Following the examples of Charlie, James, James & Henry....building relationships & healthy attitudes about ethnicity

Charlie Mayfield running for a Touchdown, early 70's

We started this in Mercer County Schools a couple weeks ago and are off to a really good start. 

Goal: To help form & promote positive attitudes about ethnicity for our youngest students in Mercer County Schools.

Action: Every Thursday morning, 2 or 3 football players (and include possible expansion to other student-athletes and potentially all students) will eat breakfast with students at MCES.  The high school students that attend the breakfast will be of diverse ethnic backgrounds. The topic of conversation does NOT need to be about ethnicity or “race.”  What we want is very simple… friendly conversation and acts of kindness between the elementary students and the football players.

Rationale: We want to promote positive interactions and attitudes for our youngest students, before their heads are filled with stereotypes and negative messages regarding people of other ethnicities. The basis of this goes back to my experiences with my Dad’s players when I was 4, 5, 6 & 7 years old. Before my brain was tarnished by prejudice & false information, guys like Charlie Mayfield, Henry Ewing, James Tarrance & James Scruggs taught me the truth through their kindness, friendship and positive words to me at a very young age.  If we ever discussed racism or ethnicity, I don’t remember that. But, what I DO remember is how they treated me and that is what has made all the difference!

For me, one of the biggest highlights was the reaction of our players. One afternoon I explained to some of our older guys what we wanted to do and why.They immediately began to speak up and volunteer. I am exceptionally proud of their leadership and their willingness to help and serve others.

We have much work to do at Mercer County, on and off the field. But, we are working at it and I am blessed to be coaching wonderful young men who want to serve others and make our community better now and in the future!

Xenith Shadow- new helmet for 2019

Here is the new Xenith Shadow helmet for 2019. I've been a fan of Xenith from the beginning. The helmet works with shock absorbers instead of padding. Also, the shock absorbers are in a bonnet that is pulled around your head when you fasten the chinstrap, separating your head from the helmet shell.

Mercer County HS became the first Xenith Elite football program in the nation last spring. Ron Tanner is our rep and has been outstanding. Ron played DB for Ohio State's National Championship team, coached by Urban Meyer.

If you want to get Xenith Shadows for your team this season, you can contact Ron on twitter or his email at rtanner@xenith.com.

We are fired up for spring practice and to begin using the Xenith Shadow!

The Trade Off

Every summer when we get a family beach picture, my initial reaction is "great looking family, but who is the old, bald fat guy?"  Sadly the answer is me. 

I am not a fan of getting old. Gaining weight is balanced out by losing hair. Aches & pains replace energy. But, there is a silver lining. One of the overwhelming positives of getting older is gaining experience. Another huge positive is the building of relationships over a long period of time.  

Yesterday, we had our BEST Quarterback Camp ever. The camp began in 2002. Why was it the best?  One reason is that through trial & error, the drills, process, fundamentals, etc have been refined and improved over a 17 year period. When we have camp again on June 14th, that will be our best camp. We always use what we learn to improve.  As a head football coach, the 2019 season should be the best job I've ever done as a head coach. I've never gone into a season with 27 years of head coaching experience a long with 6 years experience as an assistant coach. There is no replacement for experience and what you learn as each day passes.

Another reason we had our best camp ever is the staff we had. The Quarterback Camp staff has expanded from one (me) to six of us yesterday.  All six of those guys are the son's of football coaches. One of them, my son, Trosper, is the GRANDSON of a football coach.  Four of the six staff members had been through the camp.  We were incredibly efficient yesterday and the kids got a boatload of reps. We transitioned through drills very quickly and there was no wasted time. You have to do camp for several years to have alumni coaching it. The guys on our camp staff yesterday love kids and football. The campers responded extremely well to our guys coaching them. I was exceptionally proud and pleased with the overall efficiency, productivity, and improvement the kids made through out the day.

By now, I've been fortunate to coach several hundred football players at Mercer County, Mason County, Paris, the Kentucky All Stars and Quarterback Camp. I really enjoy the relationships I have with many of those players today. It is fun to follow their success and see them become husbands & fathers. 

QB Camp yesterday physically kicked my tail. We worked very hard to do a good job for the kids.

As much as I hate the negatives of getting older, I would not give up the benefit of experience and what goes with it.  The relationships built with players and coaches over all of these years ... no, I would not trade them to be younger. 

This summer, maybe I can be the one BEHIND the camera for the family beach picture.  Or, I will wear a hat and stand in the back. 😀

Parents... what do you praise in your children...Process or Results?

For this blog entry, I could have used some pictures of my kids and their achievements or accomplishments.  All parents enjoy those times with their children and could do the same as me. Those are great moments....results!

Instead, here is a picture of one of Trosper's 2018 Christmas gifts, a weighted football. I took the picture on Friday night, 2/1/2019, after another one of his extra workouts he does on his own.  The football is filthy and already showing signs of wear. He is working his tail off to be the best he can be as a quarterback and football player.  This particular workout on this Friday night, I really enjoyed watching him. In addition to his passing work, he ran the same play over and over on air. First to the left. Then to the right. That type of dedication and focus gets me fired up as a coach. 

I have tried to make a conscious effort to praise my kids for the character traits that lead to success. When they are working hard, being kind to others, being unselfish, being determined, etc. I praise that behavior. I praise them for things that are in their control. 

When they have success, we celebrate it. It could be a victory, an A, getting a job, making all state, winning a pageant, etc. Results are celebrated and that is ok. But PRAISE is for their character and the things they can control. 

I communicate this directly to them and tell them why I praise what I praise. They need to know that. 

Now, I LOVE them no matter what they do. Why?  The same reason God loves me. I am a child of God. He loves me no matter what I do. These are my children.  I love them no matter what they do. 

Part of my strategy in doing this is that I want them to ENJOY what they do. When they play a football game, I want them to know I am already proud of the effort. My sons don't have to earn my praise or approval on Friday nights. If they play well, that is great and we will celebrate it. But, I am proud of the effort that goes into being the best they can be. 

I also have an ulterior motive in this approach... I am trying to eliminate the pressure of pleasing me or making me proud so they can perform better. Often, they will do that on their own and I try to get them to get that out of their head. But, I also know that if they will focus on playing the game and enjoying it, that will improve their performance. 

As a coach, I tell our players the same thing. The pressure is to PREPARE , Monday through Thursday the absolute best they can. Friday nights should be fun!

Watch your kids this week. Catch them doing what is right, and make sure they know you saw it! Often times, it is like pouring gasoline on a fire. The results will follow when you praise the process and the character.  It works, and it is right for your kids!

Vince Kinder... Harrodsburg HS Football ... and a kick in the "tail"

Vince Kinder, early 70s, Harrodsburg HS
photo from Danville Advocate Messenger

Tonight I was with a group of our coaches at Casa Grande here in Harrodsburg. A gentlemen comes up to me, asks if I am David Buchanan, and introduces himself as Vince Kinder.

Vince was an outstanding player at Harrodsburg HS in the early 70s. I remember my Dad talking about him.

He proceeds to tell me how much he thought of my Dad and then a story I had never heard before.

One night when my Dad was the head football coach at Boyle, Vince made a tackle on the Boyle sideline in  a muddy ball game. According to Vince, my Dad kicked him in the "tail'" and said... "Nice tackle Kinder. Next time don't make it so close to me!"

Vince told me that when he would see my Dad since that ballgame, they would tell that story and laugh about it.

That was a new one for me. But, I can see my Dad doing that. I wouldn't do that now, of course. But, in the early 70's, I can see that happening, and it not being that big of a deal.

Incidents like tonight are one of my favorite things about being back in my hometown. Every time I hear a new story on my Dad, or someone comes up to talk about him, for just a second, it feels like my Dad is standing next to me.  Really can't put into words how wonderful those moments are and I am very thankful for them.

What is your leadership model..... develop or discard? Thank you Curtis Wren

August, 1982 photo by Larry Vaught

The summers of my junior and senior year in high school, I was fortunate to have a job working for Clyde Jackson in his cornfields. Morris Allen Stewart is Clyde's son in law. Morris Allen and my Dad had coached together at Boyle County. Coach Stewart helped me get that job.

When I got back to Mercer County, I told Coach Stewart I wanted Trosper to work in the cornfields like we did. He told me that no one does that anymore!

In the summers of 1981 and 1982, I was a corn roguer for Mr. Jackson. We would walk through cornfields and chop out the bad corn. Toward the end of July, the corn could get pretty high. It was a hot dirty job.

Another job we would do was to detassel corn. Physically, that was a much easier job. We would ride a machine (highboy) above the corn and remove the tassels from the top of the corn.  The faster you could detassel, the faster the machine could move. And, missing a tassel was not good. It meant the entire machine moving backwards.

My problem with both jobs was that I was an uncoordinated, clumsy, unathletic subdivision kid. You might as well have told me to fly a jet airplane. When it came to tobacco, all I could do was load and unload wagons. I would have definitely lost an arm or leg cutting tobacco. The over/under on me to fall out of the top of a barn housing tobacco would have been about 30 minutes.

My foreman working for Mr. Jackson was Curtis Wren. Curtis didn't say a whole lot, but he did a good job of letting us know what needed to be done. Especially at the beginning, I missed a bunch of corn that needed to be chopped out when we would rogue corn.  And, if the entire highboy was backing up for a missed tassel, it was probably my fault.

I know Curtis got really frustrated with me, but he gave me a chance to get better. I found out later from others that even though I started off pretty bad, he knew I was trying and wanted to give me a chance.  He never told me that. I found that out years later.

Looking back on it, I think it is a miracle that I kept that job the first year and then got hired back for a second summer.

Over the years, when I may get frustrated with an assistant coach or player, I think about Curtis.  I start the same way Curtis started with me.... does the guy have good intentions?  Does he want to be here?  Is he doing the best he can?  Can he be successful down the road?

As leaders, we can discard people or develop them. If at all possible, my choice has been and will be to develop them...if they WANT to be there and are there for the right reasons. From a very practical standpoint, no organization has perfect people. In our football program, if we eliminate everyone with significant flaws, the head football coach will be the first guy out the door.  We will always be starting over with new people because everyone we hire will have their flaws or issues. But, most of those same individuals will bring a skill set and passion to the organization to make it grow stronger. For me, if a guy loves kids and loves football, we can work on the rest of it.

I am really glad Curtis hung in there with me. I also am thankful for the head coaches, principals, and superintendents that have hung in there with me and been patient over the years. I wish Trosper could get the same experience and benefits I got from those cornfields. Now, I do NOT want to go back to work in those cornfields again! But, I am thankful for those hot summers and that I had a boss that believed I could do it. I had no idea that I was learning about leadership in those cornfields, but I have applied that lesson often over the years. Thank you Curtis Wren.

Chris Mason: Send me an Open Response... and are you ok?

Mondays after a loss are tough. Probably the hardest one of all was November 25, 2002. The previous Friday we had lost to Russell in the state quarterfinals, 11-8.Earlier in the season, Russell had defeated us for the district championship 12-7. Our 2002 Royals only lost those two games and had defeated 3A Finalist Rockcastle County in the Bob Allen Pigskin Bowl. We had been ranked #1 for the first time in school history. The 2002 Royals were very good and we were devastated that our season was over.

That morning in class I received an email from my good friend Chris Mason. Chris was a football coach and history teacher at Boyle County HS.  Chris's email said he needed some good open response questions and could I send him one. I wasn't sure what to think, but I found one and send it. A few minutes later, another email. Chris says, "that was a good one, can you send me another one?"  I dig up one more and send it to him.

About 5  minutes later, my classroom phone rings.... it is CHRIS MASON. He says, "Are you OK?" I say, "No, I am not. We got beat 11-8 Friday night. What do you think??"  He says, "Well, I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were all right."

As it turned out, the open response emails were just his way of checking on me. He knew I would not handle that loss well.

Tonight, Chris Mason and his 7 state title rings get inducted into the Boyle County Rebel Hall of Fame. He had a GREAT career coaching at Boyle and now does a super job as the Principal of Bullitt East HS. All of that is great, and I am certainly very proud of him. But, most of all, I am thankful for a great friend that has been keeping an eye on me for a long time.

Congratulations Chris!