(UPDATED WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT - BUT USUALLY ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS) 
October
31, 2003 - "Rather fail with honor
than succeed by fraud ." Sophocles
2003 CLINIC NEWS & SCENES : CHICAGO - ATLANTA TWIN CITIES click here for info ----->>>>> 
<<<<<-----click
here for info
LAST SEASON'S WEEK-BY-WEEK GAME REPORTS FROM ASSORTED DOUBLE-WING TEAMS ( "WINNER'S CIRCLE")
Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is not enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW
A
LOOK AT OUR LEGACY: Don McCafferty is the first man ever to
win a Super Bowl in his rookie season as a coach.He is
probably the least-known man ever to coach a Super Bowl
winner.
After a playing career at Ohio State, he played a season with the New York Giants, the spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Kent State.
Don McCafferty spent 11 years as an assistant with the Baltimore Colts, first under Weeb Ewbank and then under Don Shula. Tall and soft-spoken, Coach McCafferty was nicknamed the "Easy Rider" by his players. He inherited the Colts' reins after Shula bolted for Miami.
In his first season as head coach, 1970, the Colts finished 11-2-1 and beat the Cowboys in the Super Bowl.
In his second season, the Colts finished 10-4, second in the AFC East.
In his third season, 1972... oh, yes - I forgot to tell you that in the meantime, the Colts had fallen into the grubby hands of one Robert Irsay, probably the worst owner in the history of pro football... the Colts started the season 1-4, and Irsay removed McCafferty and replaced him on an interim basis with John Sandusky.
He was the first of Irsay's many victims. A few years later, Irsay would remove the Colts from Baltimore and replace them with nothing.
He was hired in 1973 to coach the Detroit Lions, and went 6-7-1, but in the spring of 1974, he died of a heart attack while working in his garden.
Correctly identifying Don McCafferty: Kevin McCullough- Culver, Indiana... Adam Wesoloski- Pulaski, Wisconsin... Scott Russell- Potomac Falls, Virginia ("You couldn't graduate from Towson University unless you knew who Don McCafferty was.")... Mark Kaczmarek- Davenport, Iowa... Mike Foristiere- Boise, Idaho... Don Capaldo- Keokuk, Iowa... Steve Smith- Middleboro, Kentucky... Mike Benton- Colfax, Illinois... Steve Staker- Fredericksburg, Iowa... John Muckian- Lynn Massachusetts... Keith Babb- Northbrook, Illinois ( "I'll always remember Super Bowl V because it had to be least well-played game of all of the Super Bowls. There were 10 turnovers and the MVP of the game was from the losing side - Chuck Howley, Cowboys")... Bill Nelson- West Burlington, Iowa... David Crump- Owensboro, Kentucky ("It's strange that he would be the legacy this week. I was in Indianapolis Sunday for the Colts game with Houston. I was reading about him in the program that I had.")... Mike O'Donnell- Pine City, Minnesota... John Bothe- Oregon, Illinois... Matt Ratel- Tonawanda, New York... Alan Goodwin- Warwick, Rhode Island... Greg Stout- Thompson's Station, Tennessee... Joe Gutilla- Minneapolis...
*********** John Muckian, of Lynn, Massachusetts, wrote of Don McCafferty, "I always wondered what happened to that poor SOB, and why he never appears on any media come Super Bowl time." (I do know that one of his sons owns and operates a steak house in Baltimore - named, appropriately enough, McCafferty's. I'm told that there is a lot of Baltimore Colts' - and Don McCafferty - memorabilia on the wall. Next time I'm in town, I intend to give it a try. HW)
*********** THOSE OF YOU WHO AGREE WITH ME THAT AT THE VERY LEAST IT WOULD BE COOL TO HAVE A MAJOR COLLEGE PROGRAM RUNNING A WING-T OFFENSE MIGHT WANT TO JOIN US IN TRYING TO INTEREST THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE US MILITARY ACADEMY IN TAKING A LOOK AT DENNY CREEHAN - FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DENNY CREEHAN
*********** For those of you who are Black Lion teams, it's that time again - time to submit your letters of nomination.
Q. How elaborate does the letter have to be?A. More than just a sentence or two ("Timmy is a great kid. He is very deserving" is not enough.) Explain why your nominee represents the spirit of the award - leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self-sacrifice, and an unselfish concern for the team. Give examples and be specific, but please leave out details that you would not want others to read ("his parents are both drunks") because the letters will be shared with the Black Lions (28th Infantry Association) and with members of Major Holleder's family.
And be sure to include your mailing address - not the recipient's. Awards will be mailed out around the middle of November.
*********** After all these years, I still get letters like this one...
Hello coach Wyatt. My name is ----- ----- I'm a Freshmen defense coach at --------- High School, located in --------- ---------. I'm playing a team next week on Thursday that runs the Double Wing. What's the best defense I could run to stop it? Need help fast.
My reply: Coach: It is not my job to stop the Double-Wing. Hugh Wyatt (Was I too rude?)
*********** Boise State 43, BYU 12, 3:45 left to play. Boise State still has its starters in. Boise State throws for a score. Boise State 50, BYU 12. I'm really impressed. Dan Hawkins, the Boise State coach, has done a great job there, but any coach who will do that - to his opponents and to his own subs - is a prick.
*********** Hugh, just got done reading your news and I had a few comments. The first is the one about the Head coach that replaced the O coordinator that ran the D-wing with a spread offense. For some coach to do that in the middle of a successful season is really screwed up/ I mean he is showing no loyalty to the guy in that position/ If I was that coach I would get out of there as fast as I could. How could you work for some one you can't trust and then the gall for that coach to ask him back. Too weird!!!!!! I feel for the young coach fighting for his life in the Denver area. What a shame/ my prayers have already been said. It is in God's hands now. Take care, Mike Foristiere, Boise, Idaho
*********** I think the BCS system is an abomination. I don't like the fact that a good Tulane or TCU team can get shut out. And I despise the part that allows Notre Dame to compete as an independent, pocketing all the money from its own TV contract with NBC, then slipping into the BCS picture ahead of teams from less-prestigious, non-BCS conferences. Oh, yes - and then keeping all the money from its bowl share, since it has no conference partners to have to share it with.
But that's just me, and many (at least in South Bend) will disagree. But I am like most people who have an opinion on the bowls, the BCS, and the mythical Division I Playoff - we love college football and we know a little something about it.
Not Senator Joe Biden, of Delaware, though. He wouldn't know whether a football was pumped up or stuffed, but no matter - he sees the current anger among non-BCS schools as a chance to get his name on the sports pages, so he's not going to let a little ignorance get in his way. He's down in Washington, posturing as a champion of the Tulanes and TCU's and BYU's of the world, hinting that the BCS might just undergo some congressional scrutiny. "It looks un-American," he said.
Yeah, Senator. And so did a speech by a prominent Englishman a few years back, but that didn't stand in your way - you saw fit to appropriate that Englishman's speech, passing it off, nearly word-for-word, as your own. The fact that that was un-American didn't seem to bother you.
But, hell, as long as we're on the subject of lifting things from the British, you've given me a great idea - why not take a look at the English system of "relegation?" That's the way in which English "football" (soccer) tries to level the playing field, with the first-place finisher in its division moving up and playing in the next higher division next season, while its place is taken by the last-place finisher in the upper division, moving down. And so on, down through the many levels of play.
Adapting that to American college football, it would be possible to send the Baylors and the Vanderbilts and the Dukes packing, while giving the Marshalls and Colorado States and Louisvilles a chance to move up to BCS status.
All we'd have to do would be to rank the conferences. Easy job - as swiftly as college athletic directors have been able to act on the eventuality of a playoff, I'll bet they could work this one out in, oh, five or six years.
But anyhow, supposing it could be done, and just setting things up hypothetically (pleased don't get pissed - it's just for the sake of argument), lets suppose we were to rank the BCS conferences like this: (1) Big 12 (2) SEC (3) Big Ten (4) Pac 10 (5) ACC and (6) Big East (Calm down, guys. Remember, I said this was only hypothetical.)
Okay- so much for the BCS schools. Now for the left-outs: (7) Mid-America (8) Mountain West (9) Conference USA. (I'm not going any deeper, because the two remaining conferences - WAC and Sun Belt - might not even exist next year.)
Some of the changes we might see, if the relegation system were in place right now: Baylor drops down to the SEC, and Georgia moves up to the Big 12; Vanderbilt drops down to the Big Ten and Ohio State moves up to the SEC; Indiana drops down to the Pac 10 and USC moves up to the Big Ten; Arizona drops down to the ACC and Florida State moves up to the Pac 10; Duke moves down to the Big East and Miami moves up to the ACC. Wait - you say Miami's doing that already? Okay, then - Virginia Tech moves up to the ACC. Huh? Them too? All right - how about, say, Boston College?
*********** Coach, Well, we did it! An undefeated regular season, the 1st one since 1963, all in our first year running the Double Wing! We beat Twin River 49-0 last Friday and we are on the first round of the playoffs tonight.
Our A back hasn't broken 100 carries yet. He has rushed for 1289 yards on 99 carries!!! As a team, including our JV's in blowouts, we average 7.8 yards a rush. The good thing, was that after we won and went undefeated in the regular season our kids were as if they thought it was no big deal. Our confidence is high, hopefully we can keep it going all the way!!! Greg Hansen, Stanton High School, Stanton, Nebraska
*********** By the way, how can we get an official to flag linebackers that chop fullbacks and pulling guards? It's become a regular thing on reach and super power. Thanks!
I am to the point of contacting a lawyer, showing him the rules, and having him draft a letter to officials explaining that if a player were to be injured because of their refusal to enforce the rules, they could be held liable. I would also ask him to draft a similar letter directed at coaches who teach illegal tactics that could cause an injury. It is a damn shame it has to come to this, but it's also a damn shame that we have cheater coaches and oblivious officials. HW
*********** Question: Is it legal for the uptight C back (we do not shift, we just line up in uptight) to go into LIZ motion like usual?
RIP 47C out of uptight is starting to look good with more reps this week (we took the advice of one of your coaching tips and gave it a try!).
Coach- A guy can line up on the line and then go in normal motion BUT- he must first "establish himself as a back" - that means that before going in motion, he must back off the line (we call this "Back Off") and stop "for at least one full second while no part of his body is breaking the vertical plane through the waistline of his nearest teammate who is on the line of scrimmage." (Rule 7 Section 2 Article 7)
The same rule also provides that he can go in motion directly from the line, but he must be at least 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage at the snap. (You had better have a careful discussion with the officials on this one. I personally doubt that it is worth the trouble.)
*********** Coach, very impressed with the DeLasalle team - what stood out the most ,is by physical appearance, they could pass for Any High School Football Team USA, their O-line , only Avg. 215 lbs ( which is not small by no means), but their skill people looked very superior,and No doubt they are well coached and well schooled from A-Z. Coach geezus, don't give those Nutz at ESPN any ideas - don't get me wrong , inter-state and inter-sectional games are very interesting and intriguing, but High-School football is left best in its purist form and the grass-roots form, at the state level. God, I hope High school football does not go the way of High School Hoops, Amateur Hockey, and High School/Amateur baseball- see ya Friday , John Muckian Lynn,Massachusetts (You watch those guys at ESPN try to set up a national playoff. Amazing what high school AD's will do when money is dangled in front of them. Call them purists if you like, but when the money is flashed, many of them are whores, just like college AD's. And a damn sight cheaper. HW)
*********** Hugh, Atlanta Lakeside 20 &endash; Douglas 21
A tremendous show of courage and effort. Our Double Wing offense took to school one of the best group of GIANT athletes I've ever seen Saturday VS Douglas. They got us by 1 point, 21 - 20. They went for two, late and got it. We then went down the field and got intercepted on the One Yard line on a third and seven call.
We were too far out to kick the winner but we probably would have tried if not for that. A great game with 300 yards rushing and as another coach said, "We put on an offensive clinic tonight". The Douglas coaches surrounded me after the game trying to squeeze me for some insight on the offense and wanted to know all kinds of stuff and where I got this scheme, etc. I didn't crack. The head coach of Douglas said he hasn't slept all week trying to figure us out. Quite a compliment. We move to 5-3 and really need our next game to keep the play-off thing alive. Tri-Cities is next with another group of Division One types, that will completely overmatch us.
Will keep you up! Thanks for all!!!
Larry Harrison, Offensive Coordinator, Lakeside HS Football, Atlanta, Georgia
*********** Coach Wyatt, Well it was a night to remember and a weekend to remember. We played our hearts out in front of over 200 former Fredericksburg football players and coaches, and the inspired team came away with a 28-7 win over Sumner. Sumner came in 6-1 and 5-0 in the district. All of the former coaches and players were invited to a night called "Remember the Falcons". The turnout was a tremendous success. We had a tailgate party for them at our country club before the game. Then they were all introduced at halftime as they paraded out on to the field and formed a tunnel for the players to run through. After the victory we had a reception for them at the town hall. The former coaches in attendance, which included the first coach, ( the football program didn't start until 1958) all gave a small talk in front of the huge crowd. Door prizes were given out and a good time was had by all.
On Saturday we were at the Coe-Cornell game (the oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi) 113th meeting. If you haven't heard by now the score was 66-63 Coe!!! What a game. All touchdowns except for the final 3 points. My son Tyler starts at SS for Coe and he suffered a game ending knee injury on the very first defensive play of the game. So it has been an up and down weekend for the Stakers. A weekend to remember nonetheless. Coach Steve Staker, Fredericksburg, Iowa (This is Fredericksburg High School's last football season, and Coach Staker is describing Fredericksburg's last-ever home football game. Next year, Fredericksburg, as is the case in small farm towns all over the heartland, will merge with another school - in this case, Sumner. Coach Staker, one of the winningest coaches in Iowa football and coach of a state champion as recently as two years ago, will have to apply to be the coach at the new combined school. HW)
*********** Galva-Holstein 51, West Monona 0
Team Stats - 33 rushes for 284 yards - 4 of 5 passing for 208 yards 4 TD's
Individual Stats - A Back 13 carries 100 yards 1 TD... B Back 4 carries 66 yards 1 TD... C Back 10 carries 90 yards 1 TD
C Back 4 receptions 208 yards 4 TD's (red red, 58 black max c post, 43 brown c screen left, blue blue C post) All I can say is WOW!!! Thank the good Lord that Keith Hustedt (C Back) plays for ME and not for someone else.
Again all I can say is WOW. Kelly had a great night throwing the ball (all of these were in the first half).
At half I felt like Steve Spurrier...5 passes x 2 (halves in a game) would be 10 passes total...
(A HUGE THANK YOU - I think the reason our passing game has been so much better this year is due to our camp. Our Qb's at the 9-12 level have better footwork this year (especially on the screen pass which has become such a huge part of what we do). Without your help this summer this season would not have been possible. I as a coach have been so closed minded (in other words so vanilla) when just by opening things up a little we could have been so much better.) Brad Knight, Holstein, Iowa
*********** Coach Wyatt, The 2003 Elmwood-Brimfield HS Trojans are the best in program history! We beat the South Fulton Rebels on Friday to run our record to 8-1 and capture the first conference championship in school history. We also assured ourselves of a first round playoff game. Our program's regular season record this year is 23-2 (8-1 freshmen, 7-1 junior varsity, 8-1 varsity).
Friday night we came out and played fairly well in the first half, but not as well as we'd have liked. We scored on X-corner and Y-corner. They jumped into a spread offense with a minute to go in the half and scored, sending us to the locker room up 13-6. After a "spirited" halftime talk, the boys took care of business in the second half. We scored twice in the first 27 seconds of the second half. We scored once more five minutes later to put it to 34-6 before I put the subs in. The bus ride home was one of the greatest experiences I've had in my coaching career. We had a caravan of about 40 cars following us. The fire trucks met us coming into town and escorted us around town for about a half hour. People were standing on their porches cheering. It was really an awesome experience.
We host our first playoff game in program history this Saturday. What a great way to start our "second season." Thanks and good luck Todd Hollis, Head Football Coach, Elmwood-Brimfield Coop, Elmwood, Illinois
*********** Our conference held it's All-Conference selection meeting last night. We didn't have any first team selections on offense, but did have both wings, our quarterback, a guard, and a tackle selected as second team. I was very surprised that we didn't have any first team selections since we averaged over 28 points per game, but think that our balanced attack didn't allow any coaches to focus on just one kid and as a result nobody in particular stood out. In the end, we won the conference an that means more to the kids than anything. In ten years when they run into a kid from another school and he says "yeah, I was a first team player" ours will say "yeah, and we beat you and won the conference." Todd Hollis, Head Football Coach, Elmwood-Brimfield Coop, Elmwood, Illinois (You win with "we beat you" kids, and you lose with "I was an all-star" kids. In ten years, nobody will even know - or care - who was first team all-conference. HW)
*********** Crockett County, Tennessee, where I coached 4 years (and ran double wing for 2 years) is # 1 in TN in 2 outta 3 polls and is still running the Double Wing ( http://www.crockettfootball.com/home_page.html ) Steve Smith, Middleboro, Kentucky (Great site! HW)
***********
Coach, In an effort to help you enlighten the man who is
claiming that 11 year old kids aren't capable of pulling I
offer this picture that a parent took during our
championship game in 2002 which we won 13-0. I think in this
case a picture is worth a thousand words and these are my
10-11 year olds running this play. I will admit that the FB
should not have been so deep in the backfield but the DE
played inside our TE and got down blocked by our TE. You can
also see the tackle holding up the charge of the defensive
tackle. Number 64 is the LG and the player behind the QB is
# 2 the RG. You're free to use this whenever you would like
to show a youth coach that it can be done and don't give up
so easily. Hope this helps. Frank Hackney, Waterbury,
Connecticut P.S. I can't believe how negative coaches can be
sometimes.(For the visually - and intellectually -
impaired, I added the yellow arrows to point out the two
guards. Sure looks to me as though they are pulling. How can
that be? I was told - by experts -that you couldn't teach
young kids to pull. HW)
*********** I've been meaning to write you for a while now to tell you how small a DW world it is. Back in August, my sister-in-law and her new husband, Scott Koziol, visited for my three-year-old's birthday. Scott (who is from Chicago) and I were talking about my team when he mentioned that a friend of his had just taken over the freshman squad of a Chicago-area high school. I had been regularly reading your news columns, so I said, "That's funny, I've been reading about a guy in Chicago who runs my offense and who just took over a freshman squad." It took me just a second to recall the name of the school, but finally I said, "Rich Central." And Scott goes, "That's where my friend works!"
It turns out that Bill Lawlor, the DW youth coach just hired by Jon McLaughlin to coach the freshman team at Rich Central, is good friends with my brother-in-law, Scott Koziol. In fact, this was on a Sunday, and Scott said, "I just talked to him on his cell phone Thursday." So I called up your website and showed Scott all the reports about Bill Lawlor and Rich Central. I thought that was real cool. It's a small--but growing--DW world.
On another note, we're 3-6 right now, but it's because our defense is struggling and we've been through one of the most unbelievable rash of injuries that I've ever seen. The same bug that is nailing the University of Georgia 60 miles away stops by and gnaws on us a while. I've been to the hospital no less than seven times this season to check on kids. But, once again, we've led all Georgia Independent Schools Association schools in offense for most of the season. We'll grind out a 12-play drive and turn around and allow a 60-yard run on the first or second play. But the offense works: The same kids who aren't getting the job done on defense are doing well on offense. We scored 24 points on the No. 3 team in the state the other day and lost 45-24.
We have 23 freshmen and sophomores among our 35 players. Next year, we're moving to Class A in THE Georgia High School Association. We'll be playing with the big boys now, but we're looking forward to it big time. Thanks, and God bless....
Tim Luke, Minister to Adults, Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church/Head Football Coach, Eagle's Landing Christian Academy, McDonough, Georgia
*********** Coach Wyatt, Oviedo Lions(11/12) 26, Lake Mary Rams 6. The Lions (7-2) clinched the Mid Florida Pop Warner Div I Eastern Conference championship and a playoff bid with the victory. Defense and special teams provided good field position all game and the offense took advantage of it. Our wedges and Gs were solid all day as set up by the 38/29 G-O Reaches and Super-Os. Over/Under I continues to be a solid, productive formation for us. Thanks for all the support. Lee Griesemer, Chuluota, Florida
*********** I got a call Tuesday from Steve Allosso, head coach at Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach. He was pretty excited. Cox is now 5-3, with two games remaining. Win one of them, and Cox is assured of a winning season. Win both, and Cox could find itself in the state playoffs.
Now, you've got to understand a few things about Frank W. Cox High School. I've been there and met its administrators and its coaching staff and kids. Top-notch. I stood in the main hall when school let out, and lemme tell you, that's when you find out a lot about a school.The kids at Cox were unfailingly courteous.
Next, I picked up a copy of the school newspaper, Falcon Press, and it confirmed my favorable first impression. I actually enjoyed reading it! It didn't waste space on the numb-nuts topics ("legalize pot!") of so many high school rags, and its writers could actually write.
Academically, I was told, Cox ranks among the elite public high schools in America. 98 per cent of Cox graduates go on to college. Over half of its students graduate with honors. And the football team is not made up of a bunch of knuckleheads, either - when recent progress reports went out, the overall average GPA of the varsity football players was 3.2.
Oh, yes - football. As is so often the case at academically strong schools, football at Cox has not been strong. In 42 years of football, Cox has had only seven winning seasons.
Cox was 1-9 in 2000, 1-9 in 2001, 2-8 in 2002.
But this year, Cox is now 5-3, with two games remaining, and the Double-Wing has played a big part in the story.
Cox is ranked 8th in its region. It is 3rd in rushing and 8th in total offense. In eight games, it has 2100 yards total offense, 1095 of them by sophomore A-Back Andre Boone. Says Steve Allosso, "No one has stopped us yet."
The Cox JV's are unbeaten.
This year Cox has beaten archrival First Colonial for the first time in 20 years. ("Last year," Steve said, "they kicked our ass.")
Things got even better at Homecoming, when the Falcons blocked an extra point attempt in overtime to beat Kellum 21-20. The excited students rushed the field. "We couldn't get them off!" Steve told me.
Meantime, none of its current players was alive the last time Cox had a winning record. That was 1981.
And now, although they face two tough opponents, Deep Creek and Western Branch, they have a shot not only at a winning season - their first in 22 years - but also the once unthinkable - a spot in the state playoffs.
Yes, the offense has had its detractors. Wrote one local sports reporter, "If you like rugby, you'll like the Cox offense."
No matter, says Coach Allosso. "The kids love it."
One of the middle school coaches (they also run the Double-Wing) may have said it best in stating what the Double-Wing means to Steve Allosso and Cox football: "Now you stand for something."
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Being a veteran myself (Navy Submarines), I was so proud of them as they were presenting the award. I was so happy that I had found your website two years ago and decided to start the Black Lion tradition in New Mexico Young America Football League. I was able to learn a lot of what happened at the Battle of Ong Thanh and about the death of Don Holleder. I was also reminded that there is nothing that brings men together like sacrificing their lives to protect our country.
In any case, the honored guests gave an awesome presentation and all I heard after their departure was "what an outstanding award" and "that was great of them to take the time and be here." This, of course, was from the parents who were amazed at the award. I guess I can't stop saying good things about these guys. (The three could not help but remind me the rivalry between Army and Navy and all the "names" they have for us squids...hmmm.)
The Black Lions who honored us this evening were amazing. They gave our award winner a 28th Infantry, Black Lions Unit Coin and they also gave Coach Bouma a Big Red One patch as well as a Black Lion patch...I was jealous to say the least. Maybe I can be fortunate enough one of these days to receive a coin and patches (one can only hope).
Respectfully, Coach Marvin Garcia, Albuquerque, New Mexico
In the photo above left: Coaches and Black Lions - Offensive Coordinator Marvin Garcia, Mr. Faustin Sena, Mr. Santiago Griego, Head Coach Bill Bouma, and Mr. Arthur Cordova.
In the photo above right: Award Winner Austin Tidwell surrounded by real Black Lions, Mr. Arthur Cordova, Mr. Santiago Griego, Mr. Faustin Sena.
After I told Black Lion Tom Hinger about the appearance of those three men, he wrote, "Sir, Faustin & Santiago are two great guys, and the team was lucky to have them attend. I don't know how far you are in the book, but you will read about both of them. Jump to page 519 and read about them in the epilogue."
"The "book" Tom refers to is "They Marched Into Sunlight," by David Maraniss. I have read about these guys - they are honest-to-God heroes. They survived a slaughter in which 68 of their comrades were killed. Listen to what David wrote, after seeing Mr. Giego and Mr. Sena at a Black Lions reunion in 2002 in Las Vegas:
"Nearby were Ernie Buontiempo, Santiago Griego and Faustin Sena. Each man was dealing with past and present in his own way. I felt a special affinity with Sena, a poetic Mexican-American who happened to be a huge Green Bay Packers fan, an unlikely cheesehead. (David himself is from Madison, Wisconsin- HW) One day when we were talking, I asked why he came to these reunions. I had met him a year earlier at another Black Lions reunion in Fort Jackson, which he and Griego reached by driving twenty-seven hours nonstop from New Mexico. "I have a headache every day of my life," Sena explained. "Except when I am here, with these guys, my headache goes away."
*********** Of states that hold playoffs, some are quite liberal as to who qualifies. In Indiana, for example, everybody makes the playoffs. Typically, it takes one round to get rid of all the cellar dwellers, and then the real playoffs proceed from there. Other states are narrowly restrictive. Connecticut comes to mind - there, only the top four teams from each classification are chosen, by computer formula, to compete for the state title.
In the Northwest, Oregon tends to be more open-enrollment, while Washington is a bit niggardly (at least look it up before you go calling me a racist, doofus). In Oregon, many eight-team leagues send as many as four teams to the playoffs, and it was not so long ago that a team with a 4-5 regular season record finished fourth then went on to win the state 4A (largest) championship. Some leagues, after all, are stronger than others, and some teams don't start hitting their stride until the second half of the season.
Washington is stingy and refuses to expand its playoffs by so much as one lousy week, with the result that some very good teams get screwed. There, quite often, only the league champion qualifies, and the second-place team stays home. (In the past, I have coached on two teams that finished 8-1 and one that finished 7-2, and none of them qualified.)
Unlike states which rely exclusively on computer ratings, or those which award playoff sports to league champions and then fill in the rest based on computer ratings or records, Washington awards spots in advance, to leagues. This leads to a lot of horse-trading in the off-season by athletic directors, and often results in some unbelievably inequitable situations.
This year, through some sort of quirk, our local 4A league, called the Greater St. Helens League, much screwed-over in the past, has been given four berths in the state playoffs. Heading into the final week of regular season play, two of its teams are riding high, definite championship contenders. One is currently 8-0, the other 7-1, and they are both 6-0 in league play. They are archrivals, and they will meet on Friday night to decide, among other things, who will get the GSHL's number one seed in the playoffs.
The third place team has its slot locked up. It is now 5-3 (4-2 in league play) and even in the unlikely event it is upset on Friday, it won't finish worse than 5-4 overall.
But then comes the World's Strongest Argument Against Giving Out Playoff Berths to Leagues in Advance. There remains the possibility, should all the planets align, of a five-way tie for the fourth playoff spot. Should everything break a certain way, there will be five teams tied with 2-5 league records. Two of them will have 3-6 overall records, and three of them will be 2-7. Playoff teams!
Should things break the other way and save league AD's the headache of having to resolve a tie, the very best any of them can finish is 4-5.
Congratulations on earning a spot in the state playoffs, men.
Meanwhile, someplace else in the state, some 6-3 (or 7-2) team is going to be left at home.
*********** Army's play improved somewhat against Cincinnati last week, but the Cadets (I refuse to call them the Black Knights, because ever since the AD insisted on calling them that, they've lost) were still anemic on the ground. (They had only six yards rushing. Is "anemic" being too kind? ) Basically, they ditched the head coach, but so far, we're two games into the new regime, and with his coordinators still in place, very little has changed.
But wait - did you hear what interim head coach John Mumford said in this week's press conference?"We are frustrated with our rushing offense. Six yards is not pretty at all. We will have a few new wrinkles this week to get the running game going against another tough defense."
Furthermore, according to the Newburgh, NY Times Herald Record, Mumford mentioned "refined blocking schemes, double-teaming certain defensive linemen and adding more misdirection plays."
Did you hear what I heard? "New wrinkles?" "Double-teaming?" "Misdirection plays?"
Huh? You don't suppose they finally decided to put their wounded pride aside and ask Denny Creehan to show them a little Buck Sweep/Trap/Waggle, do you?
Stay tuned.
*********** THOSE OF YOU WHO AGREE WITH ME THAT AT THE VERY LEAST IT WOULD BE COOL TO HAVE A MAJOR COLLEGE PROGRAM RUNNING A WING-T OFFENSE MIGHT WANT TO JOIN US IN TRYING TO INTEREST THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE US MILITARY ACADEMY IN TAKING A LOOK AT DENNY CREEHAN - FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DENNY CREEHAN
*********** "It's Florida-Tennessee with about 3 minutes left. Tenn is holding on to a couple or three point lead, trying to run out the clock. They tighten the splits, put a wing on the tight end side, and run a pure Wing-T power play to the tight end side. Block down, block down, block down, kick out, lead block (Where was the QB in this??!?). First down, first down, first down, game over.
"So: Phil Fulmer knows at least one Wing-T play. So do many other coaches who came through the ranks. Do you ever worry that the coaches who have been from the ranks of the True Believers will become the Dreamers and Schemers once they get to "The Big Time"?
"I see more Powers in the NFL than I do at the college level. In Tony Dungy's last year at Tampa, they ran the double hand-off for a touchdown - once. These are just "gimmick" plays, however, not a part of the basic scheme. The basic scheme is - "Fifty new plays for this week's opponent".
*Sigh*
"I know I'll never see any more "108 runs, 3 passes" from two teams running that funny Y formation thing on Saturday anymore. I suppose I'll probably see an NFL team line up in a toe-to-toe double wing goal line set for one play one time (What would the QB do in that situation?).
"I want more. Do you see any hope that one of the Faithful will actually be given a chance - and that he'll actually follow through? It's the follow through I worry about." Thanx, Charlie Wilson, Seminole, Florida (You can be sure that Phil Fullmer knows all that stuff. Committing to it to the point where the Vols can run more than a play or two is something else, because he has so much invested in the kids he's recruited to play the wide-open game, and because they have to keep that big old stadium filled. I think our best shot is to help bring wing-T guy Denny Creehan to peoples' attention. Some of us are trying to do just that with the Army job, although the people at West Point are likely to go for someone more high profile. Barring a change in the rules which now heavily favor the passing game, with the numbers people are putting up throwing the ball, and with the fans' expectation that you will throw the ball, I don't think that you're going to see a run-oriented offense at a big-time school any time soon. HW)
*********** To the casual observer, the kids from Seattle's Lakeside school were all but down for the count. Playing powerful Eastside Catholic, which had lost in overtime the week before to state power O'Dea, they were down by as much as 28-0 in the first half, and trailed 34-14 with less than a half of football left to play.
But little by little, taking advantage of Eastside Catholic mistakes, they crept back to within seven points, and with six minutes left to play they got the ball back. But they found themselves on their own 10 yard line, and they were running the Double-Wing, a grind-it-out, ball-control offense.
No problem. They put together a drive that took 17 plays and ate up all but three seconds on the clock, and punched it in to make the score 34-33, Eastside. That was the easy part. Now for the tough part - go for one or two?
Bill McMahon, Lakeside coach, told me that he and his assistants had already decided that they didn't want to press their luck by taking Eastside into overtime. "Not these guys," he remembered telling his staff.
And then, he did something he said he'd never done before. He put the decision to the players.
"I asked them, 'do you want to win it right now or lose it right now?'"
It was unanimous. Go for it.
"Second question," he said. "What play?"
Again, as one, the kids shouted, "88 SUPER POWER!"
And then they started jumping up and down in excitement, yelling, "IT'S POWER PERIOD! IT'S POWER PERIOD!"
(You see, "Power period" is how Bill ends every Lakeside practice. It's a 10-minute period in which the offense lines up on the ten-yard-line against a defense of 13 men. The offense can run only 88 Super Power or 99 Super Power, and has four downs to score or the ball comes back to the ten. There are incentives for the offense to score and for the defense to stop it. Bill says it gets pretty intense.)
It was Power Period. Racing out onto the field, the Lakeside kids lined up without even huddling.
At the snap of the ball, Bill said, he saw a great push from the right side of the line. His fullback, he said, "de-cleated" his defender. And then, "it was like the waters parted," and A-back Sean Whitsitt went in untouched for a 35-34 Lakeside win.
"I had never, in some 30 years of coaching, turned it over to the kids," Bill told me. "I was shaking, I was so moved by it.
"It was a unique moment in sports for me."
*********** Dear Coach, Nice job this season with your young team! I wish I had the opportunity to coach with you.
Coach, I just wanted to send you updated information on Coach John Hessler. He remains in critical but stable condition. The family truly appreciates all the thoughts and prayers from everyone, and rests on the assurance that they will be answered. The bad guys that fled the accident scene remain unidentified and are still at-large.
The family has a website set up for the latest info on Coach Hesslers' fight, condition and guestbook. Please post this on your site, it is a fine tribute to a fine young man. www.johnhessler.com
Thank you for all your support-------- Coach Ernie Martinez, Regis-Jesuit HS, Aurora, Colorado
*********** As Los Angeles' city council debated a measure making it illegal to urinate or defecate in public (yes, America, it's come to this), advocates for the homeless were outraged at the prospect, arguing that people have a "constitutional right to utilize their bodily functions."
"Constitutional right?" I suspect that if the Founding Fathers back in 1787 had any idea that their work would one day be used to justify crapping in the street, they'd have said to hell with it, and gone back home without wasting another hot, humid summer day in Philadelphia debating behind closed doors and shuttered windows (no air conditioning, either).
*********** Hugh, I read, albeit a bit saddened, on your site today of the passing of Dee Andros. I then read on as you eulogized Coach Andros so well! I guess, I didn't realize the enormity of his work.
In the 1967 season you spoke of the giant killers they were. I would add the following in addition to the games you mentioned:
I remember this season so well as I was just a freshman in HS and on Saturday following one of our Friday night games, as was the custom in Iowa then, a bunch of my teammates and I boarded a school bus for the long ride to Iowa City because the Oregon State Beavers were playing the Hawkeyes in Kinnick stadium that day and we all had $2 knothole tickets as they were called back then.
That day we sat in the south endzone bleachers almost at field level and watched the Bruiser, Bill Enyart (OSU fullback) pound the Hawks. That day was especially memorable for it was the day at Iowa that Soph. Larry Lawrence made is first collegiate start as QB replacing Eddie Podolak (of KC Chiefs fame and an Iowa boy from Atlantic) at QB. It seemed that coach Jerry Burns felt his Hawks were better off with Podolak toting the ball. Well, if memory serves me right Lawrence (another Iowa boy, from Cedar Rapids-his old man, Ted, well respected around the state as a HS football coach himself) had a great day at QB and Podolak broke a single game rushing record that had stood at Iowa for years. And the Hawks got beat I believe in the waning minutes of the game with an Enyart touchdown which culminated a long drive (much of which was made up of carries by Enyart).
The Beavers scored late and tacked on the extra point for a 21-20 come from behind victory.
I remember this well as most all of the action, including the go-ahead touchdown by Enyart, happened yards away from us in the South end zone.
What a great game and vivid memories for this writer. They don't do the $2 knothole seats anymore but many a high school footballer in Iowa can still be found on Saturdays in Iowa City watching history made.
That Oregon State team was a great squad and reflected their coach. And I remember mostly that they were HUGE! Especially, Enyart! You said they were LOGGERS? Sequoia trees must have been what they cut down!
My best, Don Capaldo, Keokuk, Iowa (Logging, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics study, is the most dangerous of all occupations. Trust me - loggers are hard-nosed people. As for that big fullback - it was for good reason that they called him "Earthquake" Enyart. He was 6-3, 235, which would be big enough even today but was huge then, and he was one tough dude. He once carried 50 times on one game! From his Oregon State Hall of Fame citation:
"he earned first team All-Conference and Academic All-American honors as a fullback in 1967 and 1968. He earned All-America and All-Coast honors in 1968 while setting single-season records that still stand: 1,304 yards rushing, 17 touchdowns, and 102 points. Bill earned 3 varsity letters as the Beavers went 21-8-1 from 1966-1968; 7-3 in 1966; 7-2-1 in '67; and 7-3 in '68. Against Utah at Salt Lake City, the 6'3" 236-pound fullback carried the ball an astonishing 50 times for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns, a mark that stood for 31 years. Both records, for carries and yards, remain in the books. He went on to rush for a single-season school record of 1,309 yards and 17 touchdowns. Following Enyart's senior year, he was selected for 5 post-season All-Star games: East-West Shrine Game, Senior Bowl, Coaches All-America Bowl, College All-Star Game, and Hula Bowl, where he was named the outstanding back... Selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1969 draft, he played 2 seasons. He was then traded to Oakland where he played one game before his professional career was ended with an injury."
*********** I thought you might enjoy reading the most recent edition of the newsletter that Sam Knopik, head coach at Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, sends out weekly to parents and friends of the program:
PHS Raider Family,We are off to a 1-0 start in district play as the players defeated St. Joseph LeBlond 42-0 last Friday. Highlights of the game included 100 yard rushing games by Torey Logan, Andrew Zobrist and Brandon Buckley. The usual suspects: Ryan Lonergan, Ben Ladner, John Cross, Ricky Baynes, Will Devins and Bobby Grant plowed the way for 346 rushing yards.
Andrew Good connected with Ben Ladner for 2 receptions and a TD. John Larson and Zach Yates combined for 4/5 P.A.T.'s and 2 touchback kicks!
Defensively, the varsity was able to secure their second shutout by playing the entire game. This was the first time all season they have had the opportunity to play an entire game. As a varsity defense they have surrendered just 7 points! Brandon Buckley led the team with 10 tackles while Zach Yates, John Larson and Ricky Baynes all had a sack. Alex Chopp recorded another interception bringing his team leading total to 3 and the team total to 14 on the year.
Up next is the defending state champion Saint Pius X Warriors. Obviously this is an important game for us and will be our biggest challenge of the season. If you are unable to attend, Metro Sports will be airing the game as the High School Game of the Week. However, the game starts at 7:00, and we would love to see you there. St. Pius is located at the intersection of I-35 and I-29.
Thanks again for your support and we hope to sing with you after the game, Sam Knopik
(This is a wonderful PR gesture, a great way of making people feel connected to your program. But it does take a lot of work, although it's easier to write when you win. Which brings me to a major point - don't start doing something like this unless you are willing to do it, rain or shine. Win or lose. People will notice if you don't send out a newsletter after losses, and it will turn into a PR boomerang. HW)
*********** The passing of former Oregon State coach Dee Andros last week resurrected a lot of great stories about the Great Pumpkin.
John Blanchette of the Spokane Spokesman-Review recalled this one, told to him by one-time Washington State (and Fresno State) head coach Jim Sweeney. (No doubt Sweeney swore it was true.)
Supposedly, Sweeney went up to Andros and said, "Dee, those Oregon State people love you so much, they say the gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and Dee."
Andros, according to Sweeney, got a good laugh out of the line. "That's a good one, Jimbo," he roared.
A few minutes later, Andros was with another group of friends, and wanted to tell them the story, but first he needed to make sure he could tell it right.
"Hey, Jimbo," he called to Sweeney. "What were those other three guys' names?"
*********** After writing to the Superintendent of the US Military Academy on behalf of Denny Creehan, Brad Knight, of Holstein, Iowa said his dad asked him, "if the Wing T is so good why aren't you running it?"
He said he told his dad, "Denny doesn't know the DW or he might be running what we do."
Actually, I told Brad, "Be sure to tell your dad that you ARE running the wing-T. Ours is a variation of it, but in my mind, in my thinking and play-calling, I am still a wing-T coach."
COME SEE US! LAST CHANCE! WE ARE ONLY FIVE MINUTES FROM THE PORTLAND AIRPORTMADISON SENATORS 2003 SCHEDULE
9/5 - 7:00 pm (H) Sandy Pioneers
9/12 - 7:30 pm - at Parkrose Broncos
9/19 - 5:30 pm - at Benson Techmen*
9/26 - 7:00 pm - (H) Lincoln Cardinals*
10/3 - 3:30 pm - at Cleveland Warriors*
10/9 - 7:00 pm - at Wilson Trojans*
10/17 - 7:00 pm (H) Roosevelt Roughriders *
10/24 - 7:00 pm - at Franklin Quakers*
10/31 - 7:00 pm (H) Marshall Minutemen*
* Portland Interscholastic League Games
"The
Beast Was out There," by General James M. Shelton,
subtitled "The 28th Infantry Black Lions and the
Battle of Ong Thanh Vietnam October 1967" is available
through the publisher, Cantigny Press, Wheaton, Illinois.
to order a copy, go to http://www.rrmtf.org/firstdivision/
and click on "Publications and Products")
Or contact me if you'd like
to obtain a personally-autographed copy, and I'll give
you General Shelton's address. (Great gift!) General
Shelton is a former wing-T guard from Delaware who now
serves as Honorary Colonel of the Black Lions. All
profits from the sale of his books go to the Black Lions
and the 1st Infantry Division Foundation, , sponsors of
the Black Lion Award).- I have my copy. It is
well worth the price just for the "playbooks" it contains
in the back - "Fundamentals of Infantry" and
"Fundamentals of Artillery," as well as a glossary of all
those military terms, so that guys like you and me can
understand what they're talking about.
Coaches - Black Lions teams for 2003 are now listed, by state. Please check to make sure your team in on the list. If it is not, it means that your team is no enrolled, and you need to e-mail me to get on the list. HW
--- GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD --- HONOR BRAVE MEN AND RECOGNIZE GREAT KIDS
SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION FOR 2003
"NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT - NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT - DUTY FIRST"
inscribed on the wall of the 1st Division Museum, at Cantigny, Wheaton, Ilinois
BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM
THE BLACK LION AWARD
A
LOOK AT OUR LEGACY: Curt Warner is perhaps the
greatest athlete ever to come out of the state of West
Virginia (including Randy Moss). He is probably the most
famous resident of Camas, Washington. (Now that Tonya
Harding no longer lives there.) He is not to be confused
with another NFL player of the same name (different
spelling: Kurt Warner).
(At
left) In 1999, when I was coaching
at Washougal, Washington, it was our great honor to have
Curt Warner toss the coin and stand on our sideline at
our big game with Camas.
Not
especially tall and increasingly rotund as the years went
on, with a round face, he would lead his team down the ramp
to the field (as shown at left) wearing a bright orange
jacket, inspiring a nickname that stuck - "The Great
Pumpkin." He wasn't offended. He wore it with pride. As he
often said, in his Oklahoma twang, "I'm proud to be called
the Great Punkin."
PORTLAND,
OREGON - It was Homecoming at Madison High School in
Portland, where I coach. Madison may not be the only high
school in the US not to have either a band or cheerleaders,
but at 1200 students, I'll bet it's the largest.
October
17, 1967- 2003
A
LOOK AT OUR LEGACY: Nick Buoniconti played on some
of the worst football teams in Notre Dame history;
but later played on some of the greatest teams in
NFL history.
A
LOOK AT OUR LEGACY: Forget Florida State. Forget the Atlanta
Braves. Wahoo McDaniel gave the Tomahawk Chop its start. He
is shown here in his pro wrestling get-up, complete with the
war bonnet he always wore when entering the ring. He was
part Indian and he capitalized on his heritage - the
Tomahawk Chop was his signature move.
A
LOOK AT OUR LEGACY- Meet Bob St. Clair
***********
My head coach, Tracy Jackson, was generous enough to provide
a few Madison High tee-shirts - in sizes large enough to fit
- and i was able to get a few of my favorite Black Lions
together for a group shot. From left, standing, they are Tom
Grady, until recently from Doylestown, Pennsylvania but now
from Hilton head, South Carolina; Dave Berry, of Paso
Robles, California; David Maraniss, of Madison, Wisconsin (I
didn't have any trouble getting him to wear a "Madison"
shirt); me, proudly wearing the Army colors; Jim Shelton, of
Englewood Florida; (seated) Tom Hinger, of Auburndale,
Florida
The
parents of Army football player Taylor Justice happened to
be staying at the same motel as we were, and they told us
that they were planning on taking their son and several of
his friends out to dinner after the game. Being gregarious
sorts, the Black Lions invited them all to join us for a
little while before heading out to eat, and I managed to get
them to pose for this shot. All sophs, they are (from left
to right): Blaine Cooper, WR from Tulsa, Oklahoma (Jenks
HS); Jacob Murphy, WR from El Paso, Texas; Rob Davis, DB
from Charlotte, North Carolina; Laron Bybee, QB from Canyon
Lake, Texas; Taylor Justice, DB from Fort Myers, Florida (I
know what you're thinking, but that's a Gatorade bottle in
his hand); Bruce Brown, WR from Andover, Massachusetts.