Bridging the Generation Gap

77, 77, 68, 74, 67, hut? No, it’s not some ill-fated snap count devoted to offensive linemen.

Instead, those are the ages of some of the most respected coaches in the business. Men like John Gagliardi of St. John’s (Minn.) University, Dick Vermeil of the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Paterno of Penn State, Bobby Bowden of Florida State and Lou Holtz of South Carolina.

There’s no doubt about the track record of these men as all are championship-level coaches who have been dominant over the years. But all are three or four times as old as the men they coach on the field. Isn’t it increasingly difficult to lead men when the age differential starts to reach mountainous proportions?

To a man, they all answer with a resounding no, and that’s not surprising. While older coaches can easily talk about their reasons for wanting to stay on the job – it keeps them young, vital and alert – what are the changes they made along the way to keep the players interested. Do today’s players need to be treated differently than they were in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s or 1990s?

John Gagliardi

“I really don’t think so,” said the 77-year-old Gagliardi, who is getting ready to start his 56th season in the coaching business. “What am I going to change? I have to be myself.

“One thing that I know about this business is that you have to be true to yourself. You can’t coach to somebody else’s expectations, you have to coach to your own personality. If you make changes because you think your players want to hear a certain point of view or perspective, then you are going to be in big trouble.”

Gagliardi may be the exact antithesis of what an old-school football coach is supposed to be. Instead of being a rock-tough disciplinarian who goes around scowling at all his players and leveling them with nasty one-liners, he is a thoughtful and peaceful man who is more likely to ask a sophomore quarterback for a play-calling suggestion than he would impose discipline on him.

“My philosophy was formed early in my coaching career,” Gagliardi said. “I never liked to be yelled at. Who does? I don’t know anyone who reacts well to that kind of attitude on a regular basis. Just because I have the title of football coach, does that mean I have to go around imposing my will and making demands. No, it doesn’t. I’ve never coached that way and I think the results have been pretty good. I’m not going to change anything just because I’ve been at it a few years.”

Gagliardi is the winningest coach all-time in college football history, He has a 414-114-11 (.778) collegiate career record and a 390-108-10 (.777) record at SJU. Gagliardi tied the all-time collegiate record, held by former Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson, on Nov. 1 and broke the all-time record on Nov. 8, on the way to a perfect 14-0 season and an NCAA championship.

He has coached four national championship teams (1963, 1965, 1976 and 2003), made the 2000 national title game as well as the 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2001 and 2002 national semifinals. In 2001, Gagliardi became only the third coach in NCAA college football history to coach 500 career games.

Gagliardi’s coaching career began when his high school coach at Trinidad, Colo. Catholic was drafted into World War II, Gagliardi, as captain, took over the reins at the age of 16 in 1943. His teams won four conference titles in Gagliardi’s six years of coaching high school at Trinidad Catholic and St. Mary’s in Colorado Springs.

Gagliardi’s methods are unusual. In addition to his calm, peaceful approach, he does not use blocking sleds or tackling dummies, does not offer scholarships, does not hold spring practices, does not demand that his players go on weightlifting programs, does not blow a whistle in practice, does not ask his players to call him coach (it’s always John) and does not allow tackling in practice.

“This is the way I’ve done it and this is why I still do it this way,” Gagliardi said. “It’s what I believe in. I’m not going to change anything at this point. If I did, I could get myself in trouble.”

Joe Paterno

The most surprising news of the off-season came from Happy Valley this winter when it was announced that Joe Paterno had signed a four-year extension on his contract that will keep him as head coach through the 2008 season.

Paterno is 77 and would reach 81 if he fulfils the full obligation of his contract. In recent years, Paterno has seen his team struggle to match the dominant performance it had in previous decades. Unlike Gagliardi and Vermeil, Paterno has a legion of critics who believe his retirement would be good for the Penn State program.

“It’s disappointing,” said Paul Morrison, a local member of the Nittany Lion Club, a long time season ticket holder and an outspoken critic of Paterno upon the announcement of the extension. “I just haven’t seen the performance on or off the field for the past handful of years. I was hoping to see a change of direction, someone new with more youth and energy.”

But while those on the outside believe Penn State has slipped a notch or two from its halcyon days, even his greatest critics acknowledge that Paterno’s honesty and sense of fairness deserve accolades. He has always been quick to praise his assistants and players in a public way and do as much as he can to give them the spotlight. It’s hard to believe, but Paterno has been coaching at Penn State since 1950, when Harry Truman was in the White House and few people had televisions in their homes.

Paterno has a monstrous list of accomplishments that would be too lengthy to mention here, but like Gagliardi he has tried to prepare his player for a life past the game. Football, Paterno believes, is an outstanding tool to prepare a young man for life once the game is over.

“Just winning is a silly reason to be serious about a game,” Paterno has said. “For a kid still in school, devotion to winning football games at nearly any cost may cripple his mind for life. Institutions of higher learning don’t have the moral right to exploit and mislead inexperienced kids that way.

“The purpose of college football is to serve education,” Paterno said, “not the other way around. I hound my players to get involved. Ten years from now I want them to look back on college as a wonderful time of expanding themselves – not just four years of playing football.”

His critics say he lacks energy, but that is one accusation that simply does not hold up, according to his players. “He’s amazing,” said Penn State junior offensive lineman Andrew Richardson. “I recall one practice this spring. He led us in the warmup lap. He was sprinting. When we were stretching, he was doing sit-ups. He’s what, 77? I don’t know what his secret is, but he’s been the same ever since I’ve been here.”

No doubt that last year’s 3-9 record has led to quite a bit of consternation. But Paterno still wants to put one more great team on the field before he calls it a career.

“The way I feel,” said Paterno. “I’m committed to getting Penn State back to where it belongs. I’d like to have one more great football team. And I think we have the basis. We have a really good, solid, young squad. It isn’t going to be quite that good this year. If we can convince a couple of kids who can make some plays [to sign], I figure we’re going to be right in there again.

Paterno doesn’t care how much his critics howl at him for refusing to step aside. He’s happy just where he is.

Dick Vermeil

There’s a lot more to Vermeil than his well-known reputation for getting emotional. He is known for crying tears of joy when one of his players or coaches accomplishes anything notable and he has been lampooned all over the NFL and by the media for his consistent waterworks.

After the Chiefs rolled through the NFL regular season last year with a 13-3 record, the 67-year-old coach announced that he would be back for the 2004 season. It didn’t matter that he was the oldest coach in the league, he still wants to coach football.

That feeling is fueled by a feeling of regret that Vermeil had following the 1999 season when he retired after the Rams beat the Tennessee Titans to win the Super Bowl.

Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson, one of Vermeil’s closest friends, talked him out of retirement in 2001 and gave him a three-year, $10-million contract. Calling Vermeil “the best coach in the National Football League,” Peterson has said repeatedly that as long as he is general manager of the Chiefs, Vermeil is welcome to be head coach.

“I don’t even know if it will be a one-year contract or not,” Vermeil said. “I just told Carl that I wanted to stay.”

After going 6-10 in 2001 and 8-8 in 2002, Vermeil guided the 2003 Chiefs to a 13-3 regular-season record and the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. He took Philadelphia to the Super Bowl following the 1980 season and guided the Rams to the NFL championship in the 1999 season; he could be the first coach to take three different teams to the Super Bowl.

“I was thinking of how I would feel about four months down the road,” he said. “I decided I would be more apt to regret having left than to regret having stayed.”

Applause broke out when he informed his assistant coaches prior to the Chiefs’ loss to the Colts in the divisional playoffs. He also was encouraged to stay by wife Carol and his players.

“There were a lot of smiling faces in that room,” said Lynn Stiles, vice-president of football operations and another close friend.

“He told me he wants to keep this thing going. So far, this year has been outstanding. And we’re all excited about this season. But there’s no reason why we can’t build next year on what he’s accomplished thus far.

“And this thing about him being 67 years old – he’s 67 years young. He needs to be around these young guys as much as they need to be around him.”

Defensive end Eric Hicks said the team was glad to have him back and dismissed questions about Vermeil’s age. “I’m sure it gets tougher and tougher as the years go by,” he said. “But he’s a unique 67-year-old. You don’t see many 67-year-olds who are in as good a condition as him. I think he can do it for about three or five more years.”

Why do players like Hicks stand behind their coach? Because Vermeil comes at them with an honest and caring approach. He may work them hard and push them to their physical limit - and beyond during the summer - but he does not alter his demands or change his approach in midstream. He is consistent, caring and fair-minded - and his players know what to expect.

That ultimately means more than someone who comes from the same generation as the players he coaches.

Bobby Bowden

Mention the top football programs in the country at any point in the last 15 years and Florida State is always in the list of the top three teams.

Bobby Bowden has been among the smartest and best competitors in the business since coming to Florida State in 1976. His team in 2003 finished with a 10-3 record and earned a spot in the Orange Bowl against traditional rival Miami. That loss may have been a tough way to end the season, but the 74-year-old is not considering retirement.

“I feel great physically,” said Bowden who will turn 75 in November. “I’ve always enjoyed getting to know people, so the recruiting is still a lot of fun for me. I like going into a player’s home and meeting his parents and family. I don’t have any desire to slow down on all the elements outside of the actual game that some people find hard. I understand why it grinds away at some people, but it just doesn’t on me. I guess I’ve always been able to put football in its place.”

He is not afraid to change with the times. He has shown a willingness to adapt different offensive philosophies and his “Fast Break” attacking offense shows he is willing to make changes as the years go by rather than become set in his ways.

Despite the incredible success he has had at Florida State, Bowden has always shared the credit with those around him. His ability to rally and lead his team has been the key to his consistent success.

“Leadership is the ability of a man to inspire others and make them want to follow him,” Bowden said. “I think it is built around having trust in him, and having faith in him. The great leaders I have studied about have two things that separate them from other pretty good leaders. One, they were very compassionate men. Two, they all have great integrity.”

Bowden enjoys all aspects of the coaching process – including the recruiting. He says his joy at meeting new people has more to do with his success than anything else. “I don’t know what my strengths would be except I like people. I really do enjoy people. I hardly ever meet someone I don’t like. I really don’t know anyone I don’t like. I may have disagreements, but I really like everybody. I feel compassion for the downtrodden more so probably than those on top. I also believe in enthusiasm and discipline in everything you do in life, and you coach what you believe.”

That philosophy has put Florida State on the football map in bold type and kept it there for decades. And nobody on the Florida State staff thinks that Bowden is too old to get it done any more.

Lou Holtz

He is more than happy to tell anyone who will listen that on any given Saturday, his South Carolina team could be in over its head as they prepare to play any one of a number of tough SEC opponents.

Crying poor has long been a part of the Lou Holtz M.O. It’s just the way he goes about his business. He does not want to let other’s expectations have an impact on the way he prepares his team, so he often downplays what outsiders have to say. But don’t think for a moment that Holtz doesn’t set high goals for his team or that the years have diminished his desire to succeed.

At 67, Holtz enters his sixth season at South Carolina, he simply will not allow his players to settle for anything less than everything they have to give. Holtz is demanding, but not because he wants to add more wins to his coaching resume. He wants to see his players succeed.

Holtz understands that most of his players will finish their playing career at the collegiate level before they go on to careers outside the games. What they learn on the field and how they perform at key moments can be key indicators for what comes later in life. He asks a lot from his players, but he also asks for even more from himself.

“If you change people, then you’re usually going to change the product on the field,” Holtz said. “In addition, if you’re going to ask somebody else to make a commitment, you’d better be ready to make one yourself.”

As a result, his age is not a barrier. His players see his commitment every day and they fall in lock step.

Holtz has long been college football’s philosopher-king. Nobody has ever questioned his commitment to his team and he has been able to record 243 coaching victories throughout his career because he gets the most out of his players by preaching hard work and correcting mistakes. “No one has ever drowned in sweat,” is one of Holtz’s favorite practice sayings.

Getting a player to talk about himself helps that player understand his own philosophy and helps their confidence level. As a result, that will help those players reach their potential on the field, in the classroom and then later in life.”

That’s how Holtz measures his own success – through his players’ accomplishments