Can you coach the game without playing the game?

[FarAwayFalcon]

I thought this would be an interesting off season topic. Can you be a succesfull coach without having played the game to at least the high school level? Does anyone know of coaches who have had success that didn't play football? I know last season only one coach in D-I football didn't play in college, and most NFL coaches played in the NFL. What are your thoughts?

[4 HORSEMEN]

I guess it is possible, but playing the game has so many obvious advantages. You understand what your players are going through, and why certain things are important.

Further more, I believe that the more you play (College/NFL) the better prepaired you are for coaching. Obviously there are exceptions, but as a rule, I believe that experience helps.

Playing for multiple teams and different levels allow you to witness first hand what does, and does not work well. You learn different systems and can adapt better to changing circumstances.

[Orange and Brown]

Yes

[Howard Cosell]

My college roommate was the state coach of the year in volleyball not long after we graduated from college. Needless to say, HE never actually played the game. But, he is a GREAT teacher and that skill translated into his coaching career.

I don't think Josh McDaniels (Broncos) ever played in the NFL. I am thinking there are others.....Todd Haley (Chiefs), Bill Parcells, and Chuck Knox. I remember reading a story in an NFL magazine about a guy who had never played football at any level working for the Giants as an equipment manager in the 80s. This guy eventually worked his way onto the staff as an assistant coach. Granted, the Giants sucked as this was before Bill Parcells.

I would have to say, YES, if you have a strong desire to learn and are a great communicator you can coach without ever having played. I, also, strongly believe that you didnt need to be a good player to be a good coach. Just ask koondogger.....He was terrible in high school...

[Auburntgrfan]

Who was the guy the is credited with inventing the forward pass? Come you history buffs, think about this one. He is one of footballs legandry football coaches and never played a single down in his life. Many of the early coaches very likely never played the game, but that has no bering on the ability to apply the fundamentals and physics of the game. So I would say that you don't have to be a star to coach. Many of the former super-stars have floundered in the coaching ranks. Look today at the pro and college coaching ranks. Not very many of them were household names when thay played in the NFL or in college. Most times the guys who were average at best and had to bust their collective behinds, have a better understanding of the love of the game and what its like to want something so bad and not have the God given abilities naturally, have had to develop their skills, will make a better coach overall, in most instances. Just my humble take on coaching, you can learn to coach the game if you are willing, and be successful.

[Charles Farquar]

I dont think that a lot of coaching knowledge is related to playing experience. Lou Holtz was a great college coach but never started high school or college, he probably always weighed 130 lbs soaking wet. A lot of coaching involves persuading people that you are working for their best interests. It involves compassion and helping others. It involves constantly expanding your knowledge of the game and becoming a student of the game. Which means its a journey of finding out what works for you in a system. Sometimes you have to stay up with the game as it changes and that involves being willing to educate yourself, visiting other coaches and learning. Most high school kids and probably a lot of college players are only coached in their positions and never get an idea of the big picture , that comes later. It involves administrative and organizational skills. It involves being a communicator with parents and the kids. Being a great athlete or the hometown hero does not guarantee that person will make a good coach. Eventually your going to get to a point where the players under you see you as a blank slate and have no knowledge of your achievements of the distant past. They will quickly lose respect if you turn out to be someone who sees them as chess pieces for the advancement of your own ego and not people that your really trying to help succeed in life. Sometimes someone who has natural athletic ability has a hard time understanding how to get another person of lesser ability to perform on the playing field because it just came so easy and natural to them. There are many sports like track and field that the coach has a lot of different events to teach, football has a lot of different positions to teach that involve different skills and drills to be taught , you have to learn to do that by experience. There are things that only experience will teach you .

[Howard Cosell]

I dont think that a lot of coaching knowledge is related to playing experience. Lou Holtz was a great college coach but never started high school or college, He probably always weighed 130 lbs soaking wet. A lot of coaching involves persuading people that you are working for their best interests. It involves constantly expanding your knowledge of the game and becoming a student of the game. Most high school kids and probably a lot of college players are only coached in their positions and never get an idea of the entire picture , that comes later. It involves administrative and organizational skills. It involves being a communicator with parents and the kdis. Being a great athlete or the hometown hero does not guarantee that person will make a good coach. Eventually your going to get to a point where the players have no knowledge of your achievements of the distant past. Sometimes someone who has natural athletic ability has a hard time understanding how to get another person of lesser ability how to perform on the playing field because it just came natural to them. There are many sports like track and field that that has to coach a lot of different events, football has a lot of different positions that involve different skills and drills to be taught , you have to learn to do that by experience. There are things that only experience will teach you .

Lou Holtz is a great example. He wasnt a great player but he was an allworld communicator even with that "lithp"......

[Matt52]

charlie weis did not play football

[pappy1]

I don't think Gene Keady played basketball.

[boogerred]

I dont believe that Paul Johnson ever played collegiately, and he has had tremendous success wherever he has coached (Ga. Southern, Navy and now Ga. Tech). Fear the flexbone!!!

[Rutterkickballer]

Justy Burleson never played in college and look how he has done at SG!

He wasnt coaching in the TVC though......

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

charlie weis did not play football

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WEL, IT SHOWS, I COULD NOT HELP MYSELF THERE, THE OLD BENGALS/BROWNS THING COMIN OUT IN ME/

[Westfan]

It may be hard to find an example that didn't at least play high school. But most of the greatest coaches weren't great players. I consider Bill Belichick the best coach in the game. He played at a very small college. I agree with the previous poster, most great players expect the players to be like them and it isn't possible. It clouds there judgement I think. In my opinion, if a guy is driven, smart, and willing to learn; without a doubt you could teach without playing.

[earp]

Mike Leach at Texas Tech is an attorney turned football coach,Never played a down of football!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Leach_(coach)

[trojandave]

Gene Keady did play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, if I recall correctly.......but as far as I know, did not play college basketball.

I don't think it's a requirement that a coach must have previous playing experience.......I think the skills that are necessary are a good knowledge of the game and being able to communicate that knowledge to your players.

There are many examples of good coaches who never played the game and lousy coaches who did.

[wrestlefan1]

I would have said no, but one of the best wrestling coaches I have ever been around never wrestled.
When I was in cincinnati, he came on as an asst. for me and man was he a great coach.

HE was phenominal at coaching upper weights and I learned from him everyday.

[LICKING COUNTY FAN]

Sure you can being it has been done.

[earp]

Ahh Gene Keady!The coach that looks the most like his schools mascot!

[pappy1]

Ahh Gene Keady!The coach that looks the most like his schools mascot!

With or without the hairpiece?

[earp]

With!