how to run a succesful football program

bigrobdsp · September 21, 2006

these are the 12 prinicples that Bill Snyder laid out in a speech to the college coaches association last year. in my opinion this is the way to build and maintain a college football program:

1. I promise we will get better every day.

2. Be where you are.

3. We must have the total commitment from the president of our university.

4. This is the most complicated time in history for our young people. There is an epidemic of teen suicide in our country. For teens, the single most prescribed medication is for depression.

5. Bring better people and better students into the program every day. Find a way.

6. Involve as many people as possible.

7. Build a wonderful relationship with the faculty. Our goals are the same as faculty goals.

8. Perseverance is a must.

9. Expectations are established by the leader. I will set the example.

10. Tamp down limitations. Find ways to eliminate each one.

11. Have the players understand they will not be judged by the scoreboard. We will assess progress.

12. I will make the decision most beneficial to our program … every time

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/stor...ht&lid=tab2pos3

Arkstfan · September 21, 2006

That is why I am so tickled to have Steve Roberts and Dean Lee at ASU.

You cannot go to a function where our AD speaks where his talk will not include a list of academic accomplishments. At his request when they had the pep rally to get the invite to the New Orleans Bowl it started with the presentation of the Sun Belt academic trophy to the football team.

When Josh Williams didn't want to make some meetings on time and didn't want to do the punishment he was booted from the team and spent a year out of football paying his own way to school. He was a freshman all-american linebacker and could have transferred, could have gone I-AA and played immediately, instead he stuck it out. He is a better player for that.

I got to meet the parents of our running back Reggie Arnold. The dad played four years at Purdue and he said that a huge factor in the recruiting process was that the coaches never lied and never blew smoke about what they thought he could do and how they projected him to develop. They didn't always LIKE the answers, but appreciated the truth.

Rick Minter once said that the hardest part about rebuilding at Cincinnati was recruiting. He said he had no trouble at all finding stud players willing to come, what he discovered was that there was a reason Cincinnati was still in the hunt. They were guys who had been in trouble or who had a lousy work ethic and the bigger names had lost interest. He said that he started passing on them as well because they were more trouble than they were worth. He said the quickest way to destroy a team is to have a star who is so much better than the rest of the team that he can he can loaf and still be the best player and then choose to play him over the guy busting his tail every snap in practice who isn't as good, because that teaches the team they don't have to be the hardest working, just good enough to be better than the other guy.