My Football Background

My journey in football began when I was very young. I had played other sports, but I was always a little too physical for them. My soccer coach recognized that and suggested I give football a try. That advice changed everything. Football gave me a place where my physical nature was not a problem-it was an advantage.

Starting at the age of 8 through college and beyond, football became a constant in my life. As a kid, my dad insisted I learn how to catch an NFL football before learning how to catch a youth football. My dad instilled a toughness and matter-of-factness in me from a very young age. He felt that if I could catch the pro ball first, then I could catch “anything”. He wanted me to be tough, and he didn’t allow me to make excuses. He expected me to learn, adapt, and keep going no matter what.

I played Pop Warner football for 6 years and, at 16, began coaching Pop Warner after my junior year high school football practices were over. I was constantly consumed by the sport, trying to be the best coach and player possible. The lessons I learned on the field and on the sidelines as a coach back then built the foundation for my work ethic, discipline, and determination for years to come.

After playing half of my senior season with what I didn’t know at the time was a torn rotator cuff, I missed a year of football to recover. After I recovered, I decided to join another team; that was the United States Marines. Without getting into too much detail about my time in service, this was teamwork and camaraderie on another level. This was no longer a game. Everything you train and work for depends on you and your fellow Marines’ survival if and when you face combat. It was an honor to serve, and I think about my time in there often; I wonder where some of those guys are to this day.

After my military service ended, I went to Antelope Valley College for two years and eventually transferred to Eastern Oregon and Union College in Kentucky. Those were rough times in my life, and I ended up getting homesick at both transfer schools, essentially ending my playing days.

In 2003, my brother was a junior in high school, and I took him in one day to meet the coaches at a local school. I noticed when we pulled in that the Junior Varsity team was in a bit of disarray, and I didn’t want him going through that. The varsity coaches were impressed with my brother’s size and wanted him to go straight up to the varsity level, which ended the worry of the JV situation. Being that I’m always looking for a challenge, I asked the varsity coach of almost 30 years if I could help their younger squad out. After the interview process, I was hired, and by the second season (my first year as head coach), we went undefeated for the first time in school history. These two years with these kids were some of the best years of my life. They, like the Marines I served with, echo through my mind all the time.

Today, I use these life experiences to evaluate athletes, identify both their strengths and areas for improvement, and provide the guidance they need to elevate their game. Every player has untapped potential—it just takes the right coaching and direction to bring it out. Let’s get to work!