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MARCH 2006

A Football Camp in Germany! (See"NEWS") "True National Champion" Me Arse! (See"NEWS") My Offensive System My Materials for Sale My Clinics Me     March 31, 2006 - "Being right and being quiet has never been a combination I was good at." Bobby Knight   *********** How's your German? (Mine isn't too good) Anyhow, here's all you need to know about where I've been for the past week...   Vergangenes Wochenende bereiste das Herrenteam der United Dragons Buxtehude die Hansestadt Lübeck um sich dort zu ihrem diesjährigen Trainingscamp einzufinden.   Die Temperaturen und Wetterverhältnisse der letzten Wochen gaben den Drachen schon zu denken, ob das Camp in geplanter Form auch stattfinden könnte. Doch zum Glück der Buxtehuder klarte das Wetter auf und das Training konnte am Samstag pünktlich um 6 Uhr beginnen.   Doch gab' es für die Spieler der Dragons schon am Vorabend eine große Überraschung: Sie lernten Coach Hugh Wyatt kennen, der die Footballer an diesem Wochenende zusammen mit Dragons Coach Mathias Bonner trainieren würde. Coach Wyatt ist High School Coach in den USA und hat das Spielsystem, welches die United Dragons seit der Saison 2005 sehr erfolgreich praktizieren erfunden. Schon länger stehen Coach Wyatt und Coach Bonner in engem Kontakt. Als Wyatt vom Trainingscamp erfuhr, lies er sich nicht lang bitten um mit seiner Frau die Reise in's entfernte Deutschland anzutreten.   Am Samstag Vormittag bekamen die beiden Coaches dann noch Verstärkung durch den Linebacker Coach der Snipes Cougars und durch Philipp Stursberg, der im letzten Jahr bei den Hamburg Sea Devils in der NFL Europe spielte. Diese kümmerten sich um die Linebacker und Defensive Backs der Dragons.   Das Trainingscamp wurde am Sonntag Nachmittag mit einem Scrimmage gegen die Snipes Cougars, welche in der 2. Bundesliga starten werden, abgeschlossen. Hierbei konnten die Dragons ihre Grundlagen festigen und das Erlernte vom Wochenende gleich in die Tat umsetzen. Es war ein gutes und vor allem sehr faires Scrimmage, was helfen wird in den verbleibenden Wochen vor der Saison noch einige Fehler auszubessern.   Alles in allem blickt man in den Reihen der United Dragons auf ein sehr lehrreiches und interessantes Wochenende zurück und geht nun gestärkt in die letzten Tage der Saisonvorbereitung. Denn am 01. Mai geht es im heimischen Jahnstadion gegen die Göttingen Generals auf's Feld um in die Oberliga Saison 2006 zu starten.   Die United Dragons bedanken sich bei Coach Hugh Wyatt für die eindrucksvollen Stunden, die man zusammen trainieren durfte und bei den Snipes Cougars für sämtliche Unterstützung bei diesem Camp und wünschen eine erfolgreiche und verletzungsfreie Saison.     As the above article clearly states, I was out of the country for several days, helping out at a weekend football camp in Lübeck, Germany, put on by the Buxtehude United Dragons. It really was a camp - Lübeck is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the team's home base. We stayed in a youth hostel, where for approximately $60 (45 Euros), each player got a room for two nights and six meals. We had a meeting room and a field adjoining the hostel, and after three practice sessions and two chalk sessions, we scrimmaged the local team, the Lübeck Cougars, who play two divisions above us.   The Dragons' coach, Mathias Bonner, is in his second season of running the Double-Wing. Last season the Dragons, who had a long, sad tradition of futility, made it to the Division playoffs, but following the season all but one of Mathias' linemen retired.   Despite last year's success, Mathias still fights the same battle as so many other Double-Wing coaches, and he had prepared me in advance for the fact that his players had not yet totally bought into the Double-Wing. The problem is much tougher in Germany, where the influence of the NFL and NFL Europe is such that nobody knows that there is any other way to play football. (They are especially resistant to the concept of shoulder blocking.)   So I set out immediately in our first Friday night session to stress what all true Double-Wingers know and relish - no, we're not like everyone else, and we like it that way. We choose not to play "McFootball" (my term for the NFL version of the game, because it's the same everywhere, and because to most Germans it's all the American football they know, just as for them McDonald's is all they know about American food).   Everybody else in Germany plays McFootball, and as a result, the success formula for most teams entails importing an American QB and an American receiver and letting the other nine guys - all Germans - stand around while they play catch.   I tried to impress on our guys that there is another way to play the game - that we are guerilla warriors, fighting in unconventional fashion. Let the other guys play McFootball, I told them - we're going to be different, and we're going to be difficult to play. We are able to force people to play our game, and we are going to be known as the people nobody likes to play.   By the way, the language barrier was there, but not a serious problem. Some of the players spoke excellent English - one is an English teacher at a school in Bremen - and some spoke a little but rarely had the opportunity, and did okay once they got over their initial hesitancy. I made sure to stress two points - (1) they should put aside any worries about what I might think about their English, and jus go ahead and t try; and (2) it was their job to pay attention, but it was my job to explain things in a way that they could understand, so if I said anything that was not clear to them, they would be doing me a favor by letting me know.   The guys seemed to buy in, and surprised me with their work ethic and their coachability. And on Sunday afternoon, when we scrimmaged the Cougars, it didn't take them long to find out that the Cougars had quickly joined the ranks of people who didn't like to play us. After our first set of ten plays, during which we moved the ball fairly well and broke a criss-cross for a long score, the Cougars' coach approached Mathias and said, "You didn't tell me you were going to run this...(pause)...stuff."   What you see in the photo above is a team playing an offense nobody likes to play, also known as "making people play your game."   It is, as anyone who runs my system knows, my signature play, the Wedge - my most-copied play and the one that more than any other distinguishes my system from other versions of the Double Wing. Number 98, believe it or not, was the Cougars' nose guard. He has just been rocked, big-time, by our center, 6-6, 360 pound Lothar "Big L" Domke. (The Cougars' Number 6 doesn't look as if he is exactly thrilled by the Double Wing, either.)   Fairness requires me to say that we did not outscore the Cougars. Playing two levels above us, they were more talented and more experienced. And, since ours was primarily an offense camp, we had only five defensive players on hand, so we had to put together a mixed-crew defense to provide the Cougars' offense with opposition.   But offensively, with four rookie offensive linemen, three of them playing in a contest for the first time ever, we were encouraged by the way we moved the ball. 88 and 99 Super Powers averaged better than 5 yards an attempt, and the wedges went well. The counters were somewhat inconsistent, although one of them was that long touchdown on the criss-cross. We ran some unbalanced line and it was effective.   The passing game looked promising, with QB Christian Feldtmann completing a couple of long passes, as well as showing an ability to run.   Like many European coaches, Mathias has to deal with two big problems that most of us don't even think about - finding a place to practice, and then having enough players on hand to have a meaningful practice. In every town, beautiful fields sit idle, awaiting the local soccer teams, while the American football teams scrounge for a patch of grass big enough to work out on. The players are not paid, and they are playing entirely because they enjoy playing the game. But they don't necessarily enjoy practicing, and they do have family and job obligations that make it difficult for Mathias to find a time when everyone can be there.   This weekend-long camp was the most that the offensive unit had actually worked together, and it showed in Sunday's scrimmage.       Setting the tone at the Friday night meeting At this point, they don't know what they're in for 8:30 Saturday morning - dressed and ready to go! Looks like 99 Super Power to me! It's raining Sunday AM, so we do walk-thrus in the cafeteria Indoor walk-thrus, and Mathias Bonner explains the next play. The three Gerdau brothers - the "smallest" is 6-3, 255 (yes, that's snow) The "B-Back Brothers" - Ingo Leiser and Alex Heuberger Mathias Bonner makes a call and asks me what I think QB Christian Feldtmann and an American coach Post-game, proudly comparing bellies Note the tattoo; there is a team in North Germany called the Pitbulls *********** Two weekends ago I was in a family-type Irish pub in Chicago where people of all ages gathered to enjoy the atmosphere. Included in the gathering were some younger kids, maybe six or seven years old, who seemed to be enjoying themselves, too. No big deal, it seemed to me or anyone else there, but a very atypical scene in an America that increasingly seems to think that anytime junior sees Gramps taking a sip of beer, why, the kid is halfway to becoming an alcoholic.   This past weekend I was in Germany, where drinking has long been a part of the culture, but I knew I was back in America - where do-gooders have managed to convince much of the public that alcohol is a drug, no different from cocaine or meth - when I read the latest absurdity coming from the alcohol-is-our-deadly-enemy types.   This time their target was a Bud Light commercial - the one in which three guys, telling their wives they are going to clean the gutters, climb up onto their roofs, where they set up lawn chairs and break out the Bud Light.   The punch line is that one of the guys falls through the roof and into his living room.   Ohmigod! the do-gooders were crying. That ad conveys a "dangerous message" - that it's fun to climb up on roofs and drink beer.   Please.   Look, as a former beer marketer, I screamed indignantly at the Coors Light T & A commercials featuring Kid Rock and "The Twins," and I was grossed out by the Miller Light (I think it was) mud-wrestling spot that must have been very titillating to those fellas who get off watching gals going at it.   But not this time. This time, I want to take these idiots doing all the complaining and give them a sense of humor transplant. I want to grab them and shake them and say, lighten up, you a**holes!. IT'S A F--KING JOKE!   Years ago, my company, the National Brewing Company of Baltimore, was on a roll with the success of Colt 45 Malt Liquor, and much of the product's success was based on its edgy commercials, centered on the theme, "A Completely Unique Experience."   Our advertising agency worked its ass off to come up with an assortment experiences that paled in comparison with drinking Colt 45.   In one of our commercial spots, shot on scene in Mexico, our star character, played by a Canadian comedian named Billy Van (who starred on a late-night comedy show on CBC and later co-starred with the great Vincent Price in a cult favorite called the "Hilarious House of Frightenstein"), sits at a small table and watches in great anticipation as a waiter pops open a Colt 45 (it was sold only in cans then - no 40-ounce bottles yet) and pours it into a glass.   Van lifts the glass as if to drink (it was then and is still a no-no for anyone in a beer commercial to be shown actually drinking the product), while the camera zooms out to reveal that Van is seated in a bull ring and, unbeknownst to him, a bull is charging right at him. The bull hits him (actually, a stunt man) full speed, and knocks both the actor and the table ass over teakettle.   In the next scene, though, Van, who in our series of commercials has developed a reputation as not being easily excited by anything except his Colt 45, is back at the table, unruffled, adjusting his tie and appreciatively eying his now half-empty glass.   Amazing. We couldn't do it today. See, it would send the "dangerous message" that it's not safe to climb into a bullring and drink malt liquor. Especially when there's a live bull in the ring, too.   I won't even get into what the animal rights people would say. They'd worry more about the bull than the stunt man (who, by the way, really did get gored by the bull. It wasn't supposed to happen that way - the bull was only supposed to come close, and the producers had fully intended to use a dummy flying through the air to create the desired effect. When the bull veered off course, and hit the stunt man, the Mexicans on the scene were most apologetic and offered to quickly get another stunt man so the scene could be re-shot. But the ad agency and our advertising people were smart enough to know what they had, and they stuck with the scene that the bull had improvised.)   *********** Coach Wyatt, I am a true believer of DW football, from Wisconsin. I initially learned the DW while at Mondovi High School but attended one of your camps at Chippewa Falls High School. Since I have gotten into coaching and continued to learn great things about DW football. Currently finishing up my teaching degree. I was wondering if you know of any coaches in Texas or Colorado who run the DW? I am thinking about trying to get a job in another part of the country and was wondering if you could help make some DW connections? I will be graduating in May of 2007 with a math education degree (6-12) and a coaching minor from UW-Eau Claire. If you could get back to me with any assistance, I would truly appreciate it. Thanks for your time. Bryant Brenner, Eau Claire, Wisconsin (I respect a young man who will take the initiative like this, and I have offered to post his note and his e-mail address. Interested coaches can contact Bryant at BRENNERB@uwec.edu)   *********** A coaching friend from another part of the country wrote to tell me about a former player who has been charged with first-degree murder in the apparently random shooting of a 15-year-old girl. The girl, a runaway from a foster home, was one of two people shot when the kid, himself only 15 at the time, sprayed a group of them with a 9 mm assault rifle.   The coach wrote,   This was my first EVER C-back. (He) was probably one of the top 7 kids I have ever coached and had potential out the a$$.  He was just as good in basketball too. This bothers me when I used to have talks with this kid after practices and games when I coached him.  and he was never a behavior problem then.  He became a troubled teen after me and I would still go talk to him, with his parents present for if no other reason to let him know that he mattered.   I don't feel like I failed this kid because he chose his own path but in situations where any kid that you have contact with and you see them slipping what more can a coach do, especially when in this situation he came from a two parent home (step-dad & mom) and both cared about his future, because he has two younger brothers.   Another talented kid that made the wrong choices in life. I wrote him:   That is very sad. But there is no way you failed that kid. It is normal in situations like that for us to feel as if we somehow failed, partly because as coaches we are very competitive people, and we want to win them all - and we have trouble dealing with the fact that we simply can't.   It is hard to say that his parents failed him, either. I just finished reading a great article about the powerful pull of the street, and how even "decent" kids from "decent" families are virtually powerless to resist the undertow.   You are right in saying that he chose his own path.   It is very shocking and sad, but it might comfort you to know that in moments of decency, when he reflects on what is right and what is wrong, yours may be the strongest voice he hears.   Press on, and fight the good fight.   *********** Then there is the Duke lacrosse scandal...   Whew. Talk about "making the wrong choices in life..."   I do not pretend to know what took place between (white) Duke lacrosse players and two (black) strippers they invited to their drunken party and I won't venture to guess, but the issue is volatile, to say the least.   Duke, an enclave of mostly-white, mostly well-to-do, mostly northern kids, and Durham, North Carolina, a heavily-minority southern city with its share of poverty and crime, perform a delicate balancing act, and for the most part, having spent a fair amount of time in and around Duke and Durham, I would have to say that they manage to bring it off rather well. I don't sense there the town-gown animosities that I recall from my days at Yale, an elite Ivy League school in the heart of working-class New Haven.   But now comes the potential ugliness of a black-on-white crime, committed by lacrosse players, who tend to be white and sons of the upper-middle class, against local black women, one of them a college student augmenting her income by "stripping."   To the university's credit, they have shut down the program until more facts are learned.   Meanwhile, the members of the lacrosse team are angering local law enforcement authorities by not saying anything.   Of course, maybe that's because no one actually has anything to say, because no one knows anything.   But on the other hand, maybe someone does, and he simply isn't talking. (Isn't it the height of irony that the "DON'T SNITCH" mantra that plagues law enforcement in our inner cities might be used to protect a rich white boy or two?)   My wish is that the facts become known, and as soon as possible. If it turns out that there is strong reason to believe there was a sexual assault by any of the players on either or both of the women, simple justice requires that the case be prosecuted every bit as diligently as if it were a group of black college basketball players accused of assaulting white college girls.   But if it appears that no assault took place, that there is no basis to bring charges against anyone, then I hope that at the least Duke will take steps to minimize the likelihood of any such potentially ugly incidents from taking place in the future. That would include not allowing students to rent off-campus party houses, and coaches making such places off-limits to their athletes.   Come to think of it... with 47 or so players attending this party, is it at all possible that the coaches didn't know?   In the meantime, if you're into celebrity sightings, I would hang around Raleigh-Durham International Airport and keep an eye out for Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton.   *********** Those who teach in public schools understand a little something about the tenure system - once a teacher has tenure, it is very difficult for his employer to fire him.   Before a public school teacher gets tenure, though, there is usually a probationary period of a year or two, sometimes three, during which he (or she) is supposedly carefully observed and evaluated, and during this time he or she can be let go with no reason given. It is a time, needless to say, for the probationary teacher to walk on eggs - to be very careful about what he says or does, for fear of offending the wrong person.   There is a good reason for employers to have this probationary period. "Probationary" comes from the same stem as "prove" - it it a time for the new employee to prove himself. Used correctly, it can weed out people who have no business teaching your kids. (The reality is that few school administrators have the stones to do the weeding, and as a result, many incompetents manage to survive probation and get tenure.)   Tenure is good for the individual teacher of course (I can't deny that while I had it, it was a nice feeling to know that a new principal couldn't just come in and clean house, the way I'd seen it done in business), but giving any employee lifetime security has its drawbacks.   Tenure is why, for example, a person such as Ward Churchill, a professor at the University of Colorado, is able to pin the blame for 9-11 on the "capitalists", the innocent victims who worked in the Twin Towers, and still keep his job. Tenure is why countless left-wing professors of one subject or another feel free to go off-topic in their classrooms and rant and rave in front of their impressionable students about Evil America.   This is all leading up to my wonderment at the shots of the riots taking place in the streets of France, as students "protest," and labor unions support them by going out on strike.   What the students are protesting is a government proposal to require anyone under the age of 26 to spend a two-year probationary period at his (or her) first job.   They are protesting because under present French law, once a person is hired - by a school, a government agency, or even a private employer - just about the only way that person can be terminated is if the company goes bankrupt!   A major reason for the government's proposing such a change is that the French economy is dead on its ass, with unemployment in the double digits, partly because French companies are reluctant to hire new employees, knowing that they will be forced to keep them on the payroll for life, even during business downturns.   So here we have a protest, not by poor people demanding bread, but by the pampered children of the well-to-do, faced with having to give up a little bit of the soft life of a socialist state. If reality doesn't come easy to them, it's probably because their tenured professors never bothered to teach them that most basic of economics principles: there is no free lunch.   *********** Hugh, I'm going to be the offensive coordinator next year at a division 1 school in San Diego called Rancho Buena Vista, they play in the 3rd toughest league in the state which includes Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista. This will be my 2nd stint at a large school after coaching in LA for 4 seasons. This school has been 3-7 the past 2 seasons and have struggled offensively. Yes, I'm going to be running the no-huddle double wing. Should be interesting. No body in the league runs DW, mostly spread of course and no body runs no-huddle!! It's another DW challenge, can't wait. The coaching is also excellent. Oceanside head coach is a former Mater Dei coach and El Camino had for years the winningest coach in California state history coaching them. Every team and coach is pretty darn good. Should be a great challenge for me and the double wing. Also, what's nice is my brother is going to be the Defensive Coordinator. I'll keep you posted as always!! Craig Cieslik, Desert Hot Springs, California PS I don't know what I would ever do if I went into a school that was actually winning!! Ha Ha!!   *********** Coach, I meant to post on this subject a few weeks ago when it was discussed. My team was the subject of this at a recent league meeting. We were accused of doing this, which of course we were not, by a certain team whose team lost to us ( isn't that always the case). I actually took a couple of other coaches and showed what a cut block versus a chop block was. I didn't seem to matter to the coach of this particular team but the other coaches seemed to understand. One mother said her son was injured by a chop block and as much as I tried to explain the difference she didn't get it. It almost got to the point where I had to explain how to defend against it....but not quite. Anyhow, they admitted when they complained to the officials they were told what we were doing was not illegal. The other coaches agreed. The upshot was this coach's complaint was not taken seriously. I think the lesson was having the knowledge to explain the difference which I believe you did very well. Mike Studer, Kittitas Grid Kids, Kittitas, Washington (Coach, it is an ongoing battle against the forces of ignorance, and all we can hope for is a standoff. PS- I never use the word "cut" block and I advise others not to use it, either. A mother whose son is injured hears only "cut" block and doesn't care whether it's legal or not. Other mothers hear it and decide they don't want their little boys playing such a brutal game. HW)   *********** Army can still draw a crowd. In my office we tend to watch movies at lunch, and the other day I fired up the Army Belly Series DVD you gave me. Another guy was watching "Bruce Almighty." About seven or eight minutes later I realized that no one was watching "Bruce." Everyone was gathered around my desk.   Sixty years later Army still draws a helluva crowd. Very Respectfully, Derek Wade, Petaluma, California   *********** Ray Meyer (interview with Lew Freedman, Chicago Tribune, several months before he died: "Players are a lot different today. They are recruited so heavily today that when they come to you, you've got to break some of their habits. They say, 'How come when you recruited me I was so good and now I'm not so good?'   "They have to be corrected all the time. They're not listeners like they were before. It's only at the good programs that they get the high-class kids where they know what they're doing.   "Basically, they're all good kids, but they get spoiled in high school. A real star in high school, now he's no longer the star. He's one of five players. He's got to get oriented to where he's not going to get the ball all the time. They have to learn a lot of things, and a lot of that is mental. Mental and emotional.   "The players today are much better, though."   *********** If the one of the criteria of the Black Lion Award is "taking one for the team," Alfonso Soriano sounds like a lock for the Pink Lion Award. Soriano, a baseball player - which should say it all - refused to take the field for the Washington Nationals because he refused to play the outfield. Get this - the guy is being paid TEN MILLION DOLLARS this year. For that kind of money, he should be happy to play the outfield and shine the manager's shoes. Every day.   *********** The Twin Cities sports journalists were all over Brad Childress at first for not hanging around to answer their questions about the Daunte Culpepper trade.   But after a few days, Childress, new Vikings' coach, was more than willing to talk. He said that he got bad vibes from Culpepper, who reportedly refused to get together with the new coaching staff to go over the offense.   "It just became a deal where I didn't feel like it was the team," Childress said, "I felt like it was 'me.'"   Childress has had some experience with that kind of attitude. "I went through a big 'me' situation last year with a guy who was all about 'me," he said.   Hmmm. Childress was the Eagles' offensive coordinator last year. Who do you suppose he was talking about?   *********** For you media ignoramuses who whine about the need for a playoff in football, so we can finally determine a true national champion, "the way all the other sports except Division I-A football do", may I direct your attention to the Final Four? I have said it before and I'll say it again - a playoff does NOT determine who the best team (and therefore the National Champion) is. Disagree? Okay - take a look at this year's Final Four. Good teams, all of them. Wonderful, heartwarming stories, too. And they've all played well enough in the last couple of weeks to earn a spot in the Final Four. But regardless of the winner, can any rational person convincingly argue that this tournament will give us, as the media types tell us a football playoff will, a "true National Champion?" - one truly better than UConn, or Duke, or North Carolina, or Villanova, or one of the super teams that proved their excellence all season long but then tripped up - lost one game - in the tournament? Get serious. The winner of the NCAA basketball tournament is not the National Champion. It is simply the winner of a 64-team tournament, no more and no less.   Imagine that a football playoff had been held this past season, and then, while you're still imagining, picture a scenario in which Texas and USC had somehow both been knocked out before the final game. Could anyone then argue intelligently that the ultimate playoff winner, whoever it was, was the "true National Champion?"   The scary thing is the apparent need to adapt everything to the pro model - the more that people buy into the idea that a playoff or a tournament actually determines a "True Champion," the more important the post-season becomes, and the less significant the regular season becomes.   Sounds just like the NBA, doesn't it?   *********** Today marks the 75th anniversary of the death of Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne at the age of 43 in a Kansas plane crash. Rockne, perhaps the best-known coach of all time, was America's first football coach-celebrity. I have in my possession seven different biographies of The Rock, and undoubtedly there are more out there.   *********** A burglar breaks into a house and as he starts to feel his way around in the dark, he hears the words, "Jesus is watching you!"   He thinks nothing of it and continues to feel his way around, when he hears the words again.   After he hears it a third time, he turns on a light and sees a parrot in a cage.   "Who the hell are you?" he asks the bird.   "Moses" the bird replies.   "Moses?" the guy asks. "Who the hell would name a bird Moses?"   Answers the bird, "The kind of people who name their rotweiler Jesus."   2006 DOUBLE-WING CLINIC SCHEDULE - AS OF 3-20-06 (2006 CLINICS) CLINICS START AT 9 AM SHARP AND GO UNTIL 4 PM WITH A 1-HOUR BREAK FOR LUNCH CLINIC LOCATION FEB 25 ATLANTA HOLIDAY INN AIRPORT NORTH - 1380 Virginia Ave - 404-762-8411 MARCH 11 LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY INN-MEDIA CENTER -150 E. Angeleno, Burbank - 818-841-4770 MARCH 18 CHICAGO ST. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - 3700 West 103rd St., Chicago APRIL 8 RALEIGH-DURHAM MILLENNIUM HOTEL - 2800 Campus Walk Ave - Durham - 919-383-8575 APRIL 15 PHILADELPHIA HOLIDAY INN, 432 Pennsylvania Ave, Fort Washington, PA. - 215-643-3000 APRIL 29 PROVIDENCE COMFORT INN AIRPORT - 1940 POST RD, WARWICK RI - 401-732-0470 MAY 6 DENVER WESTMINSTER HS - Westminster, CO (Further details to come) MAY 13 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS - LATHROP, CA. NEXT CLINIC - RALEIGH-DURHAM - SAT APRIL 8 - MILLENNIUM HOTEL -2800 CAMPUS WALK, DURHAM -     Attendees will receive a complimentary DVD breaking down, play-by-play, the Full-House Belly-T offense of the powerful 1953-1954 Army teams, coached by Earl "Red" Blaik, with Vince Lombardi as his offensive assistant. On the video you will see action clips of Army greats, including the immortal Don Holleder, whose memory is honored by the Black Lion Award. This DVD is not for sale. It is provided by the Board of the Black Lion Award in the interests of furthering football and the Black Lion Award itself.       Osama shows that he will stop at nothing in his plot to weaken America... BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Army's Will Sullivan wore his Black Lion patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners

Seen at the Chicago Clinic! (See"NEWS") Chicago Says Good-bye to "Coach" (See"NEWS") My Offensive System My Materials for Sale My Clinics Me     March 21, 2006 - "We were raised to love your God, respect your elders, and fear no son of a bitch that walks. That's why we won World War II." Frank "Bucko" Kilroy, Eagles' all-time great defensive lineman   NOTE: I WILL BE ON "SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT" AND UNABLE TO GUARANTEE AN UPDATE TO THIS PAGE UNTIL FRIDAY, MARCH 31. It will also be very difficult for me to keep up with e-mail during that time.   SEEN AT THIS PAST WEEKEND'S CHICAGO CLINIC... The Chicago clinic featured a morning session in the board room at St. Xavier University, followed by lunch and an outdoor, hands-on session in the afternoon with a demo team of middle-schoolers running all sorts of plays from all sorts of formations. On hand for the afternoon session were 12 players from the 7th-8th grade team from nearby Queen of Martyrs parish, and two players from Kalamazoo Christian Middle School in Michigan, who came along with their coaches. Such is the nature of our system that in no time at all the Michigan kids were getting reps with the Chicago team and fitting right in. The clinic concluded with the presentation of the Black Lion Award to one of the Holy Martyrs' players. REAL BLACK LION ON HAND TO PRESENT AWARD Queen of Martyrs' Black Lion, Patrick Golden, Jr., was recognized at the clinic, with head coach Bill Murphy and Vietnam vet Ed Enright, a member of the Black Lions, on hand to make the presentation. From left to right, Dad Patrick, Sr., holding little brother Joey, head coach Bill Murphy, Patrick, Ed Enright, and Mom Colleen Golden. Upper Left- a real Black Lion and an Honorary one - Ed Enright shows me his Vietnam-era fatigues, proudly displaying the Black Lion patch   Upper Right- Black Lion Patrick Golden, flanked by coach Bill Murphy (an Army vet who's now a Chicago police officer), and Ed Enright, a Black Lion and retired Chicago Deputy Fire Chief   Below Left- Roger Doorn and T.J. Murphy of Britton-Deerfield High School football in Michigan, first program to adopt the Black Lion as its nickname and logo! Host coach Bill Murphy, and Coach Wyatt The Brain Trust of the Holy Martyrs team gathered afterward at Gilhooley's, a great Chicago Irish pub. From Left: Dave Hindman, Ed Carone, Mike Walsh and Bill Murphy *********** It had been almost five years since I spent a hot summer evening working with Bill Murphy and his kids from Queen of Martyrs parish in Southwest Chicago, but we've stayed in touch over the years, and when Bill offered to handle arrangements for this year's clinic, I agreed, knowing that he'd do a good job. That he did, arranging to hold it in the spacious and luxurious board room of St. Xavier University.   Lessee - there was Herb Persons, from Kalamazoo Christian, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I hadn't seen Herb in maybe five years, since KC changed coaches and gave up on the Double-Wing. Too bad for Herb, because his middle school kids had been very tough. But there's been another change of coaches and guess what? Herb can run the Double-Wing again.   There was my old friend Jon McLaughlin, with whom I worked very closely when he was coaching at Rich Central High in the south suburbs. Jon has been at Crystal Lake Central for the past two years, where he tried with mixed success to run a spread offense. Now, he is ready to return to the Double-Wing he knows so well, and this time he is reinforced by the addition of assistant Bill Lawlor, who as a youth practitioner of the Double-Wing won two Bill George League state championships. Between Jon and Bill, it is going to be tough for defenses to show them anything they haven't seen.   There was Roger Doorn, whom I met years ago at a clinic in Kalamazoo, where he was offensive coordinator. Now he's head coach at Britain-Deerfield, a combine of two high schools in southeastern Michigan. He informed me that since his team has no mascot, no nickname, no logo, it's been decided to adopt the name "Black Lions." I told him how excited I thought this would make a group of veterans I've come to know quite well. There's one team I'll be pulling for next season for sure!   And there was Ed Enright, called on as a Black Lion from 1964-1967 to present the Black Lion Award to Patrick Golden, Jr., this year's winner at Queen of Martyrs. Ed joked about not being able to fit into any of his uniform "except for my sox," but got serious in talking about what a uniform meant - what it meant to him to wear the "Big Red One" (of the First Infantry) on his sleeve, and what it meant to him to wear the Black Lions regimental patch on his breast.   He talked about the value of teamwork, which to him meant you can trust your teammates - "you know your flanks will be covered!"   And he talked about his experiences as a youth coach, when he used to give out torpedo stickers - "when you hit a guy and explode" - and how, 25 years later, when he sees his former players they still talk about the torpedoes.   And then, a couple of hours later, after Ed and I had had a few Black and Tans and enjoyed some great conversation, he got up to leave and some of the guys I was with (at an Irish pub called Gilhooley's) called him "Chief." That's when I found out, after he'd left, that Ed was a retired Chicago deputy fire chief, highly respected by the men who worked for him. Clearly, Ed Enright could have told us all a few more things about teamwork.   *********** All you probably read about was the bomb scare, but there was a lot more to it when they emptied out Cox Arena in San Diego last week, after a bomb dog smelled something funny.   After the all-clear was given, the Illinois-Air Force game finally got under way, 75 minutes late.   But so important was it to CBS to try to get back on schedule, and so important was it to the toadies at the NCAA to cater to CBS, that they didn't bother waiting for the paying customers. Player introductions took place a minute or so after the doors opened, and at the opening tip there were maybe 400 people in the stands, according to Tim Cronin, of Chicago's Daily Southtown.   Cronin estimated that with nine minutes left in the first half the stands were no more than half-full, with spectators still filing in.   Said Illinois AD Ron Gunther, "I can't believe we let television get away with this."   Couldn't agree more, but I don't see colleges turning down the money. TV money and the colleges' insatiable desire for money to run non-revenue sports have given us 10 AM kickoffs and Friday night college football, as well as NCAA tournament games in front of empty houses. It is the real March Madness.   *********** Coach Persons and I, Coach Mike Harper, just wanted to say what a great clinic that you gave in Chicago this past Saturday, March 18, 2006. You do a great job of covering all the little details as well as the major ones. I thought it was an absolute joy watching coach those young men like it was your own team. I look forward to attending many more of your double wing clinics. Thank you, Coach Mike Harper, Kalamazoo, Michigan   *********** Hi Coach, I wanted to thank you for a very informative day in Chicago. It was honored to let my son Austin Shaver to be coached by you even if it was only for 1 hour. I know this will boost his abilities at the QB position. And he will remember this for the rest of his life. I can only hope he can pass on to his team mates what he has experienced today. Thanks again for all your great pointers. Tim Shaver, Kalamazoo Christian Middle School, Kalamazoo, Michigan   *********** Coach Wyatt, It was a pleasure to meet you Saturday at St. Xavier University. Thanks to this weekend my coaching staff now feels how I have felt for several months that the Double Wing if for us.   Great job. Regards, Michael J. Riordan, Our Lady of Peace, Darien, Illinois   *********** Coach were you on the Yale Campus for the 1956-57 Basketball season ? or was this before your time ? Checking the NCAA Tourney records, I noticed Yale went to the Tourney in 1957, There is a Guy From my Hometown  that was a Captain of Yale hoops, and My Father Claims was on of the Best players ever to come out of the  Not just the City of Lynn ,but the North Shore and Essex County his name is Eddie Robinson ,  Does this Yale Hoops player Ring a bell ? and Do you Know If he was on this team that won the Ivy Title and went to the NCAA's? Well se ya next week coach - John Muckian,   Lynn, Massachusetts   Eddie Robinson was a senior when I was a freshman, and that team was damn good. Had a guy named Johnny Lee, from Brooklyn, who was one of the top scorers in the East. Bruce Weber, publisher or Scholastic Coach magazine, went to the same high school (Erasmus Hall) as Johnny Lee and said he could have gone anywhere to play. He went to Yale, had a great basketball career, and then went on to make millions on Wall Street.   Eddie Robinson was in one of my classes freshman year, and I'll never forget the respect that the professor showed him, going out of his way to say "Hi, Eddie!" to him every day when he didn't even know who the rest of us were. This was before basketball season, and I didn't know who the guy was, but just from the way he handled himself, it was pretty obvious he was something special. He was tall and good-looking, with shoulders about four feet wide, and he had an air about him when he walked. He was the only black guy in the class - one of the very few in the entire student body at the time - and he had this aura of class about him that I, in my limited experience, had seen in very few people up to that time.   Yale won the Ivy title and made it to the NCAA tournament. Biggest wins of the season were probably 66-64 over UConn and 91-82 over Holy Cross, which back then was pretty tough. It was Holy Cross' first home defeat in 20 games. And Eddie Robinson, my research has revealed, was captain both his junior and senior years! (Team captaincy is a very big honor at Yale, and an underclassman at captain was practically unheard-of.) He is in the middle of the photo at left. (Duh.)   That was an amazing time for Yale athletics: in addition to the basketball team's NCAA appearance, the football team went 8-1, and won the first Ivy League championship; the soccer team also won the Ivy title; the swimming team ran its consecutive dual meet wins to 156 and won the Eastern championships; the hockey team finished second in the "pentagonals" (whatever the hell that was); the baseball team won the Eastern championships; and the 8-man crew was fresh off winning the gold medal in the 1956 Olympics. Oh - I almost forgot - the polo team won the national championship.   (John Muckian added) Eddie Robinson I think still has the Essex County/ North Shore scoring record - he Hung I think it was 68 points on Beverly , in either '53 or '52, His nickname was the Lynn Classical "Kangaroo" I think he was in the inaugural Lynn Classical Athletic Hall of Fame with Harry Agganis and Boley Dancewicz (Notre Dame) and that crew. He also was the State High Jump Champ. My father got to be friendly with the Legendary Salem High Coach Glenn O'Brien who Coached Basketball for 30 + years as well as being the head Football Coach and Head baseball Coach at Salem High. His Famous Quote was , " In His 40 + years of Coaching Basketball he only saw 3 kids that could get a rebound while sittin' on their Asses and they all Came from Lynn " - Eddie Robinson ( Classical ) Jimmy Hegan ( English HS & Cleveland Indians Fame ) and Lou Tsioropoulos ( Lynn Classical HS-Lynn English HS, Kentucky + Celtics )   I said that he had this aura of class about him, and I guess I can pick 'em - according to our 2005 Alumni Directory, Dr. Edward Robinson, Class of '57, is a retired MD, living now in Marblehead, Massachusetts.   *********** If Ray Meyer had to go, and I suppose when you're 92 it's got to happen sometime, I'm glad it happened while I was in Chicago, the town he called home and the town that loved him. I'm glad, because I got to see the outpouring of love the city had for a man who was purely Chicago in everything he said and did.   Ray Meyer coached at DePaul from 1941 until 1984. There was a time, before there was such a thing as the Chicago Bulls, when DePaul was Chicago basketball.   As the college coach of the great George Mikan, first big man to dominate the game,to a degree he can be said to have been the man who ushered in basketball's modern era. Mikan would go on to pro basketball immortality as star of the Minneapolis Lakers, the first great post-war dynasty.   He was a pioneer in other ways, too. In 1946 he cleared some land he owned in northern Wisconsin, and opened a basketball camp there, the first of its kind so far as anyone knows. It operated for the next 55 years.   From 1950 through 1960 he coached the college all-stars in their summer tours against the Harlem Globetrotters. I remember those tours. Those were great games. No college star passed up a chance to play on the team, and in those days, before the NBA had fully integrated, the Globetrotters were deadly serious and very good. "They weren't putting on a show," remembered Coach Meyer.   In 1980, DePaul was ranked Number One in the post-season poll, and Coach Meyer was named National Coach of the Year.   At a banquet in 2002, MIke Ditka, himself pretty well thought of in Chicago, "There's only one man in Chicago you're referring to when you say, 'Coach,' and that's Ray Meyer."   Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, a Chicago kid and son of a Chicago policeman, remembers being told as a young coach, "you'll have to decide if you want to be loved or respected, because you can't have both."   Krzyzewski remembers replying, "You're wrong. Ray Meyer is a great coach, and he's both loved and respected!"   *********** Never forget these words of wisdom from "The Coach": "I learned from the beginning it's easier to coach an intelligent ballplayer than a dumb one. The intelligent ballplayer, you tell him and he knows what you're talking about. The dumb one, you've got to go over and over and over it."   *********** Hi Coach, I haven't written you in a while, but I want to let you know that our atom team [9-12 year olds] won the championship this year going 10-0. We had been in the final the past two years, but this year they could not stop the DW. We were very successful running the criss-cross 47C for 3 tds and we went on to win convincingly 46-14.   Mike Rossetti, Chaminade College School, Toronto, Ontario, CANADA   *********** Anybody who has ever been fired by a team he was too good to be coaching in the first place will understand the relief Joey Harrington must feel, now that he is freed from the oppressive atmosphere of the Detroit Lions, the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL. (Yes, I'm including Arizona.)   *********** Wrote my son from Australia, taking dead aim at certain other members of our family pool who have Big Ten connections... "I would like to point out that there is only one state in the Union that has two basketball teams in the Sweet Sixteen. Here's a hint for all you Big Ten fans - the capital is Olympia."   2006 DOUBLE-WING CLINIC SCHEDULE - AS OF 3-20-06 (2006 CLINICS) CLINICS START AT 9 AM SHARP AND GO UNTIL 4 PM WITH A 1-HOUR BREAK FOR LUNCH CLINIC LOCATION FEB 25 ATLANTA HOLIDAY INN AIRPORT NORTH - 1380 Virginia Ave - 404-762-8411 MARCH 11 LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY INN-MEDIA CENTER -150 E. Angeleno, Burbank - 818-841-4770 MARCH 18 CHICAGO ST. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - 3700 West 103rd St., Chicago APRIL 8 RALEIGH-DURHAM MILLENNIUM HOTEL - 2800 Campus Walk Ave - Durham - 919-383-8575 APRIL 15 PHILADELPHIA HOLIDAY INN, 432 Washington Ave, Fort Washington, PA. - 215-643-3000 APRIL 29 PROVIDENCE COMFORT INN AIRPORT - 1940 POST RD, WARWICK RI - 401-732-0470 MAY 6 DENVER WESTMINSTER HS - Westminster, CO (Further details to come) MAY 13 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS - LATHROP, CA. NEXT CLINIC - RALEIGH-DURHAM - SAT APRIL 8 - MILLENNIUM HOTEL -2800 CAMPUS WALK, DURHAM -     Attendees will receive a complimentary DVD breaking down, play-by-play, the Full-House Belly-T offense of the powerful 1953-1954 Army teams, coached by Earl "Red" Blaik, with Vince Lombardi as his offensive assistant. On the video you will see action clips of Army greats, including the immortal Don Holleder, whose memory is honored by the Black Lion Award. This DVD is not for sale. It is provided by the Board of the Black Lion Award in the interests of furthering football and the Black Lion Award itself.       Osama shows that he will stop at nothing in his plot to weaken America... BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Army's Will Sullivan wore his Black Lion patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners

Seen at the LA Clinic! (See"NEWS") Yale Gives its Taliban a "Discount!" (See"NEWS") My Offensive System My Materials for Sale My Clinics Me     March 17, 2006 - Happy St. Patrick's Day! The great Gaels of Ireland Are the men that God made mad, For all their wars are merry, And all their songs are sad.   G. K. Chesterton   I am off to Chicago for St. Patrick's Day weekend!     SEEN AT LAST WEEKEND'S LA CLINIC Panelists(From Left) Craig Cieslik, Desert Hot Springs, CA; John Torres, Castaic, CA; Derek Wade, Petaluma, CA; Rich Scott, Lathrop, CA *********** For the second straight year, the LA clinic was held in Burbank, but it drew coaches from all parts of the state.   We covered the agenda, and then at the end I asked Coach Craig Cieslik, who did a remarkable turnaround at Desert Hot Springs High, to talk a bit about a topic he is passionate about - running the Double-Wing with a twist of his own.   In the five years prior to his taking over, Desert Hot Springs was 7-43 - running a spread offense. In 2005, his first year there after moving from an inner-city LA school, Desert Hot Springs went 8-2.   Now here's the amazing thing - he had only 18 players, and he went no-huddle!   Defying conventional wisdom, which advises slowing down when your numbers are low, his theory was to speed things up.   First of all, he reasoned, coming into a school that has had little success, "kids just think too low of themselves," so by keeping them moving, "You don't give them time to think." In practice and in games, their entire focus was on the next play and getting if off.   Also, it tied in with his plan to convince his kids that their team was special, "and they bought into it."   Next, he figured that if he really conditioned his kids, he would wear down opponents, especially their defensive linemen, because he didn't give opponents a chance to sub. "If they have time to sub," he said, "we're doing something wrong."   Finally, because defenses have no time to adjust between plays, "I'm going to dictate to them!"   Did it work? I mentioned that he went 8-2. Along the way, they put up scores of 89, 56, 64, 65, 49 and 35 points. The 89 came about, he said, when he offered to go to a running clock and the opposing coach declined. And they went from 15 touchdowns scored in all of 2004 to 63 touchdowns in 2005!   We concluded with a panel composed of Coach Cieslik, John Torres, who has built championship teams from scratch in both Northern and Southern California; Derek Wade, whose JV team at Tomales, California HS won its league title this past season; and Rich Scott of Lathrop, California who has coached championship youth teams and league all-star teams in Lathrop, California.   Asked about his philosophy of practice, Coach Torres says they block and tackle every day. He plans his practices on Excel, and doesn't mind sharing the plan with his kid. He is very big on keeping them moving ("so they don't get bored"), and he believes in having some fun activity at the end, such as a tug of war or an egg toss. On Friday, they hold a walk-through in which they cover everything, including the prayer and the way they walk onto the field pre-game.   All of the panelists agreed with Coach Scott when he talked about his program's emphasis on letting the kids know that you care about them and love them - that "it's okay to love another guy." He tells the kids, "this is a home." They break at the end of all practices with "US AND WE!"   He said they had so many kids that they took some of the less gifted ones and made an offensive unit out of them - and then made sure they got game action. To stay in the game, they had to make a first down, and as long as they kept moving first downs, they stayed in. In one game, those kids, dubbed the "Red Unit," drove 80 yards for a score, and, said Coach Scott, "You'd have thought they won the Super Bowl!"   *********** It seems to me that CBS simply doesn't know how to handle the first round of the NCAA playoffs, with all those games and only one channel to try to show them. I don't know what it is exactly, but I was at home all day Thursday and I didn't feel as if I saw as much basketball as I used to see back when I was teaching school and I'd tell my kids that if they behaved, I'd let them watch some of the action.   *********** I read the questioning of the "Chop Block".  We have had opposing coaches accuse us of this, and heard the officials defend our blockers by telling them, that it all depends on the initial contact, if the blocker make contact above at the hip and slide into an all fours crawl (Bear Crawl) it is legal. If he makes initial contact below the hip it is dangerous and legal.    In other words, before he can throw the flag he should see the initial contact.   Are we fair and legal, using this "sliding into a bear craw technique"?    The answer is, "It depends."   It is VERY important that coaches and officials understand this rule - it is not a matter of where initial contact is made on the opponent that makes a block legal or illegal. It is a matter of where ON THE FIELD the contact takes place.   Yes, your linemen can roll into opponents' ANKLES if they and the opponents are IN THE FREE BLOCKING ZONE (4 yards to right and left of the ball, 3 yards in front or and behind the ball) and they were BOTH ON THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE AT THE SNAP.   Contact ANYPLACE on the opponent's body is legal in the free blocking zone - provided both players started out in the free blocking zone and on the line of scrimmage.   What makes it an illegal CHOP block is not when your guy blocks low, but when he blocks low on a guy who is already being blocked.   ALSO - a little-known part of the rules - the free blocking zone ceases to exist when the ball leaves it - in other words, if you toss the ball to a guy deeper than 3 yards, from the the instant it leaves the zone, no one else can block low!   *********** I am wanting my players to come off the ball low  with minimal default training from day one! would you approve of children being in the 4 point stance in your system?   No. (Our linemen need to go right, left and backward as well as forward. Wishbone and veer linemen don't, so they can - and often do - employ 4-point stances.)   *********** Greg Koenig is the new head football coach at Beloit, Kansas.   Coach Koenig's started as an assistant at Las Animas High School in Las Animas, Colorado, in 1990 and he became the head coach there in 1997.   A Double-Winger since 1999, he won a league title in 2001 and earned back-to-back state playoff appearances in 2000 and 2001, leading the state in rushing and total offense.   In 2004, Coach Koenig made a move to Colby, Kansas which on the surface looked like a chance to turn around a program with little tradition of success. Unfortunately, he discovered as many of us do that there are often deep-seated reasons why places haven't been successful.   Beloit, on the other hand, is almost the complete opposite of Colby. Beloit has had successful teams at the varsity, junior varsity and middle school level. Greg has told me from the very start how excited he was even to be in the running for the Beloit job, and I can't describe how happy I was when he called to tell me he'd been offered the job.   Beloit is getting a good man and a fine coach.   This should tell you all you need to know about Beloit - the only people involved in interviewing for the football coach were the Superintendent, the Principal and the Athletic Director!   Greg and his wife Rhonda have three children, Jeremy who is finishing his second year at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, Jada, who will graduate from Colby High School this spring, and Zach, who will be a junior at Beloit next fall.   2006 DOUBLE-WING CLINIC SCHEDULE - AS OF 3-19-06 (2006 CLINICS) CLINICS START AT 9 AM SHARP AND GO UNTIL 4 PM WITH A 1-HOUR BREAK FOR LUNCH CLINIC LOCATION FEB 25 ATLANTA HOLIDAY INN AIRPORT NORTH - 1380 Virginia Ave - 404-762-8411 MARCH 11 LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY INN-MEDIA CENTER -150 E. Angeleno, Burbank - 818-841-4770 MARCH 18 CHICAGO ST. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - 3700 West 103rd St., Chicago APRIL 8 RALEIGH-DURHAM MILLENNIUM HOTEL - 2800 Campus Walk Ave - Durham - 919-383-8575 APRIL 15 PHILADELPHIA HOLIDAY INN, 432 Washington Ave, Fort Washington, PA. - 215-643-3000 APRIL 29 PROVIDENCE COMFORT INN AIRPORT - 1940 POST RD, WARWICK RI - 401-732-0470 MAY 6 DENVER WESTMINSTER HS - Westminster, CO (Further details to come) MAY 13 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS - LATHROP, CA. NEXT CLINIC - RALEIGH-DURHAM - SAT, APRIL 8 - MILLENNIUM HOTEL, 2800 CAMPUS WALK AVE - DURHAM - DIRECTIONS WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY   Attendees will receive a complimentary DVD breaking down, play-by-play, the Full-House Belly-T offense of the powerful 1953-1954 Army teams, coached by Earl "Red" Blaik, with Vince Lombardi as his offensive assistant. On the video you will see action clips of Army greats, including the immortal Don Holleder, whose memory is honored by the Black Lion Award. This DVD is not for sale. It is provided by the Board of the Black Lion Award in the interests of furthering football and the Black Lion Award itself.   *********** Watched most of your 2005 DVD clinic. Lots of fun. I really was impressed, as were the coaches at the clinic, with the Criss-Cross Counter pitch to the QB. However, the play I will install -and am convinced will be HUGE for us next season- is the Wedge at 4, with the outside option. My goodness, how will those poor kids on the defense NOT suck in after you overload the line, run wedge a few times, and then pitch it outside. HMmmmm, now we need a nice counter out of the formation. Perhaps after the pitch-option, the next play could be a trap or counter left.   Anyhow, when you mentioned the book We Own This Game, I started laughing. I read that 18 months ago, prior to becoming a head coach. That book creeped me out. It is the only time I ever read an entire book while still sitting in the bookstore. I felt guilty, so I still paid for it. It almost convinced me NOT to coach. The mentality shown by the coaches was interesting, to say the least. And the championship game where the cop had to run his squad car onto the field . . .   Anyhow, I'm enjoying the videos and will watch the third segment tonight. Hope your Burbank clinic went well. Sorry I couldn't make it.   Adam W. Watters, Tucson, Arizona - "I am short a cheekbone and an ear, but am able to whip all Hell yet." Gen. Corse to his commanding Gen. Sherman, Alltoona, GA. 1864.   *********** Sooner or later, if you run the Double Wing, you will have to deal with the issue of motion - how much is too much? A problem you will have trouble overcoming, at least at first, is your QB's tendency to leave a man in motion too long. That is something I have had to deal with no matter where I have gone or whose kids I was coaching. Every QB has that tendency. That is one reason why I start out teaching with no motion at all and gradually add motion as necessary. It's a little like adding Tabasco - if you use too much, you can't take it back. Start out with a little and adjust until you have just the right amount, and then don't add another drop. But, with motion as with Tabasco, if you start out adding too much, you are in for trouble, because by the time the ball is snapped, your runner will be far past where you wanted him to be. In initially teaching most plays, I advocate teaching it with no motion at all, then adding motion as the kids show they can handle it. Not to worry - you will do fine. As a last resort, if I had kids who just plain couldn't grasp the concept of motion, I might run plays from "Right" or "Left" formation, but first I would run the offense perfectly balanced, because of all the advantages that provides. (The McIlhenny Company, Avery Island, Louisiana, makers of Tabasco Sauce, paid me for product placement in this Tip. Right.)   *********** Not saying that Americans are f--ked up or anything, but in a poll conducted by Americanbaby.com, 49 per cent of those polled said they'd consider accepting money from a business in exchange for naming rights to their babies.   *********** Sent out to Yale alumni:   Clarification - You may have read recently that a former press spokesman for the Taliban was attending Yale. The individual was approved by the U.S. government for a visa to study in this country. Yale has allowed him to take courses for college credit in a part-time program that does not award Yale degrees. Contrary to what has been reported by some in the media, he has not been admitted to Yale as an undergraduate.   Whew. It just didn't seem right that while at the same time it continued to keep ROTC from sullying the campus, Yale would take an extra step in the direction of anti-Americanism and grant legitimacy to an enemy of the United States. Thank heaven they set it straight for me and others.   And then there is Yale's explanation to the general public::   Ramatullah Hashemi escaped the wreckage of Afghanistan and was approved by the U.S. government for a visa to study in this country. Yale has allowed Hashemi to take courses for college credit in a part-time program that does not award Yale degrees. Contrary to what has been reported by some in the media, he has not been admitted as an undergraduate to Yale College or to any of the other schools at Yale. We hope that his courses help him understand the broader context for the conflicts that led to the creation of the Taliban and to its fall. We acknowledge that some are criticizing Yale for allowing Hashemi to take courses here, but we hope that critics will also acknowledge that universities are places that must strive to increase understanding, especially of the most difficult issues that face the nation and the world."   "Escaped the wreckage of Afghanistan," eh?   "Increase understanding," eh? If that's their goal, then why don't they just add a few conservatives to their ultra-liberal faculty?   Here is an enemy of our way of life, and one with a fourth-grade education at that. But Yale admits him, afraid that they might lose him to Harvard or somesuch.   If you've seen the price of an Ivy League education, perhaps you've wondered, like me, how this guy is going to pay.   Here's the best - assistant Yale College dean William Whobrey denied that Yale offers financial aid to students such as Mr. Rahmatullah while conceding that he and other "special students" get a "tuition discount" in the neighborhood of 35% to 40%.   "Discounts," huh? At $35,000 a year tuition (it may be more now - it seems to increase weekly) , a 40 per cent "discount" would be $14,000 a year. Lots of hard-working American families might be able to send their kids to Yale with a "discount" like that.   Uh, Dean Whobrey - you ain't kidding anybody. What you overpriced elite colleges call "financial aid" is really nothing more than a tuition discount anyhow. The rich folks pay full sticker price, while those who can't afford your outlandish, unjustifiably high tuition (such as your precious Ramatullah Hashemi) simply pay discounted prices, and the discount is called "financial aid."   Tuition discount, financial aid - call it what you will. The slimy bastards are subsidizing the education of an enemy of the United States.   Osama shows that he will stop at nothing in his plot to weaken America... BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Army's Will Sullivan wore his Black Lion patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners

Know What a Chop Block is - and Don't Teach it!! (See"NEWS") Shots From Chattanooga! (See"NEWS") My Offensive System My Materials for Sale My Clinics Me     March 14, 2006 - "The years teach much, which the days never knew." Ralph Waldo Emerson   *********** Coming Friday- Write-up and Photos of the LA Clinic, one of the best ever.   *********** Good morning Coach, Was reading the College Football HOF ballot...impressive. I hope most voters can get past whether the player was a star or bust in the NFL.   That said, why is the HOF placing a 50 year rule on elections? Anyone graduating prior to 1956 and not currently elected is now forever ineligible? Example - I surfed through the list of All-Americans and found Bob Davenport, who only:   was a 2 time All-American FB at UCLA in 1954 & 1955 (there have been only 3 two time All-Americans in the history of UCLA football)...   MVP of the 1956 Hula Bowl under legendary HOF single wing coach "Red" Sanders...   led the PAC-10 in scoring in 1954...   won the "Pop" Warner Award in 1955 (given to the outstanding West Coast senior)...   Here was the guy who made Sander's single wing go and started on the 1954 undefeated national championship team (UCLA's only national championship in football), ....and he is no longer eligible?   How good was the 1954 UCLA team? Here is the summary from Coach Sanders HOF bio:   "In 1954 his UCLA team was 9-0, averaged 41 points a game, and held opponents to an average of four points a game. UCLA was national champion, and Sanders was Coach of the Year. He started the 1954 season with just 37 players on the varsity squad, 20 on the junior varsity. Sanders seldom scrimmaged, used classroom instruction and worked on a strict time schedule. He once said his players "spend only about seven hours a week on the practice field." But they performed expertly. He stayed with the single-wing formation until the very end, while other coaches went to the T. His overall record was 102-41-3." (66-19-1 at UCLA from 1949-57, including an impressive 47-11-1 within the PAC-10, still the highest inter-conference winning % in league history with a minimum of 5 seasons)"   Todd Bross, Sharon, Pennsylvania(I think a few of the nominees are on the ballot because of their NFL accomplishments. I can't say I remember Troy Aikman, for example, as being that great, and I sure don't remember Kirk Gibson as being a great football player. In fact, he is the only player whose pro experience - in baseball yet! - is mentioned.)   And I sure don't think there should be a statute of limitations, although I suppose if a guy has appeared on a certain number of ballots and still hasn't been elected, they have to do something to keep the ballot from being too long.   Bob Davenport was a very good one. UCLA asked a lot of its fullback.   It saddens me to see the number of really good football players who aren't going to make it. Army's Arnold Tucker, quarterback of the Blanchard-Davis teams, was good enough to win the Sullivan Award, given to the Outstanding Amateur Athlete in America (back when there really were such things as amateur athletes and the award really meant something) in 1946. Only three other football players - Doc Blanchard, Payton Manning and Charlie Ward - have won the Sullivan Award, which typically was given to Olympic stars. But Arnold Tucker is not a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and now, thanks to its 50-year statute of limitations, will probably never make it.   PS- Also, sadly the blocking back & wingback positions are not recognized  as a "position" to search from at the HOF site. The only member of the 1954 UCLA undefeated national champions in the college HOF is their coach "Red" Sanders....wow   Revisionist history hits the football field - I notice, too, that Army's Bill Carpenter (the "Lonely End") is now listed as a "receiver," when in fact there was no such position when he played.   *********** Coach Wyatt, I've been reading all the stuff about handshaking in the news. I thought you might like to know that in the sport of curling, the pre-game as well as the post-game handshake is considered a part of the game. In fact, some savvy curlers use the pre-game handshake as a way of helping them to form a game strategy. A good, firm handshake and good eye contact means play a defensive game and wait for them to make a mistake. A dead fish with no eye contact means go after them from the first draw.   On the football front, I'm just about to make a Spring push for players. Right now we are at 15. So close! I, however am currently laid up. I've been off work since Feb. 21 with a torn achilles tendon. Two or three more weeks ought to do it. The good news is I didn't have to have surgery.   John Zeller, Tustin, Michigan (Coach Zeller, a veteran high school coach, is working hard to put together a football program for kids in his area who are home-schooled or attend schools that don't offer football. In both Oregon and Washington, home-schooled kids must be afforded the opportunity to compete on their districts' sports teams. HW)   *********** Every so often, John Torres, a youth coach in Castaic, California, manages to find something interesting to do in his other life, as Special Agent in charge with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.   Two days before he sat down at my Double-Wing clinic in L.A., he helped mastermind the bust of a Southern California motorcycle gang, the Vagos motorcycle club, in a sweep that resulted in the arrests of 25 Vagos leaders and associates.   Seized in the operation were 95 illegal firearms, some illegal drugs, $6,000 in cash and two stolen motorcycles.   Although over the years more than 30 Vagos members have been convicted of various crimes, club leaders have always maintained that Vagos is a social club, not a criminal enterprise.   "It's about riding motorcycles together. Spending time as a family, a pack, a club, a tribe," James Cross, 34, former president of the Placer County Vagos told The Sacramento Bee last week. Added Cross (who at the present time is accused of conspiring to kill a fellow member), "The club frowns on criminal activity."   Not exactly, said John Torres. "The Vagos are a ruthless criminal biker gang that virtually held our communities hostage," he said, through dealing in "guns, drugs and death."   Vagos (pronounced VAH'-gohs) is a Spanish name meaning "traveling gypsy" or "a street-wise person that's always up to something," according to the club's Web site. *********** I want to thank you for the fine clinic you put on this past Saturday. It was the best clinic I have ever attended. I especially enjoyed the Army DVD -- I can't stop watching it. Hopefully I will be able to attend the clinic in Northern California this May. Thanks again and if there is anything you ever need, let me know.   Chris Brown, Head Football Coach, Chaffey High School, Ontario, California     *********** Coach Mike Talentino a youth coach from Twinsburg, Ohio and a graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, thought he was hot on the trail of some used uniforms at his alma mater, uniforms his basketball team desperately needed. No such luck...   I spoke too soon. No uniforms after all --   Turns out the NCAA compliance people at Carnegie Mellon said they couldn't send uniforms to 8th graders because the NCAA informed them it was a grey area and what with the Tartans being in the Div. III playoffs and their program on the rise, they wouldn't want to take any chances.   Myles Brand and his buddies strike again.   Not a problem though, I found a local guy who is donating some decent reversible practice jerseys in exchange for logos imprinted on the front. These kids just want to play, so it's not a huge issue, I was just surprised at how difficult it turned out to be. I thought it would be a snap and I could check that off my list... Times have changed.   (Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater... Of course, if they let Carnegie-Mellon hand out a dozen uniforms to one alumnus' team, then the next thing you know, they'd have to let Tennessee (just to pick one example) give out free tee-shirts to every 8th-grader in the state of Tennessee. No, wait - bad example. That would be a waste of money. Those kids all want to go to UT anyhow. HW)   *********** Hugh, I hope your weekend clinic went well and your had a nice trip home.   You're right on with the reasons the US shipping companies have all gone off shore or over seas. I personally think Bush was totally blind sided, because it's been going on right along, he just assumed it was a no brainier. I think he and his administration just took it for granted that everyone knew what was happening in the shipping world and that let him wide open for the attack. Then the Republicans had to jump on it to save there asses and votes, and let Bush hold the bag (and he's the man).   This whole Port security system is a joke to begin with. To do it right would just about shut down the country. The latest stupid suggestion was to board the vessel at sea. Right off the bat that tells you they have no idea at all as to what can and can't be done (1) That would mean they would need a US Coast Guard the size of the Navy or a Navy twice the size it is now with specialized vessels, people and an unbelievable amount of funding (2) How in the hell do these idiots think you would go about boarding these vessel at sea in wide open waters, and in all kinds of weather?   The only way it can be done right is at the loading docks and that takes trust and unity between the countries. Which is just what the F---ing Democrats have been trying to sell right along. I think this has severely hurt the possibility of trust or unity (of course it's all about money anyway). Come election time, I hope this comes back and bites them right in their asses.   Enough of that sh-- - let's get into football. Frank Simonsen, Cape May New Jersey (Frank Simonsen, a long-time coach, is a retired oil tanker captain who now skippers an oil-spill recovery vessel in the Delaware River and Bay. HW)   *********** Clint Taylor, Yale Class of 1996, recently ripped Old Yale (once known as "Mother of Men," in its more family-friendly days) for its decision to admit as a student a former Taliban officer. Whew - after all the whining I've heard about how awful it must have been in the old George Bush days, when it helped to have a father or grandfather who'd also attended Yale, I can't help wondering how it helps Yale to turn down the applications of alumni sons or daughters while managing to find room (and probably financial aid!) for someone who once represented a regime as ugly as the Nazis.   And when Mr. Taylor e-mailed a copy of his article to Yale's development office (the place responsible for shaking down alumni for money), he got a rather ugly reply. Although not signed, and not sent via official Yale e-mail, it was traced to one Alexis Surovov, Yale Class of 2002, who works as an Assistant Director there.   Its subject heading was "Y Do You Hate Yale?", and it opened up with...   What is wrong with you? Are you retarded? This is the most disgraceful alumni article that I have ever read in my life. You failed to mention that you've never contributed to the Yale Alumni Fund in your life. But to suggest that others follow your negative example is disgusting.   When contacted and asked if he really meant to use the term "retarded," this clown replied, "Personally, that's how I feel about it," as if his e-mail conveyed his own personal opinion, not connected in any way with his day job at Yale. Yeah, right - except for the fact that he used the access to private alumni records afforded him by his university job in attempting to challenge Mr. Taylor's standing as a critic - "you've never contributed to the Yale Alumni Fund in your life."   What a strange place - their faculty and students routinely deride capitalism and "the rich," yet they expect the rich to keep giving them money, and they tell you that if you haven't given them any money, you have no right to an opinion.   Considering politically-correct Yale's oh-so-careful-not-to-offend-anyone restrictions on free speech, and considering that a conservative student would likely have been expelled for using the term "retarded" as a form of insult, I would have expected young Mr. Surovov to have asked Mr. Taylor, "Are you cogitatively challenged?"   Evidently when they're in disguise and they think that no one can identify them, even flaming-ass Yale liberals talk just like everybody else.   *********** Do you happen to have a good resource or recommendation for mouthguards? I know this is a football site you're running here, but I'm recommending mouthguards for the young men in youth basketball too.   Just checking....   I think mouthpieces for basketball players are a good idea.   I would call the AD at a local high school and find out where they buy their team supplies. Local retailers may not be able to help you, but the people who supply the schools probably can.   *********** A coach sent me a short video clip of 88 Super Power in which the playside end hits the 3 tech hard and low, while it appears that the defender has already been engaged by another offensive linemen blocking him high. The coach added,   "I see more and more DW teams do it...so I wondered if it's legal."   Rule 2, Section 3, Article 9: "Chop block is a delayed block at the knees or below against an opponent who is in contact with a teammate of the blocker in the free-blocking zone." If they are actually teaching this, it is dirty football and unethical as hell.   I don't know what "more and more double wing teams" means, but it's nobody I know.   "That was what I was looking for.  I know it's not your teams, but there are a lot of "DW" coaches online advocating this as a legal block.  I just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed something...it seemed illegal and dangerous."   This is a major reason why I advise people to beware of online "advice" unless they know exactly who is giving the advice and what his credentials are.   The worst thing about this practice is that if it is actually being taught, and if it spreads, it threatens to tar us all with the same "dirty football" brush. When we Double-Wingers become known for teaching something something illegal that endangers opposing players, we forfeit the moral high ground. and are no better than the creeps who teach their kids to tackle our pulling linemen and take out our fullbacks at the knees, or the cheats who teach their kids to hold.   *********** Coach, I am still loving the ARMY DVD. I have watched it like 10 times, still writing down some stuff as well. I see a definite fit with almost everything on there. Imagine you prepare all week for 2 TE's 2 Wings only to see straight T on the 2nd or 3rd series...HS kids would call a timeout due to confusion. I am loving it! Again allows for an OPTION look, w/out actually having to run option, which drives coordinators nuts. They do not "run' option, but we better prepare because it looks as though they could! I hate teams like that myself, can only imagine what they are trying to do.....I love the DW!!!! Hope your day is going well! Brad Knight, Holstein, Iowa   *********** A woman wrote in to the Portland Oregonian the other day with a whining tale of woe.   Seems that she's decided it's time to take the bumper sticker off her car.   Why, over the last several weeks, she's had people give her the finger and even bang on her car.   All because of a silly little sticker that says, "FIRE THE LIAR."   "I thought this was still America and we still had free speech," she concluded.   I really wanted to meet this lady. I wanted to reassure her. I wanted to tell her, Lady, of course this is still America, and of course you have free speech! Why, our Constitution guarantees you the right to stand up in the middle of all those people dressed in black and silver down there behind the end zone and holler at the top of your lungs, "RAIDERS SUCK!"   Nothing else is guaranteed.   2006 DOUBLE-WING CLINIC SCHEDULE - AS OF 1-12-06 (2006 CLINICS) CLINICS START AT 9 AM SHARP AND GO UNTIL 4 PM WITH A 1-HOUR BREAK FOR LUNCH CLINIC LOCATION FEB 25 ATLANTA HOLIDAY INN AIRPORT NORTH - 1380 Virginia Ave - 404-762-8411 MARCH 11 LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY INN-MEDIA CENTER -150 E. Angeleno, Burbank - 818-841-4770 MARCH 18 CHICAGO ST. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - 3700 West 103rd St., Chicago APRIL 8 RALEIGH-DURHAM MILLENNIUM HOTEL - 2800 Campus Walk Ave - Durham - 919-383-8575 APRIL 15 PHILADELPHIA HOLIDAY INN, 432 Washington Ave, Fort Washington, PA. - 215-643-3000 APRIL 29 PROVIDENCE COMFORT INN AIRPORT - 1940 POST RD, WARWICK RI - 401-732-0470 TBA DENVER TBA MAY 13 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LATHROP, CA. NEXT CLINIC - CHICAGO - SAT MARCH 18 - ST XAVIER UNIVERSITY -3700 W 103RD ST, CHICAGO -  DIRECTIONS - Proceed past Saint Xavier and go to 103rd and Central Park (3600 West) which is a Traffic Light Intersection. Turn left (North) on Central Park for a half block until you get to the entrance for Parking Lot 9 and 10. Enter the parking lots and park anywhere in lot 9 or 10.   [FYI Central park is 3600 West 103rd Street, which is one block east of 3700 West 103rd Street, the schools main address. Queen of Martyrs Church is on the corner of 103rd and Central Park. So there are easy landmarks. It really is simple to find]   Across from the parking lot is the SCHOOL OF NURSING. It will be clearly marked with a sign above the door. The School of Nursing is on the east side of the main building, which is the east side of the campus.. Enter thru the School of Nursing Door. There will be signs posted inside to and a QM coach to help direct the coaches to the 4th Floor Board Room, where the clinic will be held.   Attendees will receive a complimentary DVD breaking down, play-by-play, the Full-House Belly-T offense of the powerful 1953-1954 Army teams, coached by Earl "Red" Blaik, with Vince Lombardi as his offensive assistant. On the video you will see action clips of Army greats, including the immortal Don Holleder, whose memory is honored by the Black Lion Award. This DVD is not for sale. It is provided by the Board of the Black Lion Award in the interests of furthering football and the Black Lion Award itself.     Following the Atlanta clinic a couple of weeks ago, my wife and I took a little extra time to do some exploring. This time we found a gem of a place in the small city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, just a few hours' drive north of Atlanta. We drove past a neat-looking little football stadium which I just had to get a closer look at, and it turned out to be Findley Stadium, where the Division I-AA championship is now played. And Findley Stadium happens to be located on a street named for one of Chattanooga's most famous sons, the late, great Reggie White. Chattanooga, like far too many of our cities, has seen better days, but it has "good bones," and it appears to be on the way back. Chattanooga's main streets are broad and tree-lined, and its downtown contains many impressive older buildings that have been spared the wrecker's ball. Above right is the interior of the magnificent old railroad terminal, which now serves as the lobby of a Holiday Inn. There is enough life left in the downtown, I sensed, to lure people with a little money into investing in loft living. Located on a bend of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga appears to be doing a great job of making its riverfront area attractive to locals and tourists, with the new Tennessee Aquarium as its focus. The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (home of T.O.!) is a short walk from downtown. The high point of our short visit was a "tourist thing" - a trolley ride conducted by a distinguished older gentleman who as "Edward the Conductor" manages to guide an old electric trolley through the old railyard while at the same time relating the history of the Chattanooga area in a masterful way that would put most college professors to shame.   *********** Chattanooga happens also to be the home of the school picked by Sports Illustrated as having the best overall sports program in the state - the Baylor School.   Don't know about its program right now, but it has quite a sports history.   The legendary Herman Hickman, an all-time great lineman at Tennessee, then a pro football player and pro wrestler, is a Baylor alumnus. As a long-time assistant to Coach Red Blaik at Army and later as head coach at Yale, he was loved by the New York media for his great wit, his love of poetry (which earned him the nickname "The Bard of the Smokies") and his devotion to good food - and lots of it.   So also is Joe Steffy, an all-time Army great who blocked for Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard. and won the Outland Trophy in 1947 Among famous opponents to face Baylor teams were such future pro stars as Fran Tarkenton, Paul Hornung, and Reggie White.   Numerous illustrious coaches sent their sons to the Baylor School, including Tennessee's General Bob Neyland, Alabama's Frank Thomas and Red Drew, Mississippi's Johnny Vaught, and Arkansas' Frank Broyles.     Osama shows that he will stop at nothing in his plot to weaken America... BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Army's Will Sullivan wore his Black Lion patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners

Not a Good Week for Our Alma Maters! (See"NEWS") Nominees for the College Football Hall of Fame are Announced! (See"NEWS") My Offensive System My Materials for Sale My Clinics Me     March 10, 2006 - "Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others' experience." Otto von Bismarck   *********** It has not been the best of times for our alma maters.   Last week, my alma mater, Yale, admitted a former Taliban officer to its freshman class. I am so ashamed.   This week, it was my wife's turn.   She originally attended Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts, but she dropped out after two years when we got married. Years later, with our kids all in school, she returned to get her bachelor's degree at Hood College, in Frederick, Maryland. She is very proud of Hood and of her degree, and I am very proud of her and the way she worked to earn it.   After all these years, she is still a little pissed about the fact that some ditz left her out of the yearbook, probably because she was just some married student who lived off-campus, but after the events of this past week, I'm not so sure she's quite so upset.   That's because Hood, a formerly all-women's college which hasn't been coed very long, recently held a vote for Homecoming King, and the election was won by 21-year-old Jennifer Jones, a self-proclaimed lesbian.   *********** Hi Coach, I was thinking about that Army world-class athlete program. I agree. I'm not sure what good it does. I don't see how it helps in recruiting. Most recruits probably wouldn't measure up to the standards of the program and would end up doing what most other servicemen do and would probably feel ripped off if they thought they could enlist for the purpose of being in that program. I suppose in some ways it's not too different from what Joe Louis did when he was serving, however. Steve Tobey, Malden, Massachusetts (I do believe that this must be a result of our "everybody is equal," "nobody is special" culture of universal acceptance. I can see the benefit of having the Heavyweight Champion of the World going on tour to promote recruiting (and sale of war bonds) but I'll be damned if I can see what earthly purpose is served by letting an active-duty Army officer push a f--king bobsled while his West Point classmates are getting shot at in Iraq. HW)   *********** Coach Hugh,   I implemented the handshake, look-in-the-eye procedure at the conclusion of basketball practice and it was an impressive sight. Ten 14 year old boys, standing tall, lined up, each extending a firm handshake and looking me directly in the eye.   Afterward, a janitor in the complex approached and commented on the scene and how impressed he was. He understood exactly what was going on.   A father approached me and said his son was looking for a team on which to play this spring, could he possibly find a spot with us... I said bring him over. Mike Talentino, Twinsburg, Ohio   *********** That "Handshake" piece you had on your website was so true. My father when he coached us when we were were kids made a point to teach us (the kids) the proper way to shake hands. How important it is to have a firm handshake and to make eye contact. I do that very same thing with the kids I coach. Funny - never realized how important that simple lesson that was taught to us was. Unconsciously I find myself doing the exact same thing to the kids that I coach, that my father did to us. Jason Clarke, Glen Burnie, Maryland (One really good reason why a father is important, despite what feminists - and many courts - think. HW)   *********** Next to UConn National Flag Blue, the primary color in my sports room is Carolina Blue, so I have little affection for the boys from Durham. A successful perennial powerhouse college basketball team with six seniors is indeed a rarity nowadays. The (number 1-ranked) Connecticut Huskies only have five: two starters (Hilton Armstrong and Denham Brown), the sixth man off the bench (Rashad Anderson), a former ACC freshman of the year transfer (Ed Nelson), and an Aussie (Ryan Thompson) who could have played at UCLA but selected UConn instead. Best wishes, Alan Goodwin, Warwick, Rhode Island   *********** Hi Coach, How did your weekend go? Were the attendees receptive to your presentation & ideas?   We had 83 coaches from all over the US in Wilkes-Barre sharing single wing football...it was a great weekend. You'll have to block out the first 2 weekends of March next year.   I owe you for all of this in that it was your Philly clinic that was the core model for what has become the Conclave.   Next year's attendance goal is to break a Benjamin in attendance, and I want you to be one of them.   Todd Bross, Sharon, Pennsylvania (I had already committed to the Nike Clinic when I was invited to this year's Single Wing Conclave in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. I will do anything I can to make next year's. HW)   *********** What is the proper pitch relationship (I have seen people say 5x2 4x4)???    It is hard to be precise. Homer Smith and Pepper Rogers, in their great book on the wishbone, taught 45 degrees, and said that maintaining the proper pitch relationship is the hardest part of running the option. I would actually prefer something more like 5 x 2-3 (five yards wider, 2-3 yards deeper than the QB, because I like the QB to be able to see the man with his peripheral vision, and don't like the idea of pitching the ball backwards.   *********** A good friend of mine, a HS head coach, has just been informed that next year he will be teaching third grade. He will be the only male on an otherwise all-female faculty, and was told that the move was to provide some "male influence."   What a crock. The teaching profession grows increasingly feminine with every year, as women continue to dominate elementary teaching and increase in numbers in high school and in administration.   Seems to me if they were so concerned about "male influence" they would have started hiring male teachers a long time ago.   Funny that whenever the do-gooders in Washington see an area where males dominate, they automatically assume that it's the result of discrimination, and insist that more females be hired.   Yet no one seems to have noticed the way men are (evidently) discriminated against in education.   ***********Our hockey team gets sent home early in the Olympics, and our baseball team gets humiliated by a bunch of no-named from Canada. Our basketball team, made up of NBA stars, routinely gets its butt beat in any international tournament by anonymous foreigners playing together as a team.   Damn. We need a national sports fix. Fast.   Any way we can get Somalia to field 11 guys willing to play the Steelers?   *********** Dear Coach Wyatt, If you have a moment, I was wondering if you could comment on a disagreement another coach and I were having about scrimmaging your Offense vs. Defense during practice time. Personally, I have found that putting a full defense up against your Offense takes away from "clean" reps that your O should get, and causes players to "teach themselves to cheat" when they are starting to get beat on a play that they aren't 100% familiar with. The other coach disagreed, saying they needed the contact experience.  The question refers to youth football, with 3 days of practice before each game. If you have any time to comment, I'd appreciate it. NAME WITHHELD I'm not exactly sure about what you're describing, but it sounds as if practice time is being used as a contest between offense and defense. I assume you mean that you are trying to teach offense and the other coach has the defense going at the offense full blast. Defensive people love to do this, because any football person knows that under those conditions, defense will dominate the offense. Similarly, though, any football person knows that this is not the way to teach offense. Under those conditions, your offense will never get better. There is an offensive period during practice when the defense must service the offense, and do what the offensive coach requests. That may mean holding bags, or lining up a certain way, or going full-blast - whatever. But the entire point of that period is for the offense to get better. In any offensive drill, the rule has to be "offense wins." That means that you must set things up so that the offensive man can get successful repetitions at whatever it is you are trying to teach him. If he is not having any success, you may have to slow things down even more until he does. Offense has to be taught very slowly and very carefully until the kids understand very clearly exactly what they are supposed to do, and then you can begin to increase the speed. If you are going full speed before the kids are really confident - whether it's blocking, or tackling, or running plays - your kids will not get better. Guaranteed. As a rule of thumb - "Talk it, walk it, run it, rep it." Likewise, of course, during the defensive period, the offense may be called on to serve the defense as needed. And in a defensive drill, the rule is "defense wins." You can't expect a kid to learn tackling at full speed. You have to start him out slowly and only pick up speed as he shows he can do it correctly. I am constantly amazed at the people who don't understand that coaches are, first and foremost, teachers. And any good teacher knows that a major component of learning is confidence. You can't teach kids anything when you fail to build their confidence - when you frustrate them and set them up for failure. When you're teaching a kid to drive, do you take him right out on the freeway?  *********** "I don't want my players to be like other students. I want special people. You can learn a lot on the football field that isn't taught in the home, the church, or the classroom. There are going to be days when you think you've got no more to give and then you're going to give plenty more. You are going to have pride and class. You are going to be very special. You are going to win the national championship for Alabama." Bear Bryant   2006 DOUBLE-WING CLINIC SCHEDULE - AS OF 1-12-06 (2006 CLINICS) PLEASE NOTE THAT THE RALEIGH-DURHAM/PHILADELPHIA/PROVIDENCE CLINIC DATES HAVE CHANGED CLINIC LOCATION FEB 25 ATLANTA HOLIDAY INN AIRPORT NORTH - 1380 Virginia Ave - 404-762-8411 MARCH 11 LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY INN-MEDIA CENTER -150 E. Angeleno, Burbank - 818-841-4770 MARCH 18 CHICAGO ST. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - 3700 West 103rd St., Chicago APRIL 8 RALEIGH-DURHAM MILLENNIUM HOTEL - 2800 Campus Walk Ave - Durham - 919-383-8575 APRIL 15 PHILADELPHIA HOLIDAY INN, 432 Washington Ave, Fort Washington, PA. - 215-643-3000 APRIL 29 PROVIDENCE COMFORT INN AIRPORT - 1940 POST RD, WARWICK RI - 401-732-0470 TBA DENVER TBA MAY 13 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LATHROP, CA. NEXT CLINIC - LA/SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - SAT MARCH 11 - HOLIDAY INN-MEDIA CENTER -150 E. Angeleno, Burbank - 818-841-4770 - Attendees will receive a complimentary DVD breaking down, play-by-play, the Full-House Belly-T offense of the powerful 1953-1954 Army teams, coached by Earl "Red" Blaik, with Vince Lombardi as his offensive assistant. On the video you will see action clips of Army greats, including the immortal Don Holleder, whose memory is honored by the Black Lion Award. This DVD is not for sale. It is provided by the Board of the Black Lion Award in the interests of furthering football and the Black Lion Award itself.   *********** Considering that 4.4 million men have played college football and only 796 of them have earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, it is an enormous honor. Of all the men who have coached the college game, only 170 have earned Hall of Fame induction. The National Football Foundation just announced that 77 players and seven coaches will make up the 2006 Division I-A Ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Class will be announced at a press conference in New York City at the Marriott Marquis on May 16 and inducted at The National Football Foundation's 49th Awards Dinner on December 5, 2006 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. They will be officially enshrined at the Hall in South Bend, Ind. in the summer of 2007. To be eligible for the ballot, players must have been named a First Team All-America by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams, played their last year of intercollegiate football at least ten years prior, played within the last 50 years and be retired from playing professional football. Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head coach, and won at least 60% of their games and be retired from coaching. In both cases, the candidate's post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed. Each year, 15 candidates, who are not selected for the Hall of Fame, will be named automatic holdovers and will bypass the district screening process and automatically appear on the ballot the following year. As a member of the National Football Foundation, I am not at all ashamed to declare that my vote will go to Bob Novogratz, Army Class of 1959, who also happens to be a member of the Black Lion Board of Advisors. There is no doubt in my mind that if Bob hadn't been hidden away at guard and linebacker on a team that produced one Heisman Trophy winner - Pete Dawkins - and three Hall of Famers in Dawkins, Bob Anderson and Bill Carpenter, he would have made it a lot sooner. When you see the quality of people nominated and realize that most of them will not make it, then reflect on some of the questionable nominees to the Pro Football hall of Fame in recent years, you realize what a rare achievement it is to be selected to the College Football Hall of Fame. 2006 PLAYER CANDIDATES   Billy Ray Adams, Mississippi-Fullback: Named First Team All-America in 1961…Played in the Senior Bowl and the Coaches All-American Game in 1961…Led Ole Miss to a share of two National Championships (1959-60)…Led the SEC in touchdowns (10) in 1961.   Troy Aikman, Oklahoma / UCLA-Quarterback: Named consensus First Team All-America in 1988…Received the Davey O'Brien Award and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1988…Named PAC-10 Player of the Year in 1987 and led UCLA to two bowl game victories.   Trev Alberts, Nebraska-Linebacker: Named unanimous First Team All-America, BIG-8 Defensive Player of the Year and Academic All-America in 1993…Recipient of the 1993 Butkus Award. Two-time First Team All-Conference selection…NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 1993.   Bobby Anderson, Colorado-Running Back: Named consensus First Team All-America in 1969…Two-time First Team All-Conference selection…Set 18 school records…Selected as the MVP of the 1967 Bluebonnet Bowl and the 1969 Liberty Bowl.   Otis Armstrong, Purdue-Running Back: Named consensus All-America in 1972 after accumulating 3,315 career rushing yards, a school and BIG TEN record…Named BIG TEN MVP in 1972, breaking numerous school and conference records.   Steve Bartkowski, California-Quarterback: Named consensus First Team All-America, All-Conference and led the nation in passing (2,580) in 1974…Named team MVP in 1974 and passed for over 4,000 yards in his career.   Bob Berry, Oregon-Quarterback: Named First Team All-America in 1964…Played in the East-West Shrine Game, Hula Bowl, and Coaches All-American Game…First Oregon quarterback to surpass 1,000 yards in two different seasons.   Benny Blades, Miami (Fla.)-Defensive Back: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1986-87) &endash; consensus in 1986, unanimous in 1987…Received the Jim Thorpe Award while leading Miami to a 12-0 National Championship season in 1987.   Tom Brahaney, Oklahoma-Center: Two-time consensus First Team All-America selection (1971-72). Two-time All-BIG-8 pick (1971-72)…Lombardi Award finalist and team captain in 1972.   Dave Brown, Michigan-Defensive Back: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1973-74) &endash; unanimous in 1974, consensus in 1973…A three-time First Team All-Conference pick (1972-74), he led Michigan to three BIG TEN Championships.   Ronnie Caveness, Arkansas-Center: Named First Team All-America in 1964…Named Outstanding Lineman of the 1965 Cotton Bowl…Member of the 1964 Arkansas National Championship team…Holds the school record for most tackles in one game (29).   Jim Crawford, Wyoming-Running Back: Named First Team All-America, Skyline Conference Back of the Year and led the nation in rushing in 1956…Ranks sixth all-time at Wyoming in single-season rushing yards (1,104 in 1956).   Randall Cunningham, UNLV-Punter/Quarterback: Named First Team All-America as a punter in 1983…Named Second Team All-America as a punter and Honorable Mention as a quarterback in 1984…Led UNLV to their first-ever Bowl game…Broke 18 UNLV records.   Jeff Davis, Clemson-Linebacker: Named Consensus First Team All-America and ACC Player of the Year in 1981…Led team to a perfect National Championship season in 1981…A two-time First Team All-Conference selection, he ranks third in school history with 469 career tackles.   Rich Diana, Yale-Running Back: Named First Team All-America and finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1981…Two-time First Team All-Conference selection…Named First Team Academic All-America and NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 1981.   Eric Dickerson, Southern Methodist-Running Back: Named unanimous First Team All-America and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1982…Twice named SWC Player of the Year, he holds 14 SMU records including career rushing yards (4,450).   Don Dufek, Michigan-Defensive Back: Named a First Team All-America in 1975…Finished in the top ten in career tackles (249) for the Wolverines…Played in the Hula Bowl and Japan Bowl in 1975.   Ed Dyas, Auburn-Fullback: Named First Team All-America and All-Conference in 1960 at Fullback…Set numerous NCAA records for his placekicking…Led Auburn in rushing and scoring in 1960. NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 1960…Three-time Academic All-Conference selection.   Carl Eller, Minnesota-Tackle: Named consensus All-America, All-Conference and team Most Valuable Player in 1963…Played in the Hula Bowl and the College All-Star Game in 1964…Member of the Minnesota Sports hall of Fame.   Steve Emtman, Washington-Defensive Lineman: Named unanimous First Team All-America and placed fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1991…Recipient of the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy in 1991…Two-time PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Year (1990-91).   Bill Enyart, Oregon State-Fullback: Named First Team All-America in 1968…Played in the College All-Star Game, All-American Game, Senior Bowl, East-West Shrine Game and was named Hula Bowl MVP in 1968…Two-time First Team All-Conference selection (1967-68).   Thomas Everett, Baylor-Free Safety: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1985-86) &endash; unanimous in 1986…A two-time SWC MVP, he won the Jim Thorpe Award and was named SWC Athlete of the Year in 1986.   Dave Gallagher, Michigan-Defensive Tackle: Named consensus All-America in 1973…Named the team co-captain in 1973 and played in the East-West Shrine Game…He was a leader of a Michigan team that won a share of three BIG TEN championships.   Kirk Gibson, Michigan State-Wide Receiver: Named First Team All-America, led BIG TEN in receiving in league play and helped the Spartans to a BIG TEN Co-Championship and a #12 national ranking in 1978…Played MLB for 17 seasons.   Charley Gogolak, Princeton-Place Kicker: Named First Team All-America in 1965…Set seven NCAA records and led Princeton to an 8-1 season in 1965…Revolutionized the kicking game using the soccer-style technique…Scored 170 career points on 27 field goals and 89 PATs.   Bob Golic, Notre Dame-Linebacker: Named unanimous First Team All-America and was a finalist for the Lombardi Award in 1978…Co-holder of UND's single-game record for tackles with 26 vs. Michigan in 1978…Ranks second in school history with 479 career tackles.   Terry Hanratty, Notre Dame-Quarterback: Named consensus First Team All-America in 1968…Finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1968, sixth in 1966 and ninth in 1967…Led Notre Dame to a National Championship in 1966.   Al Harris, Arizona State-Defensive End: Named unanimous First Team All-America and Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy finalist in 1978…Named First Team All-Conference, he set an ASU record with 19 sacks in 1978.   Major Harris, West Virginia-Quarterback: Named First Team All-America in 1989…Finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1989 and fifth in 1988…Became the first player in NCAA history to rush for more than 2,000 career yards and pass for more than 5,000.   Chad Hennings, Air Force-Defensive Tackle: Named unanimous First Team All-America and received the Outland Trophy in 1987…Named Lineman of the Year and led the nation in sacks (24) in 1987…Two-time Academic First Team All-America selection (1986-87).   Mark Herrmann, Purdue-Quarterback: Named unanimous First Team All-America, BIG TEN MVP and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1980…A First Team All-Conference selection, he broke NCAA career records for passing yards (9,188) and completions (707).   Dick Jauron, Yale-Running Back: Named First Team All-America in 1972…A three-time First Team All-Conference selection, he received the Asa S. Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League's Player of the Year…Holds Yale's career rushing record with 2,947 yards.   Johnnie Johnson, Texas-Safety: Two-time consensus First Team All-America selection (1978-79)…Earned honors as top defensive back in the nation as a junior in 1978…A three-time First Team All-Conference pick, he was named to the conference's All-Decade Team of the 1970's.   Chip Kell, Tennessee-Offensive Guard: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1969-70) &endash; unanimous in 1970, consensus in 1969…A three-time First Team All-SEC selection, he was named Tennessee's Outstanding Lineman in 1970.   Rex Kern, Ohio State-Quarterback: Named First Team All-America and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1969…Named 1969 Rose Bowl MVP, he led Ohio State to the 1968 National Championship…Team captain in 1970.   Jess Lewis, Oregon State-Defensive Tackle: Named First Team All-America in 1967…Played in the College All-Star Game, East-West Shrine Game and Coaches All-America Bowl in 1970…Two-time First Team All-Conference selection (1967, 1969).   Rob Lytle, Michigan-Running Back: Named consensus All-America in 1976…Finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting and played in the Hula and Japan Bowls in 1976…Named BIG TEN MVP in 1976 and led UM to two conference championships.   Rueben Mayes, Washington State-Running Back: Named consensus First Team All-America in 1984…Two-time All-PAC-10 selection (1984-85)…Leads WSU in single-season (1,632) and career rushing yards (3,519)…Set NCAA single-game rushing mark with 357 yards vs. Oregon.   Pat McInally, Harvard-Tight End: Named First Team All-America in 1974…Finished second in the nation in pass receptions in 1973…Two-time First Team All-Ivy League pick (1973-74)…Received 1974 New England Player of the Year and First Team All-East honors.   Marlin McKeever, Southern California-End: Named First Team All-America in 1959…A three-time All-Conference selection (1958-60), he won the UCLA Game Award, awarded to the MVP of the USC/UCLA game in 1960…Two-time AP and Sports Illustrated Lineman of the Week.   Art Monk, Syracuse-Wide Receiver: Named First Team All-America in 1979…Holds the Syracuse record with 14 receptions in a game…Fourth on school's all-time all-purpose yards list with 3,899. (1,150 rushing and 1,644 receiving).   Paul Naumoff, Tennessee-Linebacker: Named First Team All-America and All-Conference in 1966…Named team MVP in 1966…Played in the College All-Star Game and Senior Bowl in 1967.   Bob Novogratz, Army-Guard: Named First Team All-America and Lineman of the Year by the Los Angeles Times in 1958…Played in the East-West Shrine Game in 1958…Blocked for three Hall of Famers, running backs Bob Anderson and Pete Dawkins and receiver Bill Carpenter.   Tom Nowatzke, Indiana-Fullback: Named First Team All-America in 1964…A two-time All-Conference selection (1963-64), he led the BIG TEN in rushing in 1963…Played in the East/West Shrine Game, Senior Bowl and Coaches All-American Game.   Phil Olsen, Utah State-Defensive End: Named consensus First Team All-America in 1969…Named Utah State's Athlete of the Year and played in the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl in 1969…Named Utah State Athlete of the Year in 1969.   Jim Otis, Ohio State-Fullback: Named consensus First Team All-America in 1969…Member of the 1968 National Championship team…Named First Team All-BIG TEN conference in 1969 and led the Buckeyes to two conference titles…Led the team in rushing three times.   Dave Parks, Texas Tech-End: Named First Team All-America and played in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl in 1963…Two-time First Team All-Southwest Conference selection…Established numerous Texas Tech records and was team tri-captain in 1963.   Mike Phipps, Purdue-Quarterback: Named unanimous First Team All-America in 1969 and placed second in the Heisman Trophy voting…Two-time First Team All-Conference selection including BIG TEN Player of the Year honors in 1969.   Ahmad Rashad (Bobby Moore), Oregon-Running Back: Named First Team All-America in 1971…Three-time First Team All-Conference (1969-71)…Became the first player to lead the PAC-10 in scoring in consecutive years at two different positions…Two-time team MVP…Broke 14 school records.   Ron Rivera, California-Linebacker: Named First Team All-America in 1983 and was a Lombardi Award Finalist…Named All-Conference and was selected as Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1983…Led team in tackles from 1981-83.   Mike Rozier, Nebraska-Running Back: Two-time First Team All-America selection &endash; unanimous in 1983, consensus in 1982…Recipient of the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year honors in 1983…Two-time BIG-8 Offensive Player of the Year.   Lucius Sanford, Georgia Tech-Linebacker: Named First Team All-America in 1977…A three-time First Team All-Conference selection, he led Georgia Tech in tackles in 1975 (121) and 1976 (117)…Named to the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame and their All-Time Team in 1991.   Jim Seymour, Notre Dame-End: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1967-68)…Led the team in receiving from 1966-68…Holds Notre Dame's receiving record for pass receptions in a game (13) and receiving yards in a game (276).   Sterling Sharpe, South Carolina-Wide Receiver: Named First Team All-America and played in the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl in 1987…Two-time First Team All-Conference pick (1986-87)…Currently holds virtually all of the school's receiving records.   Jeff Siemon, Stanford-Linebacker: Named consensus First Team All-America and received the Butkus Award in 1971…A two-time First Team All-Conference pick, he helped Stanford to two Rose Bowl victories and was named Most Outstanding Senior in 1971.   Ron Simmons, Florida State-Noseguard: Two-time consensus First Team All-America selection (1979-80)…Three-time All-South pick (1978-80)…Set school records for quarterback sacks in a career (25) and season (12) in 1979…Ranks second on FSU all-time tackles list (483).   Bruce Smith, Virginia Tech-Defensive Tackle: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1983-84) &endash; consensus in 1984…The recipient of the Outland Trophy, he was named Lineman of the Year by the Washington Touchdown Club in 1984…VT's all-time sacks leader.   Emmitt Smith, Florida-Running Back: Named unanimous First Team All-America and SEC Player of the Year in 1989…Placed seventh in the 1989 Heisman Trophy voting and ninth in 1987…Three-time First Team All-Conference selection (1987-89). Broke 58 school records.   Chris Spielman, Ohio State-Linebacker: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1986-87) &endash; unanimous in 1987, consensus in 1986…The recipient of the 1987 Lombardi Award, he is a three-time First Team All-Conference selection and a member of two BIG TEN title teams.   Larry Station, Iowa-Linebacker: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1984-85) &endash; unanimous in 1985, consensus in 1984…A three-time First Team All-Conference selection, he was named team captain and MVP in 1985…Iowa's all-time leader in tackles with 492.   Don Stephenson, Georgia Tech-Center: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1956-57). Two-time First Team All-Conference pick…Led the team in tackles for two years…Member of the Georgia Tech Football Hall of Fame…Played in the Hula Bowl.   Pat Swilling, Georgia Tech-Defensive End: Named First Team All-America, All-Conference and set an NCAA single-game record with seven sacks vs. N.C. State in 1985…Broke four GT records and led the school to their first bowl victory in 13 years.   Darryl Talley, West Virginia-Linebacker: Named unanimous First Team All-America in 1982…Considered the most prolific tackler in school history holding the school's record for career tackles (484)…Member of the WVU Sports Hall of Fame.   Jim Taylor, Louisiana State-Fullback: Named First Team All-America in 1957…Named First Team All-Southeastern Conference in 1957…Named MVP of the 1958 Senior Bowl…Member of the LSU Athletic Sports Hall of Fame.   Lawrence Taylor, North Carolina-Linebacker: Named unanimous First Team All-America and ACC Player of the Year in 1980…Recorded 16 sacks his senior year…Totaled 95 tackles and caused seven fumbles in 1979.   Clendon Thomas, Oklahoma-Running Back: Named consensus First Team All-America, he led the nation in scoring (108 points) in 1957…A two-time First Team All-Conference selection, he helped lead Oklahoma to two National Championships (1955-56).   Thurman Thomas, Oklahoma State-Running Back: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1985, 1987) - consensus in 1985…Twice named BIG-8 Offensive Player of the Year and finished seventh in the 1987 Heisman Trophy voting.   Anthony Thompson, Indiana-Running Back: Two-time First Team All-America - consensus in 1988, unanimous in 1989, he placed eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1988 and second in 1989…A two-time BIG TEN MVP, he was named Walter Camp Player of the Year in 1989.   Gino Torretta, Miami (Fla.)-Quarterback: In 1992, he earned unanimous First Team All-America honors, won the Heisman Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award, Maxwell Award and was named Walter Camp Player of the Year…Led Miami to a the 1991 National Championship.   Don Trull, Baylor-Quarterback: Named consensus First Team All-America and led the nation with 22 touchdowns in 1963…Named First Team All-Conference, he set a school record with 174 completions in 1963…Twice named First Team Academic All-America.   Charlie Ward, Florida State-Quarterback: In 1993, he was earned unanimous First Team All-America honors, won the Heisman Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award, Maxwell Award, and was named Walter Camp Player of the Year…Led FSU to the 1993 National Championship.   Wilson Whitley, Houston-Defensive Tackle: Named consensus First Team All-America and received the Lombardi Award in 1976…Named the SWC Defensive Player of the Decade for the 1970s…Sparked Houston to a share of the SWC title and a Cotton Bowl title.   Clancy Williams, Washington State-Running Back: Named First Team All-America and All-Conference in 1964…Twice led the Cougars in rushing, scoring and kickoff returns…Played in the Hula Bowl, East-West Shrine and All-West Coast All-Star Games in 1964.   Reggie Williams, Dartmouth-Linebacker: Named First Team All-America and played in the Japan All-Star game as well as Senior and Hula Bowls in 1975…Three-time First Team All-Conference performer (1973-75)…Named Dartmouth's Most Outstanding Player in 1975.   Scott Woerner, Georgia-Defensive Back: Named First Team All-America, All-Conference and team Most Valuable Back in 1980…Twice named Georgia's Outstanding Special Teams Player of the Year (1977, 1980)…Led team to the 1980 National Championship.   Richard Wood, Southern California-Linebacker: USC's only three-time First Team All-America selection (1972-74), two of which were consensus picks…Three-time First Team All-Conference pick (1972-74).   Chris Zorich, Notre Dame-Defensive Tackle: Two-time First Team All-America selection (1989-90) &endash; consensus in 1989, unanimous in 1990…Received Lombardi Award in 1990 and was an Outland Trophy finalist…Member of the 1988 undefeated National Championship team.   COACHES   John Cooper - 193-83-6 (.695) -Tulsa (1977-84), Arizona State (1985-87), Ohio State (1988-2000): Led his teams to at least a share of nine conference championships and 14 bowl game appearances, including two Rose Bowls. Coached Ohio State to a Top 25 finish in 12 of 13 seasons…Coached 21 First Team All-Americas.   Herb Deromedi - 110-55-10 (.657) - Central Michigan (1978-93): Twice named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, he ranked 15th among all active NCAA Division I coaches upon retirement…Led CMU to three MAC championships and the California Raisin Bowl in 1990…All-time winningest coach in team and conference history.   William "Lone Star" Dietz - 96-62-7 (.603) - Washington State (1915-17), Purdue (1921), Louisiana Tech (1922-23), Wyoming (1924-26), Haskell Indian Institute (1929-32), Albright (1937-42): Coached 19 seasons as a head coach in addition to a highly successful assistant coaching career with Pop Warner among others…Guided Washington State to a Rose Bowl victory in 1915.   Wayne Hardin - 118-74-5 (.612) - Navy (1959-64), Temple (1970-82): Led Navy to a #2 ranking in 1963 and Temple to a #17 ranking in 1979…Ranks third in wins (38) all-time at Navy and beat Army in five of six seasons…Temple's all-time leader in wins (80), he led them to their only 10-win season and the Garden State Bowl in 1979.   Dick MacPherson - 111-73-5 (.601) - Massachusetts (1971-77), Syracuse (1981-90): Named National Coach of the Year in 1987 while leading the Orangemen to an undefeated season…Led Massachusetts to four conference titles in seven years…Ranks third all-time at Syracuse in most wins (66) and seasons coached (10)…Made six bowl game appearances in his career &endash; won four and tied one.   Billy Jack Murphy - 91-44-1 (.673) - Memphis State (1958-71): All-Time winningest coach in Memphis history…Had 11 winning seasons and retired as the 15th winningest coach in the nation…Member of the Memphis Hall of Fame and Mississippi State Hall of Fame.   Darryl Rogers - 129-84-7 (.602) - Cal State-Hayward (1965), Fresno State (1966-72), San Jose State (1973-75), Michigan State (1976-79), Arizona State (1980-84): Took Fresno State to two bowl games. Achieved an unprecedented national ranking at San Jose State…Was BIG TEN Coach of the Year in 1977 and National Coach of the Year by Sporting News in 1978…Won the BIG TEN title in 1978.   ***********The story goes that as Ethan Allen, the great Vermonter and head of the Green Mountain Boys, lay dying, someone at his bedside said, "The angels are waiting," and Allen, a scrapper to the end, replied, "Waiting are they? Well, Goddamn 'em, let 'em wait!"   I always thought that was one of the greatest of all signoffs, but I came across another one the other day that rivals it.   Seems that the French philosopher and writer Voltaire, who had spent much of his life attacking religion, was asked on his deathbed to renounce the devil. Responded Voltaire, "This is not the time to be making enemies!"  Osama shows that he will stop at nothing in his plot to weaken America... BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Army's Will Sullivan wore his Black Lion patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners

Shots From the Atlanta Clinic! (See"NEWS") Another Coach's Approach to Teaching the Handshake! (See"NEWS") My Offensive System My Materials for Sale My Clinics Me     March 3, 2006 - "Eliminate the mistakes and you'll never lose a game.  To eliminate mistakes, you have to pick the right QB.  And the pass is a weapon of surprise -- don't overuse it." Woody Hayes     HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SON, ED   *********** THE ATLANTA CLINIC was a great way to start the clinic season. More and more, it is becoming an annual reunion of guys who come in, have a great time exchanging ideas and socializing, then going home and improving on what they did the year before.   One of the best things I ever did was turn over the last 45 minutes or so to a panel of successful coaches and let the other coaches in attendance bounce questions off them. These guys are all Double-Wing experts in their own right, and what I found interesting, in addition to some of the different ways in which they approached practice and organization, were the ways in which they were in total agreement. For example, they all advocate shoulder blocking, they all spend the bulk of their offensive time on team period, and they all scrimmage during team period.   The really amazing thing is that there were enough other outstanding Double-Wing coaches in the audience to have put together another outstanding panel!   In the photo below, from Left to Right, the panel consisted of Steve Jones, Ocean Springs, Mississippi HS; Larry Harrison, Nathanael Green Academy, Siloam, Georgia; Ron Timson, Umatilla, Florida HS; Dan King, Riverside Middle School, Evans, Georgia; Kevin Latham, Columbia HS, Decatur, Georgia; Jeff Murdock, Ware Shoals, South Carolina HS. SCENES FROM THE ATLANTA CLINIC Friday night's dinner- (clockwise from left) Connie Wyatt; Trent Hammond, Water Valley, MS; Eric Booth, Mike Davis and Jesse Anderson, Monticello, MS; Lee Griesemer, Chuluota, FL; Ron Timson, Umatilla, FL Friday night's dinner- (Clockwise from left) Emory Latta, Dothan, AL; Larry Harrison, Siloam, GA; Donnie Hayes and Chris Duiguid, Belleview, FL; Steve Jones, Ocean Springs, MS Saturday night's dinner- (From Left) Donnie Hayes, Belleview, FL; Ron Timson, Umatilla, FL; Jody Hagins, Summerville, SC, enjoy a good laugh L to R- Bobby Ferrell and Steve Jones, Ocean Springs, MS; Trent Hammond, Water Valley, MS; Mike Davis, Monticello, MS Emory Latta, Dothan, AL; Dan King, Evans, GA; Larry Harrison, Siloam, GA; Ron Edwards, Ponchatoula, LA Kevin Latham, Decatur, GA, and Hugh Wyatt Jody Hagins, Summerville, SC, and Scott Martin, Ponchatoula, LS James Rutherford, Thomasville, AL; Kevin Latham, Decatur, Ga; Richard Cropp, Brunswick, GA   *********** Coach Wyatt, I enjoyed the clinic so much this weekend. I have talked about it with my coaches in the short time that I have been home that my O-line coach and me may attend another one this year. I got good stuff from the clinic and from coaches before and after the sessions. I have been running the dbl wing for about seven years as a JV coach and a Varsity Head and have great success. We have averaged over 3000 yards rushing each of the last 5 years and once topping 4000 rushing but I still came away from this weekend with things I now want to change or add to what I do.   Once again Thanks and maybe I will see you again this year. Trent Hammond, Water Valley, Mississippi   *********** Coach, Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your clinic. It is the most useful clinic that we go to. I was talking to Jet last night and I told him that I don't even know why we waste our money going to any other clinics. It is fun to go to the Clemson clinic, but for high school ball a lot of the stuff is as useless as teats on a frog! Will you have the same agenda at the NC clinic? My calendar is open on that date and our softball coach, who coaches the wingbacks would love to come. He had a tournament this weekend. I really hate that we were not able to stay and go out, but we all have young children. I want to explore the Veer more, I believe that it would add a whole new dimension to the offense. What do you think about it? I am not talking about a true read necessarily, but something that looks like the veer that we can call from the box.   It was great to see you, hopefully we will get to your NC Clinic. Jeff Murdock , Ware Shoals, South Carolina   *********** Coach - Here is another one for our beloved double wing system.   As you know our season ended when a group of adults took our championship game away from us. Although the rules were clearly in our favor, no one had the backbone or nuts to stand up to the bullies who ran this league.   My personal opinions aside, our team was not ready to quit playing so most of the team signed up for flag football. That being said we have had fun playing flag and running the double wing offense. We we are undefeated going into the playoffs this weekend. We are running base passing plays from your playbook: Lightning, Thunder and "Switch" from both sets. Added Triple "A" (Blue-Blue) and "C" (Red-Red) after reviewing some old notes from your past clinics (I have some notes going back to your 98' clinic in L.A.!). Went to the play book and added Roar and Loud motion. We are "killing" them (can I still say that?) with Slot Roar Thunder X-Corner and the "All Seams". Our Rocket and Lazer motion are also plays working well for us. Want to hear the best part? I have learned some good things being in this "passing league". I have learned how to attack some coverages using our system. For example, if they want to zone up I will overload their zone (Triple C) or sit in their seams (All Seams Pass). If they man up I will use Roar and Loud to make them respect that man and when they come up to close we will go "over the top" by hitting the fade or banana routes. Who said the Double Wing was not a "passing offense"? All this from our "2-Gun" formation. Thanks Coach for all you do for us. John Torres, Castaic, California   *********** Dear Coach Wyatt; Hope you're doing well, and I look forward to seeing you in a couple of months at the NoCal clinic. (Actually, wouldn't life be great if there really was "No Cal"? [sigh])   The letter from the UW that you posted to your News today was a bunch of hooey. Having read the RATIFIED MINUTES of the meeting in question, I can attest that one of two things happened:   1) The UW student government VOTED TO RATIFY A LIE, and the minutes are NOT what took place at the February 7th meeting.   Or, more likely 2) The UW administration and student government is desperately trying to perform damage control and re-spin this.   How stupid do they think we are? I don't know about you, but telling me a lie to cover up their disrespect of a national hero doesn't make ME any more inclined to support that school. Quite the reverse, actually.   The minutes are located at http://senate.asuw.org/secretary/minutes/senate/12/02-07-2006.pdf if you would like to take a look for yourself.   One of my favorite authors, Terry Pratchett, is English, and there's a bizarre phrase that shows up in his books whenever someone tells a lie so unbelievable that the recipient is stunned: "Pull the other one, Gonzo. It's got bells on."   I don't know about you, but I hear a tinkling in the distance.   My best to you and Connie;   Very Respectfully; Derek Wade, Petaluma, California   *********** I read in USA Today last week about a woman, now staying in temporary housing in Houston, who longed to return to New Orleans, where she'd lived in the same public housing project for "all 43 years of her life." I thought, this is a joke, right? High school is free, community college is next to free, and jobs are so plentiful that they're being grabbed off by immigrants, legal or otherwise - and this woman has spent 43 years in the SAME F--KING PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECT!   And then I read an article about kids in Washington schools and what happens to them when they don't pass the WASL (derisively pronounced "Wozzle"), our way of testing to see which children fall behind. Well, it turns out, in the Land of the Second Chance, they'll get another chance to pass - in August.   Ohmigod, cry the advocates of the poor. What about "impoverished" children? They'll have to come in to take the tests over a two-day period, but the schools won't be set up to provide them with either free breakfast or free lunch!   I read the article to my wife, who assured me that certain kids (their families, actually) are so locked into dependence on the American taxpayer that they expect to be fed at school as a matter of right (entitlement, if you will), and every time they went on a field trip, one set of students brought a sack lunch from home, while another set had a sack lunch made for them in the cafeteria.   Say, "impoverished?" We are not talking Somalia or Bangladesh, folks. An awful lot of those same impoverished kids that we feed free breakfast and lunch to at school every day manage to scrape up the money to go to McDonald's after school. I won't even get into the video games and iPods I've seen some of them with.   *********** I was reading a scouting report for a player who's looking at the Gators. It said he had speed, size and good route-running skills. And, "He also has good hands."   He'll definitely look good on a plyometrics team. When hands is fourth on the list of the recruiters or the recruiting journalists, his success on the football field might be less certain. Christopher Anderson, Palo Alto, California   The pros have been playing this silly game for years, and now, with all these combines, it's made its way down to the HS level. It's why the pros miss so many players. They have these huge scouting staffs who try to quantify everything, and only when the coaches finally get a look at them does anybody realize that no one bothered to ask, "can this guy actually play the game?"   Did you happen to notice the name of the guy who originally held the bench-press record - Leif Larsen of UTEP? Strong as hell, but did he ever play a down in the NFL? HW   PS - I went to Red Wings-Sharks last night. Detroit lost 5-1, partly because they were missing FIVE guys who played in the gold medal game for Sweden. Maybe they need to rename themselves the Wingssons. I also heard that Saku Koivu had three assists for the Habs last night. He played in the biggest game of his career two days before!   The Swedes were back in Stockholm celebrating. Meanwhile Koivu, the Finn, isn't too bad for a cancer survivor, is he? HW   *********** Coach Wyatt, In your news today the article about shaking every players hand caught my eye. For the past several years on the first day of practice we spend five minutes teaching all of our kids how to properly shake hands. I am appalled at the inability of kids to shake hands, as it makes a crucial first impression. I show them how to do it and then we practice by shaking every teammate and coaches hand. We use a firm grip and look the person square in the eye. I tell the players that if you don't learn anything else the rest of the season you will learn how to shake a hand. You will never be asked to demonstrate a form tackle or a downfield block in a job interview but you will always shake hands. If you give me a weak handshake or don't look me in the eye I won't hire you. I also make sure to always shake hands after I have to discipline a player. Finally, I tell them that after they graduate and we run into each other I expect a proper handshake as part of our greeting. Last year a player wrote me a thank you note saying what an impression it made on him that we taught shaking hands before we taught football. As part of the handshake lesson we also discuss how to handle a compliment, how to handle criticism, and how to speak to the media. Always remember you are part of the team and any success you have is owed to your teammates first. Shake the reporters hand and use we when you discuss our team. Look the reporter in the eye and thank him for speaking to you. Many critics of athletics will never understand or appreciate the title coach or the word teammate.   Sincerely, Keith Lehne, Head Coach, Grantsburg High School, Grantsburg, Wisconsin (That is a wonderful thing that Coach Lehne does for those boys. It confirms that fact that especially in a time when we don't have a draft, boys need football - and football coaches! HW)   2006 DOUBLE-WING CLINIC SCHEDULE - AS OF 1-12-06 (2006 CLINICS) PLEASE NOTE THAT THE RALEIGH-DURHAM/PHILADELPHIA/PROVIDENCE CLINIC DATES HAVE CHANGED CLINIC LOCATION FEB 25 ATLANTA HOLIDAY INN AIRPORT NORTH - 1380 Virginia Ave - 404-762-8411 MARCH 11 LOS ANGELES HOLIDAY INN-MEDIA CENTER -150 E. Angeleno, Burbank - 818-841-4770 MARCH 18 CHICAGO ST. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - 3700 West 103rd St., Chicago APRIL 1 RALEIGH-DURHAM MILLENNIUM HOTEL - 2800 Campus Walk Ave - Durham - 919-383-8575 APRIL 15 PHILADELPHIA HOLIDAY INN, 432 Washington Ave, Fort Washington, PA. - 215-643-3000 APRIL 29 PROVIDENCE COMFORT INN AIRPORT - 1940 POST RD, WARWICK RI - 401-732-0470 TBA DENVER TBA MAY 13 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LATHROP, CA.   *********** WTF?   Is the real enemy in Iraq, or is it here in America, where a Fifth Column of public school teachers undermines us?   Perhaps by now you've read about the puke high school geography teacher at Overland  High School, in Aurora, Colorado who was using his taxpayer-provided soap-box to digress from the subject matter he was paid to teach and instead demean America as - among other things - the "single most violent nation on the Planet Earth." Despite earlier parent complaints about him, it finally took a student named Sean Allen to catch the bastard on tape and help bring his seditious act to an end.   Temporarily, anyhow - until the ACLU jumps in and defends the creep.   And then there is the high school class in Parsippany, New Jersey where taxpayer dollars are being used to "put President Bush on trial" for "Crimes Against Humanity."   The damnedest thing is that I'll bet in both schools we could find plenty of students deficient in basic knowledge in any number of subjects.   *********** Coach, I have long been interested in the phenomena that I call The Reverence of Your High School Coach. I wonder what it looks and feels like from your end nowadays. I have friends that played ,as I did, in college and even 2 friends who played for a while in the NFL so the phenomena doesn't seem to be affected by  status or how far you progressed in our game. In a nutshell myself and all my football friends hold  our high  school coaches  on a high plane held by very few. My dad, Ronald Reagan and a very few others approach this height in my eyes. Neither  my Prep School coach,nor my college coach even come close in my book. I can remember every kick in the ass, every "Goddangit", every pregame speech, postgame speech, every halftime speech. I can remember the last five up-downs of 75 (after 40 40 yard sprints) busting on every last damn one of them  just on the outside chance he was watching.   At an age when you might challenge your dad, believe me you weren't going to  challenge him. When he said " I better not see any one of you hanging around downtown (where all the punks hung out) with your football jacket on, in fact I better not see you down there at all unless you're on an errand for your parents"! Well guess what,  ain't nobody was going to see you downtown. One word from him could make or break your psyche for weeks at a time. I remember beaming, and being so filled with confidence that I felt unbeatable my sophomore year when he grabbed me by the facemask and said " I don't want you getting a fat head but you don't mind sticking your face in there and that's what I want to see"!  I was walking on air! I remember after a game my senior year when I missed one block  just dreading film session because I knew that play was going to be going play, rewind, play rewind about 5000 times. He would make you feel as though you had committed treason against your country because "Goddanggit son you got to SUSTAIN that block on 17 option. Its funny all the other coaches I had as I progressed are a blur to me. I honestly don't even remember the offenses we ran in college but by God I remember just about every play from high school!  I've seen him maybe ten times over the thirty years since I played for him. Each time I do see him I'm stricken by how old and small he looks but believe me I am still completely in awe. "Call me Paul", he said, last time I saw him. Ya right. Till the day one of us is gone he will be Coach, or Sir to me. It seems this is a common theme with all my football friends . Except for a few who had a bad relationship with their coach. (its been my observation that no matter how much some of these guys tell you their coach had it out for them I get the impression that the player caused most of the friction)   Coach is the relationship today like this at all. We have seen the erosion of so many positive aspects of society and from our sports culture that I wonder about this. I realize things have to be different in many ways today but just how would you characterize the high school player to coach dynamic as it exists presently?   Dan Lane, Canton, Massachusetts   I played middle school and high school football in the 1950's, and all my coaches were World War II vets. And I started coaching in 1970, before the children of the Children of the Sixties were old enough to play, so I have seen the differences between then and now.   I think that in many ways, today's coaches face far greater challenges, because so much of what they do is challenged.   Coaches will never again be held in the same blind regard as they were right after World War II, but that was a different America. Parents had grown up in and been hardened by a Depression followed by a World War. They knew what real hardship was, and an ass-chewing by a coach simply didn't show up on their scale of hard times.   Parents themselves were harder and more demanding on their kids, and if they happened to get wind of a coach or teacher being upset with the kid, their attitude was, "serves him right."   In fact, there were still plenty of parents who saw sports as the nearest thing to loafing, not as so many of today's parents do, as a ticket to a lifetime of luxury and affluence for all,   In the last 10 years, I have seen and worked with kids from coast to coast, and granted they are probably on good behavior when I am working with them, but I still think that I am able to comment on their receptiveness to coaching and their attitudes toward authority. And my observation is that the great majority of today's kids willingly accept their coach's authority and basically want to please him (or her).   Where I see this, though, I realize what great jobs their coaches are doing, because kids no longer show up unquestioningly accepting their coaches as gods.   The most successful coaches are those who can best - and most quickly - convey to their kids what it is that will be expected of them, and that the shortest, quickest way for them to succeed is to give the coach what he wants. This is sometimes complicated by the fact that in many cases, unfortunately, some of them arrive with attitudes, given them by overly-indulgent and overly-ambitious parents, that clash with what the coach wants, and the successful coach is the one who can best deal with those kids and their parents.   Selfishness and the self-aggrandisement of the professional athlete are two of today's coaches' biggest challenges. Selfishness was taboo when I started coaching. There were no role models for selfishness, because the look-at-me athlete was unheard-of at any level of any sport. Now, though, persuading their athletes to subordinate their selfish goals for the good of the team presents a much greater challenge to today's coaches than it once did.   Obviously, the coach who has been in a small-town school forever, who has coached the kids' fathers and in some cases their grandfathers, has a great advantage, because everyone knows what he will expect of them. To this extent, you could say that success begets success, because everyone knows that Ole Coach is not going anywhere, and everyone knows that it makes no sense to buck him. Go along and get along.   Today's kids almost everywhere bring a greater sensitivity to the game, and you simply can't get in a kid's face in most places. For one thing, he'll quit. A kid's manhood isn't dependent on playing football, as it once was - not when manhood itself is coming into question as a virtue. Where once the kid who quit would be ostracized, now there is little stigma attached. And too, from video games to jobs at the local fast-food outlet, there are plenty of other things for a kid to do.   The days of demeaning a kid or grabbing his facemask or smacking him with a paddle are long gone. The days of a parent backing a coach unconditionally are gone with them.   There are parents who watch every practice and videotape every game, lawyers who will gladly take a case against a coach accused of "verbal abuse" against a player, administrators - male and female - who have never "strapped it on" in any sport, who have never coached, and simply do not understand the intense dynamics and pressures of coaching youngsters.   But when it's all said and done, despite all the changes I've seen, I think that there are more similarities in today's player-coach relationship to when I started coaching in 1970 than there are differences.   *********** In three years of running your offense, we have played in two championship games with an overall record of 21-6. We averaged around 300 yards a game. Mostly on the ground as you could tell. It saddens me that this group of kids are moving up to the junior high and I have to let them go. I'm moving back down to the 9-10 yo group to coach my younger son.   Thank you Coach Wyatt for all of your help.   Chad Clark, Concrete, Washington (One of the toughest things about coaching is seeing a team go.  But you'll be surprised how fast you'll fall in love with a new group of kids. It will do you good to start over at 9-10. And it will do those kids good, too. Just like planting a new crop. HW)   *********** Hi Coach...Really enjoy your website and your clinics. We just finished running the DW for the 2nd year after attending your clinic in Sacramento in 2004, and we're getting better every year. If we could get our counter to go it would help a lot, but at 5-5 we still lead the league in rushing. I'm writing to get involved in the Black Lion Award Program. School: Coachella Valley H.S. Mascot: Arabs ( I know, but we are in the desert!) Jerry Tripp, Indio, California   *********** There are college presidents, and there are LEADERS. They are not necessarily the same. There are some colleges that don't want their presidents to be leaders, such as Harvard, whose president recently resigned primarily because a substantial portion of its faculty didn't care for the fact that he was actually trying to run the place! Imagine! The nerve!   And then there's the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, a place whose product is leadership, where Lieutenant General Franklin Hagenbeck was just appointed Superintendent.   Lieutenant General (that's three stars) Hagenbeck, who commanded the elite 10th Mountain Division from 2001 to 2003, and served as deputy commander of U.S. operations in Afghanistan, is a former Army football player and combat veteran who coached football at Florida State while earning a graduate degree - in Physical Education. He coached at West Point from 1987-1991. He is a member of the Army Football Club. He is known to his friends and acquaintances as "Buster."   Haw! I rather doubt that Harvard or Yale will ever have a President named "Buster."   Pity. That's their loss.   They're certainly not likely ever to have an Army officer at the helm, much less a three-star general, a decorated veteran of combat in Afghanistan - not in places that consider the Army to be anti-gay. The very idea of the highest office of such prestigious universities being occupied by a man who once coached football - and at a place like Florida State yet - is unthinkable. It would be the talk of the faculty club.   Oh - and that PE major. That's Physical Education. Harvard and Yale don't even have physical education majors.   So with Gen. Hagenbeck's appointment, West Point becomes the antithesis of the effete, decadent Ivy institutions. West Point, and America, will be better for it.   I wrote him to congratulate him, and that very same day I had a response from him, thanking me. He answers his e-mail, which in itself tells you plenty about the kind of man he is.   *********** And now comes the word that my alma mater, Yale, one of whose alumni, Nathan Hale, was the first true American hero, has admitted as a freshman a former Taliban spokesman - and is proud of it! I am appalled and ashamed to think that my once-beloved university, which in the 1970s banned ROTC from the campus, has gone even further left, to the point where it would admit a person who has no reason even being in our country, much less at a major university. It's not often that I wish I were rich, but this is one of those times - just so that I could e-mail those America-hating bastards and tell them I was cutting them off. (I might even get an -email in return, telling me that the news stories have "misrepresented" what really happened.)   *********** It is not all that well known, but the Army has something called the World Class Athlete Program, which enables "world class athletes" to pursue their athletic dreams while remaining in the Army. The idea seems to be to appeal to (1) kids who will see the athlete performing and want to join the Army, or (2) kids who wouldn't ordinarily join the Army - or attend the military academy - because military service would with dreams of careers as athletes, are persuaded that if they are good enough, they can get out of service, or at the least spend weekends recruiting.   One obvious problem with the program is that while soldiers are constantly being deployed and redeployed to Iraq, a few of them are living large as career athletes. If we are truly at war, as the casualties seem to suggest we are, it is hard for me to understand any defense for this program.   Another problem is what, exactly, constitutes a "world class athlete." This came up recently when I read about a 2002 West Point grad, a former sprinter on the Army track team, who since graduation has been in the program - as a bobsledder.   Recruiting value? Gimme a break.   It is delusional to think that anyone, anywhere is going to join the Army or enroll in the US Military Academy after learning that's an Army officer pushing that bobsled.   The example that's always used is David Robinson, who certainly did something far more visible than push a bobsled, and certainly did it with great dignity and aplomb.   But I believe that David Robinson was an anomaly, and nothing more. If his playing professional basketball really was so good for the USNA and its image, wouldn't you think the first place you would have seen his effect would have been Navy basketball? Where are all the David Robinson wannabes?   Or did the fail to qualify for entrance in the Naval Academy, and decide, instead, to give up their hoop dreams and enlist in the Navy?   Most of the participants in the program are Army officers, educated and trained at West Point at taxpayer expense with the expectation that they would carry out the Academy's mission. Yet while other soldiers - officers and enlisted men alike - are being sent into harm's way in Iraq, these "world class athletes" are pushing bobsleds and God knows what else.   The wonder is that no politician has jumped on this yet. Knowing the way the masses howl at any suggestion of "privilege," this one is a slam-dunk.   NEXT CLINIC - LA/SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - SAT MARCH 11 - HOLIDAY INN-MEDIA CENTER -150 E. Angeleno, Burbank - 818-841-4770 Osama shows that he will stop at nothing in his plot to weaken America... BECOME A BLACK LION TEAM GIVE THE BLACK LION AWARD TO ONE OF YOUR PLAYERS! Army's Will Sullivan wore his Black Lion patch (awarded to all winners) in the Army-Navy game (FOR MORE INFO) The Black Lion certificate is awarded to all winners