By Dennis Read
Dennis Read is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management Magazine.
Coaching Management, 9.5, August 2001, http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/cm/cm0905/history.htm
There’s a show business adage that a performer should never take the stage after children or animals because they’re such hard acts to follow. Although coaches don’t have to worry about following these favorites, many subscribe to a similar philosophy when it comes to taking over for a legendary coach.
And that’s an understandable philosophy. A plateful of scrutiny comes with every coaching job, but when following a legend, the plate can become a serving platter. Every move is compared to the way it was done before, and even if your new way is better, it’s still different. In addition, at some schools, anything less than a state or national title will be considered a disappointment by fans.
“Whenever you take over a program there are usually three things that can happen,” says Terry Gibbons, who in 1995 inherited the head coaching position at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 27-year veteran Ken Anderson. “You can take a good program and drive it into the ground, you can take a poor program and build it up, or you can take a good program and maintain its success. And I think the last is the toughest of the three to do, because of the expectations that are already in place.”
And these pressures aren’t limited to collegiate programs. A coach taking over for a legendary high school coach in a small town may find questions and criticism coming from the people he or she sees every day instead of newspaper columnists and faceless talk radio callers.
But just as some guest has to talk to David Letterman immediately after “Stupid Pet Tricks,” someone will have to take over for a departing icon. And coaches who have stepped into those jobs say that if approached correctly, it can be a rewarding and successful experience.
In fact, the qualities it takes to successfully follow a legend are the same as it takes to succeed in any coaching job—the ability to motivate, communicate, teach, and of course, win. Yet, when replacing a legend, those qualities must be supplemented by a few more—confidence, a respect for the past, and perhaps most importantly, the support of your predecessor.
First Source of Guidance
While some coaches are understandably wary of taking over for a legendary figure, there are many success stories among coaches who have done just that. And one thing most of these coaches have had in common is the support of their predecessors.
“The coach being replaced is as important as the person who replaces him,” says Jason Rabedeaux, who took over the storied program at the University of Texas-El Paso after 38-year veteran Don Haskins retired in 1999. “Some guys aren’t comfortable with people taking over for them. Some of them may want that new person to not have success so they look good.”
Fortunately, few exiting coaches are bitter enough to try to undermine their successor. And those who have taken over the reins say the former coach can actually be an invaluable resource in terms of helping the players adjust to the new coach, getting fans and colleagues behind the new leadership, and providing insight on the program as a whole.
As a young coach in his first head coaching job, Rabedeaux has been especially grateful for Haskins’ help. “He’s been a tremendous wealth of knowledge and an unbelievable resource for me,” Rabedeaux says. “Not just from a technical basketball standpoint, but from an understanding of the job I have in front of me. Sure, Coach Haskins is known as one of the greatest defensive tacticians of all time, but 38 years of coaching Division I basketball teaches you a lot of things about dealing with people, too. That’s where he’s really a great resource.”
Guilford College Head Coach Butch Estes and Port St. Joe (Fla.) High School Head Coach Ronald Bradley experienced similar support from the coaches they followed, finding they were not only a bridge to colleagues, but also a willing source of guidance.
“At the first faculty meeting, Coach Jensen got up, introduced me, and said ‘This is a great guy who deserves your support,’” says Estes, who was already friends with outgoing coach Jack Jensen before taking the job at Guilford. “And he told me, ‘I’ll be here when you need me, but I will never bother you. If you ask, I’ll respond, but if you don’t ask, I won’t interfere.’ And many, many times I have been in his office asking his advice, and he’s just been wonderful. He’s been a real help with the internal politics on the campus.”
“I tried to involve Coach Eppinette more than he wanted to be involved,” Bradley says of Vernon Eppinette, who won five state titles in his final seven years at Port St. Joe. “He made a point of staying out of the way, even though I told him early on I wanted him to come to all the games. I wasn’t intimidated by him being around our kids, because he was a plus. When there was something I didn’t understand, such as the schedule mechanics, he’d always have the answer. He’s a fine man and we were fortunate he was here.”
The outgoing coach can also set the tone for fans by supporting the program—helping to reduce, although certainly not eliminate, griping or carping. At UTEP, the fans have generally followed the lead of their coaching legend.
“Coach Haskins is our biggest fan,” Rabedeaux says. “And I think that’s where I scored an A+ in my situation. He comes to every game and sits there in the tunnel. Coach Haskins wants UTEP to win, and because of that, it’s been a lot easier for me.”
And finally, the outgoing coach, if so inclined, can provide valuable and honest insight on administrative support and facility needs as a new coach negotiates an initial contract. For example, he or she will be able to say if the program struggled because of a lack of assistants, facility problems, or an insufficient budget—putting the new coach in a position to obtain better resources.
Getting to Know You
While having the outgoing coach as an ally can certainly ease the reception in town, successors emphasize that new coaches must also make efforts to win allies on their own merits. From the locker room to the corner store, a new coach can only overcome speculation about his or her character, program direction, and philosophy by taking the time to talk with people face to face. Because, as those who have been through it can attest, when you’re stepping in for a legend, it takes more than wins alone to gain the favor of the players and the public. It also requires communicating your intentions and revealing your personality.
Rabedeaux faced a particularly difficult challenge in getting to know the players at UTEP. He was named the head coach in September, leaving him only six weeks to assemble a staff, learn the lay of the land, and become familiar with his players.
“Sometimes when you take over a job, there are some kids in the program that you have recruited or otherwise know,” Rabedeaux says. “But I didn’t know a soul in El Paso, and I didn’t know a single one of those kids on the team or what made them tick. And they didn’t know me.”
Bradley, who also started late, faced further obstacles when the Port St. Joe football team made the state playoffs, keeping several players out of basketball even longer. “It’s hard to sell your ideas for a program when you can’t spend time with the kids,” Bradley says. “And I would say that was one of the biggest challenges my staff faced. But we gave the youngsters we had a lot of written materials and spent time with them. And once the other guys came back from football, I spent time talking with them as well.”
Robert Pope, who recently finished his first season at Danville (Ala.) High School where he followed 37-year veteran Wayne Bowling, made sure the interpersonal groundwork was laid before he blew his single whistle or diagrammed a single play. “We went in the classroom and had lots of talks with the team,” Pope says. “Some times, I just talked to them informally about many different things. But the talks always came back to the team and that we needed to all pull together for one goal, which was to help each other and get better.”
“[Putting the team at ease] takes more than a couple of player meetings and getting them behind closed doors in the office,” Rabedeaux says. “They need to see who you are and how you react. They need to see what your character is not only in good times, but also in adverse situations, because that’s when true colors come out. And we had to work through that until we got to know each other.”
At Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Gibbons had already worked with his players as an assistant coach under Anderson before taking over, but he, too, worked to enhance dialogue with his athletes. “I guess I’m probably more of a players’ coach,” he says, “I knew what the kids were going through, so I innately picked up some apprehensions. But you must break down the wall of silence with your kids and open a line of communication. I especially had to do that during my first two years as head coach, so that when I sat down and talked to them, they were open and honest with me.”
It’s also important to reach out to fans and others with ties to the program. Failure to do so risks jeopardizing the support that is so critical to your integration into the program.
“That can happen if you neglect the people who are important to the program, the ones who make up its bloodline,” Rabedeaux says. “I was really careful as I came in to make sure that I didn’t run anybody over and that I didn’t neglect anybody. Because there may be a seemingly minor person out there who has had a big part in UTEP basketball.”
“One of the first things I did was make a list of the important people in the community, and I then went to visit with those people,” Bradley says. “That way, they knew who I was and knew that I did care about the kids. I spent a lot of time building those relationships because that was important, and one of the strengths of Port St. Joe is that community support.”
“I picked up the phone and called former players and coaches and told them that I wanted to thank them for their success, their hard work, and their sacrifices,” Rabedeaux says. “I also told them, ‘Now it’s time for me to take care of this program. But I appreciate all that you have done to make the program what it is and you are welcome any time.’ If you don’t do something like that, people on the outside are going to form their own opinions. But if you communicate and reach out, you’ll hopefully corral a few more allies.”
Be True to Yourself
Another piece of advice offered by coaches who have followed legends is a simple one: be yourself. “Coach Eppinette encouraged me to do my own thing—not try to come in and copy what he had done,” Bradley says. “Each coach has his own personality and it’s hard to do what someone else believes in if you don’t believe in it. Obviously we didn’t do some things as well as Coach Eppinette’s teams, but we probably did some things that they had not done in the past.”
“You have to be comfortable with who you are,” Gibbons says. “You can’t change your makeup or try to emulate someone else.”
Being yourself is often easier said than done, though. Anyone replacing a legendary coach, from one in the national spotlight to a small-town fixture, will constantly be compared to the previous coach. Avoiding those comparisons is impossible; facing them head-on is not.
“Sometimes, people would tell me, ‘Coach Bowling wouldn’t have done that,’” Pope says. “And I would tell them, ‘I’m not Coach Bowling, and I have to do it my way.’ It’s easy to try to be like the previous coach, but you can’t do that. You have to coach the way you coach and be yourself.”
“When you follow a good coach, there’s always going to be comparisons,” Gibbons says. “I didn’t really mind the comparisons, though, because if you’re going to be compared to someone, you might as well be compared to a great coach.”
Making Change
Notwithstanding the importance of being yourself, few coaches would come in and make wholesale changes to a successful program simply to start doing things his or her way. Habits—both good and bad—die hard, especially at the high school level where players may know only the one style of play that has been practiced for as long as anyone can remember.
“Sometimes, you may have to wait a year and gradually put your system in,” Pope says. “Then, the next year you can put in some more. But it can’t be done as quickly as if you’re following someone who coached for two or three years, then left.”
There are many reasons why changes need to approached gradually. Some people, including athletes, simply do not like change. Student-athletes accustomed to a very structured environment where decisions were made for them may struggle when asked what direction they would like the program to go. Other players may be concerned whether their skills will match a new style of play and how that will affect their playing time. And sometimes, athletes may see sweeping changes as a sign that the new coach doesn’t feel secure in what he or she is doing.
“You have to be careful because if you change too much, kids may see that as fear,” Gibbons says. “We had kind of a young team when I became head coach, so we slowly made changes and adopted the things that we felt would create the success we wanted to achieve. Is it going to be a quick-result type of thing? No, it isn’t. It’s something that’s going to have to gradually take place over time.”
The initial changes to broach may be as simple as adjusting the practice routine or adding a few new offensive sets. But a smooth transition depends on your ability to recognize when you’re moving ahead too fast, and your willingness to adjust.
“We looked at running a motion offense, but realized we were trying to put it in too quickly,” Pope says. “So we had to back off it. At some point, the kids would stop picking it up. They would get confused and discouraged. So we would stop there and stay with that point for a while until they got where they could handle it.”
Final Points
Along with getting the help of your predecessor, taking the time to talk with players and fans, and making changes gradually, there are two personal characteristics you must bring in your suitcase to this new job: self-confidence and a tough skin. “If you’re following a legend, especially at a high-profile program, you better have absolutely the hardest skin ever known to man,” Estes says. “You have to have a turtle shell reinforced with cement and concrete, because with the expectations of those programs, following a legend can be almost impossible.”
“I wouldn’t have taken over the program if, first of all, I didn’t have Coach Anderson’s approval,” Gibbons says, “and second of all, if I wasn’t confident in my ability to take over the program and keep moving it in the right direction.”
Ultimately, those who have successfully stepped into legendary shoes prevailed because they were able to focus on the positive aspects of the situation, rather than being daunted by the obvious challenges, which scare many other coaches away. “When you replace a legend, you’re usually getting a pretty good job,” Rabedeaux says, “because the legend has made it a pretty good job. In this case, I got a job where we’ve won a national championship and we have 38 banners in our gym. So you have to look at the glass as half full, not half empty—you’re getting a great opportunity at a school that has the resources and a chance to win.”
“It was not an easy job, and there were times it was frustrating,” Bradley says. “But as I look back, it was a rewarding year and I’m glad we did it.”
SIDEBAR:
History Major
Even though coaches who have experienced taking over for a legend are usually eager to make their mark on the program, they also suggest maintaining a healthy respect for the past. “You have to be appreciative of what has gone on before your arrival when you replace somebody like a Coach Haskins,” says Jason Rabedeaux, who took over for Don Haskins at the University of Texas-El Paso when the Hall of Fame coach retired following the 1998-99 season. “You have to embrace what has happened before. You can’t take it to the curb and say, ‘Regardless of that success, I’m going to do it differently and I’m going to have success.’
“My feeling, to this day, is that no one will ever replace Coach Haskins,” Rabedeaux continues. “It’s his basketball program and it will forever be his basketball program. He won 700-plus games and is in the Hall of Fame. It’s not my job to replace him or ever make people forget about him. My deal is to restore the history and tradition and glory that this basketball program has enjoyed and to do the best I can for not only El Paso, but also Coach Haskins.”
Another way to connect with the history of a program is through your coaching staff. Having a former player, or someone else affiliated with the program, as an assistant, can go a long way in maintaining ties to the program’s tradition and coaching heritage.
“I’ve always felt if you’re going into a new situation, it helps to have somebody who’s familiar with the program on your staff,” says Guilford College Coach Butch Estes, who hired former Guilford player Aaron Denton as an assistant. “Particularly if he can be a graduate. That way when recruits come in, I can say, as I have a million times, ‘I can talk the talk, but Aaron here has walked the walk. So he can answer all your questions about what it’s going to be like for you the next four years on campus as a Guilford student.’”
Having at least one familiar face around can make the transition easier on the returning players, too, according to Robert Pope, who retained Assistant Coach Paul Wilson when he took over as Head Coach at Danville (Ala.) High School. “Coach Wilson was very supportive of me,” Pope says. “He would constantly tell the kids, ‘This is the way we’re doing this. We didn’t do it this way last year, but this is why we’re doing it this year,’ and that helped.”