How some of Tennessee’s most tenured high school football coaches have seen the sport change over the years – The Tennessean
How has high school football changed over the past 20 to 30 years?
The USA Today Network – Tennessee talked to long-time tenured coaches across the state about that subject.
Those interviewed include four coaches, who have been at their school for more than 20 years.
The list includes Memphis University School’s Bobby Alston, who is in his 22nd year as coach; Friendship Christian’s John McNeal, who has been there over two coaching stints for 30 years; Knoxville Webb’s David Meske, who is in his 35th year; and Lewis County coach Bobby Sharp, who is in his 32nd year.
Here is our conversation:
How hard is it to be at one place for such a long time?
Alston: You just have to get lucky, I guess. I feel blessed. We’ve had really good players that have made me look smarter than I am. Our coaching staff has been together probably for about 20 years. It’s been good.
Meske: It’s not hard when it’s a great place. The one thing I enjoy is that our kids still say, ‘Yes sir’ and they do what we ask them to do. We’re pretty old school. You have to stress team more than ever. Teamwork is what brings success.
McNeal: The bottom line for longevity is your coaches. You’ve got to have good coaches, and hope they stay.
Sharp: I think it’s getting tougher and tougher because everyone wants to be a coordinator; everyone wants to be a head coach. High school is getting more like college where they expect you to win.
How have you seen technology change football?
Alston: It’s sure made life easier for coaches. You get the film in off the internet. You don’t have to drive 150 miles. Technology has made coaching easier and it’s probably helped the kids some.
Meske: It’s instant. We can watch a play immediately. We’ll see a mistake. We’re not going to wait until our coaches’ meeting on Saturday or Sunday to make a correction.
McNeal: Luckily, I have a young coach that takes care of the technology, especially the past two years where you can visually see things on the sideline (video replays). That’s a big help.”
Sharp: It was 1982, we started computer scouting at Milan. With that, and video editing, it’s brought high school football to the same level of college and pros as far as preparation if you are willing to put the time in.
What is your preference – turf or grass and why?
Alston: We’ve been on turf here for 13 years I think. Turf makes everything the same all the time. You don’t have to worry about the field being different.
Meske: We have turf and I like it because we can play everything on it. We practice on it. For a small school that needs a multi-purpose field, it really has helped us a lot. But when you play on really nice grass, it’s great.
McNeal: If I’m looking at the age I’m at, I’m going to say turf because of painting and cutting (grass), all of the fertilizing to keep the field where it needs to be. Maintenance takes a lot of time from coaches.”
Sharp: I like the grass fields. That’s what I grew up with. I like weather having an effect on a ballgame. You have to work through it and prepare for it.
Has college recruiting changed your job, relationships with players?
Alston: I don’t think recruiting has changed much. Those people that think they know what’s going on as opposed to those that are making those decisions have changed a lot. You hear about kids that have this or that, but it’s not easily verified. It’s the coverage of it that has grown a whole lot.
Meske: When I first started coaching, it wasn’t a big emphasis. There wasn’t a ‘I need to be recruited’ or ‘I need to be a three-star’ or put out Hudl tapes. There was a lot less thinking about the college level and more about the high school experience.
McNeal: I think colleges would tell you, too, it’s not what they want, it’s just what they have to do. The way it’s gone in college, there are so many offers and going out so early before the full development of that player. They are gambling at what size that kid is going to end up being. We’re doing everything we can to help that kid. We are taking our kids to camp. We are doing what we can to promote. I think it’s our job to lead them to a place they can play.
Sharp: None at all. If (college coaches) show up, we see them. We send out film a little more. I still believe if a kid is good enough to play in college, they will find them.
Do you have a social media policy? If so what is it?
Alston: We have a general rule that we try to live by on everything and that’s just do right. That’s our application on social media. If you do something dumb then everyone is going to know about it.
Meske: You are talking to a guy that doesn’t have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or anything like that. I have to rely on our communications office to help us. You have to keep up with the times. It’s become necessary. We are not going to say anything about our opponents in social media.
McNeal: I don’t have a policy, but we have a talk. First day we meet, that’s the first thing we talk about. When you get on social media, you’ve got to know that’s going to be out there. You have to be smart with what you post.”
Sharp: The big thing that I’ve got for them is if I come across something on the Internet and it’s negative, we’re going to call them in and sit them down and talk to them. The big thing we don’t want them to do is give them bulletin board material.
Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.
Published 11:00 PM EDT Sep 5, 2019
