Experience in motivating JOHN DARWIN

student-athletes to achieve 7432 Beach Drive Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
excellence in academics and 850-691-6347
athletics. coachjsdarwin@gmail.com

“We all must suffer

one of two things;
the pain of discipline
or the pain of regret.”

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 Experience in motivating JOHN DARWIN
student-athletes to achieve 7432 Beach Drive Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
excellence in academics and 850-691-6347
athletics. coachjsdarwin@gmail.com

___________ Program Overview

What plan or vision do you have to bring these programs together?

Coaching Philosophy

“Carpe Diem”

The campaign for our program is “Carpe Diem,” each and every day the program and its intricate parts will strive to “seize”
each and every opportunity presented to them. Rather it is in the classroom, on the field, or in community, we are totally
committed to being the right person for any task that is ahead. As a head coach, I am dedicated to equipping my program
with individuals who are steadfast in becoming hard working and persevering people.

The head coach must create an atmosphere of a CHAMPION for the players, giving them the sense of self confidence and
assurance. According to our “seize the day” campaign our students will leave our school knowing that they gave it their all
each day and did their best. _____________________________ is their home. It is my job to create an atmosphere that
they will enjoy and appreciate, leaving it a lasting tradition of others to come.

In order to link each program together, I believe in a four component (insert mascot___________) Foundation, where
Purpose, Trust and Respect between the Head Coach is vital to our ALL IN mentality. The four components will include
1) Administration/Community, 2) Student Athlete, 3) Coaching Staff, 4) Faculty.

To the Principal and the community:

As Head Coach I am a representative of the school, the community and the people who hired me. It is my job to make the
school look good in the community. I am loyal and committed to this task and will do what is right for the school, and
pledge to support the decisions made by the Athletic Director and the Principal.
To the Student Athlete:
As Head Coach, I have a great opportunity to be a positive influence on young people. One of the reasons I chose to teach
and coach on the high school level is because I enjoy the challenge of helping young people find and reach their potential.
It is my belief that I am a “candle who consumes himself lighting others world.” I must extend my job of being just a coach
to being a positive role model and mentor to, not only my football players, but to all students of the educational institution
who hired me. I will be firm but fair with discipline, while being compassionate and understanding of the circumstances of
the children of today. It is my job to build an atmosphere of learning throughout the program at every level. The staff will
be dedicated to establishing a “process” for establishing and involving our players in the lifelong philosophies of the
program. Ultimately, I am here for all students, and believe that a child does not care how much you know until they know
how much you care. Knowing that I am more than a coach at _____________________________, it is my purpose to work
for the trust of our students, while protecting the best interest of the children under my charge.
To the Coaching Staff:
A coaching staff is only as good as its leader. If there is one word that describes how I will treat ALL MY STAFF, from
the Lower School to the Upper School, would be trust. They will have high expectations of me and I will always do my
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 Experience in motivating JOHN DARWIN
student-athletes to achieve 7432 Beach Drive Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
excellence in academics and 850-691-6347
athletics. coachjsdarwin@gmail.com

best to meet them. I will RESPECT them to do their job and will have high expectations of them as well. I will respect
their abilities, and will listen to their ideas. I realize the more ownership a coach has, the harder he will work. My assistants
will have my support, TRUST and loyalty, as long as they are loyal to our program and its ideals. We will not always agree,
but I will listen. I will let my coaches coach their players. I will not question my coaches in front of players, because that
is demeaning and will cause players to lose faith in other coaches. I will always address these matters away from the kids.
I believe the best way to succeed is to surround myself with good people. It is my job to be a student of the game and
continue to encourage my staff to expand the knowledge of the sport. I plan on building a strong bond with my assistants.
I want us to learn together, and work together to form a strong leadership for these athletes to TRUST.

To the Faculty:
I believe for our players to be successful on the field, they must start with successful academics. I want our faculty to know
they have my full support in helping in any way I can to motivate, praise, and discipline the student athlete. As state in my
academic philosophy, I expect my players to ask to be seated in the front and will be monitoring successes and failures in
the classroom via weekly progress reports.
I have always been a fan of the “Adopt a player” program, where a teacher selects a player to mentor during the school year.
It helps connect the teachers to our team. It gets the teachers more interested in our activities, and lets the player know that
someone else cares about them, their successes, and their problems. I want our faculty to be a part of our football family.

What is your academic philosophy for student-athletes and how do you relay that message to your players?

“Athletics are the window through which an institution is seen”

Each player is a “student-athlete.” It is the mission of the program to uphold the all of the principles of the institution, in
which the program belongs to. As a program, we must enhance the school and community pride throughout of all the
activities, in which we participate in. As the coach, I will be the ultimate catalyst for promoting character, class, enthusiasm,
and pride.
Academic Philosophy “I+C”

The idea is to maximize the young men’s intellect and character through their success at the educational institute. Graduation
is the young man’s ultimate goal and number one priority; football is second. The young men should leave the institute and
well-prepared citizen and mature intellectual mind. Our program and our institution will not accept mediocrity, only the
athlete’s best effort, day in and day out. Students playing for the (insert mascot___________) Program will be asked to sit
in the front of the classroom (if allowed by the teacher). There will be one weekly mandatory study hall, one weekly optional
study hall. Each athlete who does not have a satisfactory progress report will be required to attend both. I will also plan on
Standardized Test tutoring for student athletes who need the extra help during study hall.
It has been my experience that graduation is not enough for many, so we must track the student athlete’s progress annually
to ensure that if they desire to play at the next level, they will meet the eligibility standards set by the NCAA and the college
they choose. This will take great effort on the parts of, me, my staff and the guidance department. I have a NCAA
compliance worksheet and an excel program that will help us monitor the student from their freshmen year though senior
year. We will also advertise all SAT/ACT dates and encourage our student athletes to take the tests as many times necessary
to achieve their goal of collegiate eligibility.

Do you discuss playing time with your players? Parents?

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 Experience in motivating JOHN DARWIN
student-athletes to achieve 7432 Beach Drive Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
excellence in academics and 850-691-6347
athletics. coachjsdarwin@gmail.com

Play-time is earned, not given. I truly feel that earning is part of a “process” that many coaches talk about in today’s game.
In response to this question, I believe that the lower level teams are used for athletes to gain practice structure and game
situation needed to be competitive and successful at the varsity level. As for the varsity, I do not put anyone on my varsity
team if I do not believe they can help or see time at some point in the season. Upon selection of the team, the staff will have
a “parent meeting” where the rules and regulation of the teams will be presented as well as my programs philosophy and
yearly mission will be presented. At the meeting the parents will be given the 3- pronged meeting procedures for all minor
infractions and playing time. The system is as follows:

1) Athlete will meet with their position coach

2) Athlete will meet with their position coach and head coach
3) Athlete will meet with their position coach, head coach, parent and school administrator if needed

** This system has been quite beneficial in helping young men grow in to responsible men, while giving them an
opportunity to gain confidence by handling situations in a mature/respectful way.

What is your view on multi-sport athletes?

One of the biggest mistakes a coach can make is to discourage student-athletes from participating in other school activities
or sports. I am in full support of our other sports programs and its coaches. Some coaches expect kids to “focus” on one
sport. I DO NOT believe in this philosophy! These kids will only have one shot at high school. This is a time for them to
find out who they are and who they want to be. I feel that another sport gives the student the opportunity to be complete
athletes through different training techniques and complete people by interacting with other students. If a player wants to
be involved in another sport, I support it as long as it does not conflict in season. Students should have the opportunity to
excel in all they wish to do. I do believe that during the season the student athlete should focus on the sport they have
chosen to participate in. I realized there are clubs and functions that the student athlete will be involved in, and I will apply
team attendance policy firmly. If a player misses a practice for another event, I will apply team attendance rules, because
they have chosen to make that event more important than the team. The student –athlete is responsible and accountable for
choices they make during their in-season schedule arrangements.

Coaching Other Sports?

I have coached other sports at the varsity and sub-varsity levels. I have led a Weightlifting team to a State Championship
and a State Championship-Runner up. I am not afraid of hard work or supporting other programs. I will have to say that the
program has to fit my vision of building my football program to be the best it can be, which include but not limited to,
clinics, camps, travel football.

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Experience in motivating JOHN DARWIN
student-athletes to achieve 7432 Beach Drive Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
excellence in academics and 850-691-6347
athletics. coachjsdarwin@gmail.com

5
 Experience in motivating JOHN DARWIN
student-athletes to achieve 7432 Beach Drive Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
excellence in academics and 850-691-6347
athletics. coachjsdarwin@gmail.com

Promoting Community and Discipline

Promoting our program in the community

We need to establish a good relationship with our community. We represent it every time we wear a
_____________________________ School shirt, and uniform. Our goal is to have our staff and players are a positive
representative of our school in the community. We will become more involved with the community we represent. It teaches
our kids to give back, and it also lends to a more supportive community for our program. We will notice it in the stands
and in the booster program. Our kids will be better people for it.

Community service events:

 Coaches and Players visit and read in elementary schools
 Visiting rest homes and hospitals
 Rescue mission clothing and food drive project
 Coach speaking engagements at civic and city clubs
 FCA
 Game day speakers: have former players and community members give a motivational speech on game day
lunch or breakfast.
 Open House Event: have an event/fundraiser that invites community to visit the school and athletic facility.
 CAT 5 Club: All players who have played in college and or pro level will be contacted for a picture to go
on a wall of fame.

Fundraising
 Booster/Alumni Board
 Game-day program
 Annual Golf Tournament
 Holiday Classic Tournament
 Youth summer camp
 Annual Spring softball Tournament
 Annual Road Race
 Meet the Team dinner
 Season Ticket _____________________________ seating – We will reserve seating for
_____________________________ seat ticket holders. The card holder will gain free admittance to all
(insert mascot___________) Football Games for the duration of the season. (Family Passes may be
purchased also)

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 Experience in motivating JOHN DARWIN
student-athletes to achieve 7432 Beach Drive Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
excellence in academics and 850-691-6347
athletics. coachjsdarwin@gmail.com

Pyramid of Support- Promoting a “We” feeling

Everyone is important in our family. We all need to do the job assigned to us to the best of our ability. Everyone has a
specific job and if everyone does their job to the best of their ability then the sky is the limit!

‘Let the coaches coach, players play, and the boosters boost’

To be successful we need the support of everyone from the top of the pyramid to the bottom. No one part of the pyramid is
greater than the other (the top everyone sees and the bottom is a foundation)

SURRENDER ME for WE
WE
ME

Administrators must provide the support to the coaches to ensure he has the tools needed to run a successful program.
Coaches must be organized and lead to promote the philosophy of the program. Our player must be unselfish and willing
to eliminate the “I” factor. They must be faithful, and coach-able. Parents must be supportive of their child and
understanding to the team goals established by the coach. Faculty members must do their job in the classroom to provide a
strong academic support for our players and support their extracurricular activities. Boosters must be supportive by helping
raise funds needed to run a quality program. What is most important is that all of the above elements are needed for us to
be successful. We all have important roles. If everyone does their job, to the best of their ability, we will be successful.
We need to eliminate the “I” factor and put in the “we” factor. Together “we” can do it.

The following groups are vitally important to our program, and I am committed to having a program that supports and
appreciates their efforts.

Faculty and Administration Alumni

Cheerleaders Band
Boosters Parents
Little league recreational programs Community members and leaders
Lower School Athletics

Let’s get more people involved to make our program the best in the state

Expectations of the football coaching staff

I expect the assistant coaches to be loyal to the head coach, the players, and the school. I expect honesty, dependability and
a good work ethic. I expect them to lead the kids by example. If an assistant has a problem, I would expect them to go
through the proper chain of command to deal with the problem. As the head coach, I should be the first person he seeks to
resolve any football related problem. There should never be a time when the assistant goes outside of the football family to
resolve a football issue! If it is player related, I trust the coach to handle it between himself and the player. I trust my
assistants to appoint discipline fairly and appropriately, however if the issue is player dismissal from the team, he should
meet with me to resolve it. The staff will have input of the football depth chart, but ultimately the choice is left to me. Our
staff will be assigned duties related to all of the needs of our program. I expect them to complete their assignments

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 Experience in motivating JOHN DARWIN
student-athletes to achieve 7432 Beach Drive Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
excellence in academics and 850-691-6347
athletics. coachjsdarwin@gmail.com

thoroughly without complaint. We never argue or disparage coaches in front of the players. It is demoralizing, and the
players lose trust.

Junior Varsity/Freshman/Lower School Staff

It is my belief that the all other programs connected to _____________________________ Varsity football is an extension
of the varsity program, and the staff should look to promote the ideologies and expectations of the varsity coach. As a coach,
I believe that each coach has their own methodology and player ability makeup, so the philosophies may differ at times, but
as long as the staff provides the younger players with the expectations of the entire program, then growth is inevitable. (9 th
grade team will be established based on participation and size of coaching staff)

My staff must be committed to positively promoting our kids, our program, and our school. We will never give up the idea
of “doing our best”.

I feel it is also important to promote my staff positively. I want them to be the most successful people they can be. My
expectations of loyalty and dedication lay not only for my staff, but foremost with me.

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 Experience in motivating JOHN DARWIN
student-athletes to achieve 7432 Beach Drive Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
excellence in academics and 850-691-6347
athletics. coachjsdarwin@gmail.com

Discipline: Player expectation as a (insert mascot___________)

Discipline is something we do for a child not to them.

I believe young adolescents do have a desire for discipline. They want the guidance and structure, and this comes with
being corrected. They will not respect us if we do not lead them with a disciplined structure. Teams lose more kids for lack
of discipline than because of discipline. Ignoring a child’s discipline causes them to grow up not knowing right from wrong
or consequences of undesirable actions. The real world requires discipline for success. I believe that discipline in everyday
leads to the discipline on the floor

Our players are representatives of our football family, our school and our community. We will expect them to represent us
all with character, discipline, and class. Players and their parent/guardian will sign a contract agreeing to the team rules.
All rules set by the (insert mascot___________) School will be followed and will be mentioned as such in the contract. The
team rules are as follows:
1. Players will be respectful to all teachers, staff members.
2. Players will be at all practices and all team functions on time unless excused in advance by the Head Coach
3. Players will not use tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs.

Players will be held accountable for their actions. I do not believe that dismissing a player is a proper course of action for
any one infraction. I believe in a “three strike” policy for major infractions. If a player is repeatedly breaking team rules,
I will remove them from the team for that season. They may return the next season but will only be allowed one infraction
for that year. Children will inevitably make mistakes, some will be big. It is our job to guide them. I am here to be
supportive of the student athlete; however they will take responsibility for mistakes and make amends for them. I will be
fair and firm in the decisions I make regarding all disciplinary actions. Their mistake often upsets me less than a poor
reaction to the discipline. If they cannot commit to getting back on track then they will not make it in our football family.

Unfortunately many people outside of the football family want a player dismissed from the team right away when a mistake
is made. I disagree with this idea. When we dismiss a student athlete, we lose the influence we have over them. Athletics
is a great venue for us to not only teach the child but we can control much of what they do by keeping them in the football
family. I can not think of a better place for a kid to be than with a team under the guidance of a coach or teacher. If we
dismiss them, they leave with anger and resentment. What is worse, they leave with spare time and no guidance. I will
discipline players as I see fit with regard to the infraction. We will be fair but firm to everyone in our football family.