A Coach of Life

Texas legend Gordon Wood reminds coaches it’s not about the money or the wins
by: Scott Kraft
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Texas high school coaching legend Gordon Wood wasn’t interested in talking about the 396 wins, the most by a football coach at any level in history.

“No one with a good record thinks about it,” Wood says when asked about a career that spanned 43 years and resulted in nine state championships in Texas.

Wood began his coaching career at Rule High School in 1940, working his way through Stamford, where he would win his first two championships. He became coach at Brownwood High School in Brownwood, Tex., in 1960, the year he would win the first of his seven additional championships at that school before retiring at age 71 in 1985.

Yet Wood defers talking about his victories, and suggests other successful coaches are the same way.

“If a coach is only interested in winning games, he’s not worth hiring,” Wood says. “Very few coaches are not more interested in the finished product – the kids.”

What a good coach does, Wood believes, is make a fundamental impact on the lives of his players. During our conversation, Wood was far more interested in talking about some of the players he coached in the past.

Of one such player, Roy Spence, who Wood says joined forces with three “hippie” friends who each borrowed $1,000 to start a advertising business now worth closer to a billion dollars. The company, based in Austin, thought of the successful “Don’t Mess With Texas” advertising campaign, Wood proudly notes.

Then there’s former player Charles Stenholm, now a Congressman from Texas. Stenholm introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives in 1999 honoring Wood for his accomplishments.

Wood also speaks highly of coaches who may not win as many games as he did, but will have just as large an impact on the players. One such lesson is in camaraderie.

“Coaching is vitally important. The lessons learned out there are unbelievable,” Wood says. “Players have to learn how to get along, how to work extra hard to be a part of a team, not an individual. More people fail because they can’t get along with others than for any other reason.”

For coaches today, Wood starts with the advice that the record isn’t always the only mark of a coach’s excellence. He believes you’ll see much better rewards from watching your players grow up to be successful in life.

Of course, winning can’t be discounted from what will make you a successful coach. Boosters, fans and schools often look to the bottom line record to judge a coach, which is why Wood says it’s important to look for a situation that offers you the best chance for success.

“Be honest with your head coach, and ask him to be honest with you. If you don’t agree with his philosophies, go find yourself another job,” Wood says when asked what advice he’d offer younger coaches. “Don’t think you’re going to change the head coach. Make sure you agree with him.”

Then there is the matter of the wife. Wood doesn’t mince words when offering advice to young married coaches.

“Wives cause more coaches to fail than any other reason,” he says emphatically. “These are the wives who can’t stand for their husbands to be gone every night for any reason.”

And between practice, games, planning, watching tape and visiting with boosters, most coaches are gone plenty of evenings.

That said, Wood isn’t down on wives, because he is also quick to point out they are essential to a coach’s successes.

“Wives are vitally important in winning,” Wood says. “Any good coach will have a wife who is extremely strong and extremely supportive.”

His thoughts aren’t contradictory, but plain spoken in a manner befitting a successful long-time coach who has seen it all. If you’re wife complains that you’re always spending time with the football team, and she strongly wishes you would get into something else, it will have a negative impact.

Likewise, the long hours and commitment necessary to be a successful coach, while balancing life’s many other activities, call for a wife who is willing to do her part to help you be successful with your coaching endeavors.

Success can sometimes translate into continued salary growth. Salaries for top level professional and major college coaches continue to increase as teams and universities are willing to pay more to field a winner in the fall.

But if visions of giant paychecks are dancing in your head while you’re trying to draw up plays, forget about them.

“Looking to get rich? Don’t get into coaching. You’re not going to make a lot of money and that’s all there is to it,” Wood says. “Salary is important. But what’s more important is having a chance to win. In some places, there is no chance to win. In other places, there is not the best chance. You want to have a chance to win.”

Gordon Wood should know. Given a chance to win, he did it more than any football coach in history

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