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AFM Magazine


Letter From the Publisher

GREAT COACHES DO NOT HAVE TO WEAR HOUNDS TOOTH HATS
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In August over a lunch of bar-b-q ribs, a friend of mine asked me a question that seemed innocuous enough and easy to answer, but upon reflection became the genesis for the theme of this issue of the magazine. My buddy, Ian Wylie, a business executive and astute football aficionado, offhandedly asked, "Who is the best coach in football?"

Quickly, in my mind, I began to create the list of the usual suspects: Shannahan, Billick, Bowden, Spurrier, Stoops, Carr, Brown, etc.. All of these coaches are big-time winners at the top of all lists of winning percentages.

Then just as quickly, and much to my surprise, I composed a list of coaches I feel are the equals of the more famous group I initially considered. Coaches that few people outside the game would know, much less define as some of the best in the business. This list included coaches like Mike Kelly at Dayton, Southern Mississippi's Jeff Bower, Paul Johnson at Georgia Southern, Tony DeMeo at Washburn University in Kansas, and Frank Lenti at Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago.

All of the coaches referred to are great tacticians and teachers. Some win most of their games, while others struggle to remain competitive. Their insights are coveted on the lecture and clinic circuit, and when they win, they do so with support and facilities far less than the top of the line, and generally far less than what their competition has available.

The point of this lunchtime analysis was: There are great coaches in every league and conference and at all levels of play and just because their names may not appear in USA Today or sit high atop the list in the NCAA Fact & Record Book does nothing to minimize the accomplishments of these men. So, I decided to create an issue of the magazine examining great coaches, doing great things and who deserve acknowledgement for a consistent job well done.

Someone much wiser than me once said, Before you judge someone, walk a mile in their shoes." "That thought is certainly applicable when looking at what makes a great coach. I knew we needed to look at coaches and their respective working conditions, and not just their records.

Some teams and programs are destined to have success. They have history, money, facilities and support going for them. On the other hand, I have seen how Jeff Bower wins year-after-year with facilities below an average high school in Texas. And, I have witnessed firsthand the alchemy performed by Tony DeMeo at a school in the heart of Topeka, Kansas that gets few athletes, has tough academic standards and seemingly always gives the conference big boys a run for their money on Saturday afternoons in the fall. These men and countless others manufacturing wins, building character and selling the virtues of competition are great coaches who deserve recognition; thus this issue of American Football Monthly saluting coaches you should know and appreciate.

I certainly do not know every great coach, but I do know that winning is not the only measure of success and all great coaches are not named Woody, Bo, Ara, JoePa or Bear.

Sincerely,

Barry Terranova






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