As I’m writing this Thursday morning from my chaotic desk that looks like a cyclone rampaged through the office but only managed to hit my area in the newsroom, I can’t help but think how sad anybody affiliated with the Columbia School District should have felt when they heard the news of Columbia head football coach James Harvey resigning.
Whether they heard it Monday night from players he addressed, Tuesday through the Marion County rumor mill or Wednesday on the front page of The Columbian-Progress, everybody should be bummed to see a good coach and even better molder of young men go.
I understand that there has been a lot of frustration from parents and alumni about the lack of success in terms of wins and losses over the past few years for the Wildcats on the gridiron, but a high school coach’s first job isn’t to win on Friday nights. If you believe that it is, you my friend need a reality check.
I’ve covered football at every level and by far coaches at the high school level have the smallest impact on the scoreboard than any other level. Schemes, strategy and player development reign supreme at the collegiate and professional level but not at the prep level. Nine times out of 10 the most talented team wins on Friday night. Anybody who was a regular listener of the Coaches Show on WCJU has heard me utter the phrase, “It’s the Jimmy’s and Joe’s, not the X’s and O’s.” That saying is true at every level but none more so than in high school.
Which brings me to the point of coach Harvey. I’ve heard a lot of criticism throughout the community about his coaching and that he should be let go. I’m sure he heard it, too, and made the decision to get in front of it. But it wasn’t warranted.
A high school coach can only do so much to get teenagers to buy in. It ultimately comes down to the kids themselves to accept what coaches tell them and apply it to the football field.
I’ve heard Harvey address his team behind closed doors and talked to him off the record throughout this past season. He has done everything he possibly could to make his players better prepared for what lies ahead.
There is one lasting memory that comes to mind. I went over to the fieldhouse one day to take a picture of the player of the week. Harvey was creating what he called a leadership committee. The premise was for players to vote and come up with a handful of players that would lead the team and bridge the gap of communication between players and coaches. About 20 players were nominated and had to go up in front of the team and make a speech about why they deserved to be chosen.
I’ll never forget that one of the nominees declined his nomination and refused to address his team. I understand this player is only a teenager, but he should have been honored that his teammates felt strongly enough about him to nominate him as a leader. Yet he turned it down. At the end of the day, coaches can’t do it all for these young student-athletes. They can’t make a kid have the “want to” he needs to succeed or go out on the field and do it for him. At some point, the kids have to step up on their own.
Now I’m not saying the Columbia players are to blame. I’m merely saying that high school coaches can only do so much.
Winning games shouldn’t be the ultimate goal of a high school coach, and it wasn’t for Harvey. The goal is to help kids develop into young men that are capable and prepared to become productive members of society. To that extent, I believe Harvey more than adequately did his job.
Reach Sports Editor Joshua Campbell at joshuacampbell@columbianprogress.com or 736-2611.
