongman training with your athletes.
We welcome your ideas, suggestions and feedback. We also welcome clinics and articles from you on both specific X’s and O’s as well as off-the-field topics. If you would like to submit an article or clinic to Gridiron Strategies, please email me directly at rlardner@lcclark.com. We hope you enjoy this issue of GS.
Respectfully,
Rex Lardner
Managing Editor