It's All In How You Coach Em'

[Snaggletiger]

I know we have some old school peeps on here that played sports in a little different time, with regard to how coaches treated players and ran their programs.  I only played football through 10th grade, mainly because my high school team, Jeff Davis, now JAG or some shit, was absolutely loaded with talent, and I was a 150 pound tackling dummy.  Looking back, I can name at least 7 guys that went D1 football, including Auburn QB, Charlie Trotman, Arkansas RB, Thomas Brown, Alabama OT, Mike Brock and Fuck Georgia OG, James Brown.  I love me some football, but it didn’t take me long to realize that baseball was more to my liking.

Back then, coaches in all sports had far more leeway to handle players the way they saw fit.  Had one baseball coach, at a rival school, get so pissed at one of his players for intentionally knocking his helmet off when he ran the bases, that he stopped a scrimmage game, and walked out to second base and wrapped tape around his helmet and chin just to prove a point.  My own high school baseball coach was legendary for his rants, and you’d better stand clear when he walked towards the batting helmets, because he’d use them for field goal practice when he got pissed, and you just might be the goal post.  It was common place for a football coach to grab your face mask and either “steer you” to where you were supposed to be, or merely to make sure they had your undivided attention while offering constructive, positive reinforcement.

I know that coaches are no less intense today than they were back in my era, but the environment is different in what you can and can’t do.  Plus, everything is on teh videos these days, including things that happen at practice in Hoover, Alabama.  If you haven’t seen those videos, actually taken by staff while filming practice, you should.  They show why Head Coach, Drew Gilmer, and an assistant are on administrative leave.  Not sure if it was Gilmer, or the assistant, or both who 1. Ripped a player’s helmet off, 2. Knocked a player to the ground, and 3. Dry humped a player’s face while he was on all fours.

I’m gonna’ guess Coach Gilmer will soon be just, Drew Gilmer.  Anybody have, or anyone see some crazy corching “techniques” while you played whatever sport?

[chinook]

tl;dr

[Kaos]

I came up in the "water is for <three day suspension>" days. 

Three hour baseball practice and there was one water break in the middle which consisted of a hose with holes cut in it stretched across two poles. It was like a herd of puppies trying to get at the hose mama's teats when that happened.

Salt pills/tablets were the remedy. 

Water/gatorade in the dugout? Yeah, but consumption was limited. Didn't want any players waterlogged. Can't play when you're sloshing around. 

My coach had a legendary temper. I remember one game I was batting and fouled one off that curled over the elementary school that was on the first base side, way past the fence and some dividing trees. I stood at the plate and watched the ball sail onto the roof of the elementary school.  Then I heard this unholy roar behind me. Coach erupted from the dugout, tobacco spit flying out of his mouth, looking like a George Brett tornado, screaming "WE RUN FOUL BALLS OUT HERE, YOU <three day suspension>!! DON'T YOU HAVE ANY PRIDE??"  Dude got right in my face, chewed me out, pulled me out of the game mid-at-bat and I got to sit the bench for a while so I could ponder my clear lack of pride.

It wasn't that. I was just lazy. And slow. I needed to save my energy for times when the ball was in play.

FOOTBALL?  I only lasted one spring.  We didn't have the pee wee leagues or any of that. 9th grade (8th if you were really good) was the first exposure. JV team.  Our coach - a notable drunk - got mad at the varsity with about a week to go before the spring game.  So we lined up in tackling drills. These drills consisted of us junior high cannon fodder standing basically still while the varsity got a five yard head start to "learn how to tackle."  We were getting obliterated.

I got matched with a senior linebacker. Black kid who outweighed me by at least 25 pounds of muscle. Headhunter type. It was like a car crash every time he hit me. And every time, drunken coach would scream at him for "doing it wrong" and we'd go again. 

About the fifth time, sick of getting annihilated, when he hit me I drew my knees up and got him in the groin and guts. Took the fire out of him.  Unfortunately when he recovered, it was payback time. This time when he hit me, he went helmet to facemask. While I was on the ground seeing stars, he stuck his hand into my facemask and gouged my eyes.  Sliced my eyelid in half. 

I had to go to the doctor, get stitches, wear a bandage over the whole thing.  Doc said I could not practice or play until it healed.  Coach?  "If you can't play in the spring game, we got no use for you. That's the rules. I'll cut you in the fall." 

Thus ended the potential football career of what might have been the white Cam Newton.

[Snakebite]

I had former Coach Dye WR, Dale Overton as a head coach at one point. He was tough, but fair. Didn’t play favorites on the field. We drank hot water from a pvc pipe with holes drilled in it.  We’d get the face mask grabs, the slaps on the ass, a good cussing, or the singling out/humiliation tours. Conditioning had a few upchucking at every practice.

Think he ran into some trouble and got forced out a few years later for his search history on the school computer.  He was a hell of a coach, though.

[CCTAU]

I had former Coach Dye WR, Dale Overton as a head coach at one point. He was tough, but fair. Didn’t play favorites on the field. We drank hot water from a pvc pipe with holes drilled in it.  We’d get the face mask grabs, the slaps on the ass, a good cussing, or the singling out/humiliation tours. Conditioning had a few upchucking at every practice.

Think he ran into some trouble and got forced out a few years later for his search history on the school computer.  He was a hell of a coach, though.

I knew that name rang a bell. I only remember him as “Hackleburg”.
He was a meek mild freshman back then.
Blakeney loved him some Hackleburg.

[Snaggletiger]

Like you guys said, water for the athletes at Jeff Davis was one mammoth water hose at the edge of the practice field. I remember Tennessee was playing Auburn back in the early 70's.  UT had bad ass QB, Condredge Holloway.  For some reason, the Vols did their Friday walk-through at the Jeff Davis practice field.  I lived a couple of blocks from the school, so I rode my bike up there to watch them unload and get a glimpse of Holloway.

I still recall how impressed their players and staff were with the gigantic water hose.  Only the finest amenities.

[Kaos]

Like you guys said, water for the athletes at Jeff Davis was one mammoth water hose at the edge of the practice field. I remember Tennessee was playing Auburn back in the early 70's.  UT had bad ass QB, Condredge Holloway.  For some reason, the Vols did their Friday walk-through at the Jeff Davis practice field.  I lived a couple of blocks from the school, so I rode my bike up there to watch them unload and get a glimpse of Holloway.

I still recall how impressed their players and staff were with the gigantic water hose.  Only the finest amenities.

Holloway was a man before his time.  In today's offenses?  He'd be in the Heisman mix.  Top NFL draft pick.

Remember him well. He was like a Michael Vick or Lamar Jackson.  Not quite Cam level (who is) but he would tear it up today, college and NFL.

He grew up in Huntsville or somewhere close.  I also know for an almost absolute fact that UAT didn't recruit him because Saint Bahr Brunt said he "didn't want no <likely three day suspension with a hard R> quarterback" and Holloway had no interest in playing any other position. 

Never got a shot at the pros. Wasn't drafted until the 12th round - as a DB.

FWIW?  He went 1-2 against Auburn and 0-3 versus Bama in his time at Rocky Top. 

[CCTAU]

Like you guys said, water for the athletes at Jeff Davis was one mammoth water hose at the edge of the practice field. I remember Tennessee was playing Auburn back in the early 70's.  UT had bad ass QB, Condredge Holloway.  For some reason, the Vols did their Friday walk-through at the Jeff Davis practice field.  I lived a couple of blocks from the school, so I rode my bike up there to watch them unload and get a glimpse of Holloway.

I still recall how impressed their players and staff were with the gigantic water hose.  Only the finest amenities.

Ohhhh please!

In Prattvegas, we had four hour practices with one water break at the two hour mark. Line up on the sideline with one knee in the ground, everybody got one of those wax coated Coca Cola cups and waited for the coach to use the aluminum water dipper to fille your cup up. He’d go from one end to the other and then back again. Before he got back, you’d try to eat all the ice. Then dump it right as he refilled the cup. If you were dying, you could go to the hose during practice. But if you didn’t die, you had to run after practice.
When fourth quarter hit, we whipped everybody’s ass.
I remember getting to AU and they had the big plastic air compressed water wagons with multiple hoses. I finally asked one of the guys if we had to wait until given the OK for water. He laughed and said, “Naw man. Get it when you want it”. I thought I was in the field of dreams…

[The Six]

I'm reading this entire thread in the voices of the Dads and other Old Townies watching practice in Varsity Blues saying gems like "Them boys is having the time of their lives." and "We didn't press no wieners on no police car glass."

[wesfau2]

I'm reading this entire thread in the voices of the Dad's and other Old Townies watching practice in Varsity Blues saying gems like "Them boys is having the time of their lives." and "We didn't press no wieners on no police car glass."

Nailed it.

[Snakebite]

Nailed it.

The older I get, the more I relate to this.

[Snaggletiger]

Ohhhh please!

In Prattvegas, we had four hour practices with one water break at the two hour mark. Line up on the sideline with one knee in the ground, everybody got one of those wax coated Coca Cola cups and waited for the coach to use the aluminum water dipper to fille your cup up. He’d go from one end to the other and then back again. Before he got back, you’d try to eat all the ice. Then dump it right as he refilled the cup. If you were dying, you could go to the hose during practice. But if you didn’t die, you had to run after practice.

Ohhhh pleeease


Before practice, coach used to make us sit in a sauna for an hour....no...hour and a half.  Then, we put on full sweats and ran 20 X 100 yard sprints...uphill...both ways.  Then, we had to flip tractor tires the length of the field 5 times, and do 110 push ups at the end of each length.  And then coach would say, "You boys thirsty?  Good, take a break and ring the sweat out of your sweat shirts.  You can drink that." After that, we had a two hour weight lifting session.

Then, we did 100 burpees right before we started our four and a half hour practice.  And then we'd go out on Friday nights and beat the hell out of those Prattville pussies.

[wesfau2]

Prattville pussies.

SHOTS FIRED!

[Snaggletiger]

SHOTS FIRED!

Ain't skurr'd.  Those Lions were just kitty cats in reality. 



If you can't tell, I'm even getting stoked for some high school football, which is about to start up in a couple of weeks.

[wesfau2]

Ain't skurr'd.  Those Lions were just kitty cats in reality. 



If you can't tell, I'm even getting stoked for some high school football, which is about to start up in a couple of weeks.

Just stop putting a "media" lanyard around your neck and trying to walk into the lockerroom, mmmmmkay?

[Snaggletiger]

Just stop putting a "media" lanyard around your neck and trying to walk into the lockerroom, mmmmmkay?

How else am I gonna' get those hot pics?

[jmar]

My school Banks was no different with the water rationing, salt tablets, tobacco spit and face mask yanking. Our head coach took a job as a db assistant under Bryant.  Took as many as 7 players with him in a package deal. Program went to shit after my freshman season bc the area talent was already drying up.

[wesfau2]

How else am I gonna' get those hot pics?

Do you even Revenge of the Nerds, bro?

Porky's?

Fuck's sake, it's like playin cards with my sister's kids!

[War Damn Six]

Player has an attorney now…I wonder if they hired a lawyer that cares. 

[CCTAU]

Ohhhh pleeease


Before practice, coach used to make us sit in a sauna for an hour....no...hour and a half.  Then, we put on full sweats and ran 20 X 100 yard sprints...uphill...both ways.  Then, we had to flip tractor tires the length of the field 5 times, and do 110 push ups at the end of each length.  And then coach would say, "You boys thirsty?  Good, take a break and ring the sweat out of your sweat shirts.  You can drink that." After that, we had a two hour weight lifting session.

Then, we did 100 burpees right before we started our four and a half hour practice.  And then we'd go out on Friday nights and beat the hell out of those Prattville pussies.

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa, son. You city bitches was afraid to play us country boys. Then in 1984 when you finally did, we whipped that ass…TWICE!