by Neal Tull
Lubbock High School Assistant Head Coach/Co-Offensive Coordinator
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Lubbock Assistant Head Coach Neal Tull
Five years ago, I entered the coaching world when I was hired as the Defensive Line coach at Plant City High School in Plant City, FL. I drove all the way down from Carbondale, Illinois to my first job as a football coach. I had no idea what I was doing. I knew that I had some football knowledge from playing at Purdue University, but I quickly learned that there is a difference between knowing how to play and knowing how to coach. I thought that coaching was hooting and hollering to get kids to do what you wanted them to do. I was about as green and naïve as any rookie coach.
After one season at Plant City High School, Coach Strunk asked me to come with him to Texas. I had met Strunky twice before, and the most I had heard about him came from the players at Plant City, whom Strunk had coached the two years before I was hired there. Strunk hired me on the recommendation of our current Academic Coordinator, Dr. Kelly Harper. Strunk had arrived at Plant City with the goal of flipping the program. In two years, Strunk had built a powerhouse. I was only witness to the after-effects of Strunk’s program, and I could see the results of his vision first-hand. I knew that he was the guy that I wanted to learn from, and once we got here we began to learn what it would take to flip Lubbock High Football.
We learned that Lubbock High has suffered from a lack of football as a cultural priority in the school and community. From the parents, to the teachers, to some of the coaches leftover from the previous staff, there were many people who did not expect an ounce of success from the Football Program and told our kids they couldn’t do it. But most importantly, there were, and still are, many people who do not whole-heartedly believe that football should be a priority in these kids’ lives.
Those in the profession know how vital football can be to a young man’s character and values. Parents of players here did not understand that. They thought that their kid’s priority should be family, church, work, school, and countless other things before football. They did not understand how much football could change their boy’s future for the better. We’ve heard all the excuses as to why a player wasn’t at a workout or practice. He had an orthodontist’s appointment, had to work, had the sniffles, had to go to Auto Zone with his mom, etc. We’ve heard it all.
I’ve learned that you must make football a priority in the lives of the kids, parents, teachers, and community if you want to flip a program. This is an absolute must. If you don’t have buy-in from those involved in the program, you will be spinning your wheels in the mud until you quit or have a stroke or heart attack.
I’ve learned from Strunk that there is ALWAYS a way to get buy-in. You MUST build a rapport with the teachers and administrators in the building. Once they know you care about what they have going on, then they’ll return that respect and support. You MUST set the program expectations with the parents. You MUST erase all excuses from parents and players. There is no excuse for missing a workout or practice. You MUST hold kids accountable to their own behavior and to your expectations. If they get away with breaking team rules, will they really take you seriously when you try to teach them football? Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, you must develop relationships with your players. This is the best way to kick-start the flipping process. Some of the best moments of coaching do not come on the field. They come when you are having a one-on-one discussion with one of your players when no one is around. You learn so much about the health of the program and the direction of where it is heading by building these solid relationships with the kids.
We believe that this year is the year we finally turn the corner, and it is largely due to making football a cultural priority. Not just with the players, but everyone in this community is beginning to believe. Parents, teachers, alumni, school board members, and members of the media are all aligning behind the program and pushing it in the right direction. This is going to be special.
Miscellaneous Notes:
-Strunk is the biggest softie I know. He may seem rigid on the outside, but when it comes down to it, he has one of the biggest hearts of anyone around.
-My favorite quote that has helped me become a better coach was introduced to me from Coach David Moody. “If you aren’t coaching it, you are allowing it to happen!”
-My wife is five months pregnant with our first child. We are having a girl, and her name will be Penelope. I can’t wait to meet her!
