By Staff
Coaching Management, 9.1, February 2001, http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/cm/cm0901/qaarbinger.htm
A catcher during his college career at Bowling Green University, Rich Arbinger became Head Coach at Start High School in Toledo, Ohio, in 1976. Since then, his teams have racked up an impressive record of 578-162, capturing Division I state titles in 1994 and 2000.
Perennially listed in USA Today’s Top 25 rankings, Start has sent several players into the college ranks. Among them are Arbinger’s two sons, Mike and Jason, who both attended Ohio University. In the following interview, Arbinger, who also teaches math at Start, talks about the national rankings, his approach to multi-sport athletes, and advising his players on college recruiting.
CM: Did you become a head coach right out of college?
Arbinger: I sold cars for a year. But I was always interested in coaching, and luckily a principal here took a chance on a young 24-year-old. I’ve been here ever since.
Have you always striven to create self-sustaining excellence for your program?
It wasn’t a goal. When I first started coaching, I liked baseball a lot and I just wanted to coach and create the best team I could. I try to do the same thing today. I want to make sure the kids have fun, which is the number-one goal, and then we also hope to do well each year.
What’s the biggest coaching challenge that you regularly face?
That every year is different; it’s not like a pro team where you have the same players every year. In high school you might have some players return, but I’ve never had a year where I’ve had the whole roster back. That makes coaching hard, because there is no one style that always works. Something might work with one group of kids and not with another, and the tough part is to figure out what style works with the team you have.
There’s been some talk of declining interest in baseball, and that some student-athletes would rather play other sports. Have you noticed that at your school?
Not really. At our school, a lot of kids like and play baseball, so I don’t feel like we’re losing kids to other sports. In fact, I encourage my athletes to play two sports, and if someone’s thinking about playing a third sport he’s really outstanding in, I tell him to go ahead and do it. But if he’s going to be a starter in two sports and sit on the bench in the third, maybe he ought to think about dropping that third one. Competing in three sports is very tough, in my opinion. But I encourage two. It’s all the same thing—catch the ball, run fast, jump high.
What advice do you give your players regarding college recruiting?
“Play well and get good grades. If you do those two things, you’re going to get a scholarship.” I don’t get involved in their choices, though. I tell them to take their visits and then let them make their own decisions. Because I don’t want to push them in any one direction.
Do you have a big coaching staff?
I have nine assistants. A couple of them are paid, the rest are volunteers.
How do you attract so many volunteers?
I just ask around. I’m looking for people who can get along with teenagers, know the game, and have a desire to coach baseball. Then, I talk to them to see where their interests lie and what their strengths are. But over the years, it seems like people have wanted to come on board. This team has had a good run for a while, and people want to help out when you’re doing well.
What’s your approach to motivating your players?
Some kids need a pat on the back, and others need a kick in the behind. You have to find out what works best for each kid. I do all different kinds of drills. One year, a drill could work for a group, but then the next group might not like it. You have to figure out which drills work with the group you have.
Did coaching your sons present a challenge?
Not really. I treated them like any of the other players. If they did well, I patted them on the back, and if they didn’t do so well, I got on them a little bit. But it was pretty easy because they were a couple of the best players on the team. If a coach’s son or daughter was one of the marginal players on his or her team, there could be some hard feelings if things weren’t handled right, but in my case, everyone could see that they deserved to play.
What’s your take on national rankings such as those in USA Today? Do you think they put too much pressure on high school kids?
I think they’re a good idea. Everyone looks at the polls, just like for college sports. Are the polls wrong or right? Who knows? But it does create fan interest in the sport. However, my players don’t really talk about them a lot, even though we’ve been ranked for a number of years. Sometimes one of the teachers around school will make a comment, but it’s not an everyday thing.
What was it like to win the state championship last year?
You can’t imagine what it feels like to win a state championship until you’ve won one. A high school state championship—in any sport—is a great thrill for coaches, parents, players, and everyone involved.
Your daughter is a successful athlete in volleyball and softball at Start. Has that given you any perspective on Title IX?
I haven’t really thought about it much, but I think girls should be able to play sports just as much as the guys do.
What are your future goals as a coach? Would you ever consider coaching college baseball?
I’d like to coach here as long as possible. If a good offer came along, I’d have to look at it, but I’m not actively pursuing another job.