It's been a long winter for Idabel Warrior sports fans. With Coach Joe Jones' resignation last November, many doubted if spring --- or a new head football coach, would ever come. And while warmer weather is still a few weeks away, the new coach recently made one his first appearances in Idabel.
I met the Warriors' new leader on Monday. It took several months, amidst more than a little controversy, for the selection committee, and the school board to name Tulsa Central's Corey Russell as Idabel's head football coach.
Coach Russell was in town to meet with faculty members, as well as players, and potential players, as he requested to address the entire male student body of Idabel High School.
But wait, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here.
First impressions are all too important and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'm not gonna mince words, the buzz around town has been mixed. At least three hometown boys -- Dennis Parker, Micah Mashburn and James Singleton, had applied for the position and while you can't please everyone, some folks have been more than a little bit upset that none of their favorite sons was chosen to lead the Warrior football team.
As an adult with Asperger's (I'll tell you that story later), sizing someone up is not something that has come natural for me. Over the years, I have become a student of body language and non-verbal cues in order to better relate to folks.
I met Coach Corey Russell in Principal Alan Bryant's office where we introduced ourselves and shook hands.
Hmmm, firm grip, good eye contact, calm yet confident.
In interviewing folks before, I've learned it best not to waste time, especially if they probably don't have much of it to spare, so I quickly got down to business. Usually, it's the interviewer's task to make the one being interviewed feel relaxed and comfortable. However, I found the opposite to be true – Coach Russell's demeanor was unassuming and welcoming. Rather than feeling rushed and in a hurry, as can often happen in an interview, he gave me the impression that my time was important to him.
Did you catch that? He made me feel important and not the other way around.
We chatted briefly about his coaching record at Tulsa Central - (2-8) (6-4) (8-3). His family --- wife Joy is a special education teacher, two children, daughter Carter, age eight and son Reed, age three. His hobbies ---fishing, when he gets the time. Why he chose Idabel ---he had been here before and felt a strong sense of community and it also reminded him of a town in Mississippi where his mother grew up.
As a reporter, I probably should have asked more pointed football questions. However, as a parent of children in Idabel schools, I was truly more interested in getting to know the man himself . To me, that matters more than how many games he has won or lost. I believe that what is at stake here in Idabel is a lot more than just our game record.
Of all the things that we discussed, a single statement stood out above the rest. I had inquired about his reason for the current visit. He explained that he was meeting with administration, teachers and the football players. He also mentioned that he had met with the cafeteria workers since he would be working with them as well.
Did you catch that? I sure did.
This statement brought to mind a reference that the character Captain Jean-Luc Picard of television's Star Trek, The Next Generation once made characterizing a Starfleet Academy's groundskeeper named Boothby as “one of the wisest men he ever knew.” What Coach Russell's remark revealed to me is that he sees the larger picture in terms of teamwork, and that everyone's contribution– coaches, teachers, students, parents, players and, yes even cafeteria workers, really matters to him.
Later that morning, after our interview, Coach Russell met with all the boys of Idabel High School. Throwing out the first pass, he greeted the young men, “I'm very excited to be here and to meet you today. I hope all of you will consider going out for the team. We need as many players as we can get.”
Then he met them half-way, stating, “I understand that some of you also want to participate in band and ag classes and play football as well. We are working on the schedule so that so you can have that option.
I watched the young instructor's demeanor with interest as he talked about his record at Tulsa Central. He spoke carefully in the same calm and casual manner as in our earlier interview. The enthusiasm grew in his voice as he emphasized the necessary hard work ahead, “We got better every year. The way we got better was by working harder. If you are going to play football here, you gotta be prepared to work hard, probably harder than you have ever worked in your life.”
Driving the proverbial pigskin, and his point, home , he added, “Playing football is not something that's given to you. It's not a right or a privilege. It's something that you've got to work for. I'm a good guy, a good coach, I'm nice to everybody.” he humbly offered. Then with seriousness and sincerity, he made another defining point, “Understand this: to you, this is a game, it's fun. -- I take this very, very seriously. This is a job, a business. It's how I put food on the table for my family.”
“I have expectations. My guys at Central understood this,” he said as he went on to share about his star player Demarco Cobbs. “Marco had it rough. He grew up with nothing. Grew up with not one parent in his house. His mom has been in the pen all her whole life. His father is nowhere to be found. He currently lives with a friend. He never celebrated a birthday. He never celebrated a Christmas. What he has done is work EXTREMELY HARD to get to get where he is right now with 40-50 college scholarship offers.“
Russell continued, “To get to the point where he is, he had to work very, very hard. Marco had to beg to come back after being kicked off the team as a sophomore. I sent him away because he did not want to do what I told him. He begged us and begged us to come back. He accepted his punishment and eventually got back on. At that time, he had some attitude issues, because of not being able to trust many people. After earning his trust, which I hope to do soon here in Idabel, he worked his tail off for us. You can have success, if you are willing to work very hard. Very few kids are willing to pay the price for success but Marco has. He is a tremendous young man.” Russell then revealed his plans to bring Cobbs for a visit and a pep talk with the players.
Coach Russell is also bringing two coaches from Tulsa Central to assist in leading the Warriors ---Jeff Gibson, an offensive line coach and Kevin Rucker, a Booker T. Washington graduate and former league player. Rucker's son K.J., a senior, will be accompanying his father in his move to Idabel.
Schedule changes are also in progress for the upcoming school year. Seventh period will be the assigned practice time for all football players, freshmen through seniors. However, Coach Russell's attention is now focused in the nearer future. His first official day as head coach will be April 6th.
“We're gonna work hard this summer, with four days a week practice.” he stated. “If you have a vacation, you should plan it for the the Fourth of July because we are going to work all summer long. ”
Changing directions, the coach spoke candidly, ”I don't know what went on here in the previous years. Right now, that doesn't really matter to me. I don't really care. What I want right now from this day forward for you guys to take whatever bad experiences you may have had in the past and start over right here – BRAND NEW.”
The coach then addressed questions from the audience. The one question that seemed to be on most folks mind was asked by Idabel High School history teacher Desmond Walls. “What about positions?” he asked. “Are returning players guaranteed their spot or will the positions be open to competition?”
“Open. WIDE open, “ answered Coach Russell. “Whoever is the best player will play. I don't care if you are a freshman or a senior. My deal is about getting players on the field. Getting them eligible. The best players are gonna play. I don't have favorites. My faves make the plays, get the grades and are good citizens.”
Upon a momentary interference, Coach Russell kept his tone steady. “Excuse me, young man,” as he motioned toward one of boys, “When I'm talking. You don't talk. Or else you will do something else besides football.. Do you understand?”
I understood. Coach Russell wasn't merely talking at the young men, he was speaking to them. And I'm pretty sure they were listening.
“Things are gonna be different.” he said as he continued the conversation in earnest. “I'm not some mean guy, I'm very serious about taking this to the NEXT LEVEL. We are going to hold ourselves to a higher standard than in the past. I'm not sure how you've been doing academically but there won't be any more of the problems like in the past here at Idabel High School. You will not act up in classes and you will respect your teachers.”
“I don't joke around about grades. It does no good for the community when twenty percent of our young men do not graduate. That doesn't do anything but bring the property values down.“ he added.
I think the entire room silently gasped; And cheered.
“No more of that. We're gonna study. If we have to put off practice time to study, we will. However, I'm gonna get mine in --- there are lights on the field. We will practice at night but we will not fail our classes. “ he explained.
Oh, wow, I was genuinely impressed before but this gentleman is serious about shaping our players' minds, as well as their bodies. Now, I'm beginning to have some serious hope here.
My instincts tell me that Coach Russell is indeed a man of his word because during his three years at Central, he kept every single football team member eligible. Russell explained to the young men. “ It wasn't something that we even thought about, it was a given that our players were going to be passing their classes or they would not play. We knew that our players were gonna study and get the right grades. We studied, studied, studied.”
Currently, OSSAA requires that athletes only maintain a D average in order to be considered eligible to play sports. Coach Russell then explained that simply being eligible is not enough, “If you want to go to college or do anything in life, you have to make the grades. You can't make Ds or C's you need to make As and Bs.
All around the room, I observed many teachers and adults nodding their heads and smiling in agreement. Me too. And as hard as it was, I managed to resist the urge to tell him to “preach it”.
Next, Coach Russell took note of the many young men wearing hats in the audience and said, “I realize that today is a special day, hat day. From now on, our football players will not wear hats inside the building. That's just how I was raised. It's always the day to be a gentleman.”
Can this guy get any better? He just stole this mama's heart.
“We're gonna turn it around. Get things right.” said Russell, as he brought his conversation to a close. “In the past, I know that you've put your trust in a lot of people but if you will trust me, and I grow to trust and love you, as well, WE CAN DO SOMETHING GREAT HERE. It's not just about building a better football team but better individuals, better students and better community members.”
And all the people said, “Amen”.
So there you have it, Idabel Warrior fans. While Coach Corey Russell has yet to step one foot onto the football field, he has already managed his first touchdown. I am thankful that I had the honor and privilege to witness this momentous event.
Now where are my pom poms?