Tribune Parade of Athletes: Coaches of the Year

Ladd Baldwin, Steinbrenner

Sport: Girls track and field.

Why I'm a coach: "I like to challenge the kids. I get enjoyment from seeing them accomplish things. Coaching is a little different than teaching. Sometimes, you might have a class where you don't really get to know every student very well. But in athletics, you see the kids every day and generally get to know them quite well. Seeing them mature, it's a great feeling."

Motivational tactics: "I try not to be the same person to every kid. I want to learn how everybody ticks. The bottom line is you want to push everybody to do their best and you want to do it the right way. My father was a retired colonel in the Air Force and I think part of the motivation is making your parents proud. At the same time, I have two boys and I want them to think their father is making a contribution and doing something right, instead of just taking up space and collecting a coaching supplement. You don't want to wake up in the middle of your life and wonder, 'Am I really contributing anything to society? Am I really accomplishing anything?' I think you do contribute a lot by being a coach."

Glory days: "I actually attended three different high schools, including one in Germany. We moved in the spring of my junior year from San Antonio, Texas to Clearwater. Our senior year (1981) at Clearwater High School, we lost to Dunedin in the second game and that kind of finished you because they went undefeated. But I took over as the starting quarterback and we won nine straight games to finish 10-1. That was the team with (All-American wide receiver) Hassan Jones, who played in the NFL. I think I threw two interceptions all season and had two fumbles. I wasn't real flashy, but I wasn't going to make mistakes, either."

My first job: "I was a bagboy for a grocery store in San Antonio, Texas."

Russ Cozart, Brandon

Sport: Wrestling.

Why I'm a coach: "I enjoy the training, the dual meets, the state championships - all of it. Why do I coach? That's kind of an emotional question because I have poured my whole life into it. I just finished my 34th year. It's a physical ride, an emotional ride. Sometimes, you're recruiting kids out of the hallways, then pushing them to a Division I scholarship. I think kids need a challenge, something they can dedicate themselves to. The longer I'm in, the more value I see in it."

Motivational tactics: "If you ask my guys, they'll say, 'We work so hard that there's no way we're ever going to give up.' I tell them, 'You're not supposed to do what you feel like doing, but you do what we're supposed to do today. This is what we're going to get done.' There's some simple standards. Never give up. Don't make excuses. Maximum effort. A champion is a guy who's working when no one is looking. We want silent champions, humble champions. I don't want them walking around campus, boasting about what they do. I want silent warriors, guys who put in the work."

Glory days: Cozart was competitive in adult veterans wrestling, winning seven world titles over a 13-year period before retiring from active competition in 2004. Just prior to his senior high-school season in Upland, Calif., Cozart won the national Greco-Roman wrestling title at 114.5 pounds. "It was a great achievement for me. It kind of shot me off and it helped me get my scholarship to the University of Alabama." Cozart also took second - in a field that included 600 schools - at the Southern California sectional tournament as a senior.

My first job: "When I turned 16, in the fall of 1969, I worked at the McDonald's in Upland. Kids today would have no idea. They didn't serve breakfast. There was no drive-thru. There was no indoor seating. It was like a hamburger stand. No women were hired there, only guys. I had to work my way up the totem pole - from making the milkshakes to french fries to working the counter to the grill. Me being a competitive guy, of course, I wanted the premier job. When I came home from Alabama over the summer, I worked there again and they made me assistant manager. It was about that time they introduced the Big Mac. Can you imagine that?"

Joe Dixon, Middleton

Sport: Boys cross country.

Why I'm a coach: "I ran high school track (at the old Marshall High School in Plant City). Some of the things my coach did for me, I try to do for my kids. Sometimes, you have to go in your pocket to make sure they have certain things. Sometimes, they need somebody to talk to. Sometimes, they need encouragement. Coaching is a lot of that - and a whole lot more."

Motivational tactics: "I went to Florida A&M and our football coach (Jake Gaither) was big on hard work. He used to say, 'If a man doesn't work, he'll steal.' Jake used to divide his football team into three units and call them, 'Blood, Sweat and Tears.' So I guess the foundation of everything we try to do is about hard work."

Glory days: "I was the fastest man in Plant City. When I was at Marshall - and a lot of times, we were on a dirt track, by the way - I ran a 9.5 or 9.6 in the 100-yard dash and I went 21.2 in the 220. I got a track scholarship to FAMU, but by the time I got there, I was just a jailhouse number. Everybody was fast in college."

My first job: "I worked at Shelton's Meat Market as the clean-up man. I also worked construction and did a lot of yard work."

Renaldo Garcia, Sickles

Sport: Boys basketball.

Why I'm a coach: "Coaching kind of helps replace the competitive edge that I lost when I had to quit playing. I think the knowledge from my past experiences helps the kids. The chase (of trying to improve) really excites me. I'm always trying to work toward a better result."

Motivational tactics: "I take the experiences I had at the University of Florida, playing for three different head coaches (Norm Sloan, Don DeVoe, Lon Kruger). Some coaches motivate through fear. Some are more players coaches. Some are a combination. I think the better coaches today are stern, but approachable. It's not just, 'Get on the line and run or hit the door.' I think things have changed since the days when I played. You motivate different people in different ways."

Glory days: Garcia was a point guard for the Gators from 1987-91. "The thing I best remember was when we won the first SEC (regular-season) title in school history. It was 1989 and we were coming back from LSU, where we clinched it. Now we all understood that Florida was primarily a football school. But I remember talking to Dwayne Schintzius and Livingston Chatman on the plane and we were like, 'Do you think any people in Gainesville will be there to greet us?' Later, the pilot came on and said, 'Guys, we're going to fly over Florida Field so you all can get a look at this.' We looked out the window and there were thousands of people. They had a special gathering planned for us and it was awesome."

My first job: "I worked at Busch Gardens on the Congo River Rapids. I made sure the people were in the right line and worked the control booth. If you got to the park early, when they were doing the test runs, you got to do the rides for free and I did that a lot."

Roy Harrison, Plant

Sport: Girls cross country.

Why I'm a coach: "It's not just about winning state championships, although those are certainly memorable. Sometimes, you get complete non-runners and you see them improve their times by three, four, five minutes. You watch them change drastically from 14 to 18 years old. Running is a lifestyle and that's why I try to instill. Twenty years later, I've been on the Bayshore and I'll see a former runner. And they'll say, 'Look, Coach, I'm still running!' That's gratifying."

Motivational tactics: "Running is one of the hardest sports. There are no time outs. You can't pass the ball to someone else. You can't fool anybody in our sport. So you have to put the work in. We use the old saying, 'The hay's in the barn.' And it means you are putting the work in to make yourself successful. In the races, it can hurt. So you always must learn to run through the pain. So you have to motivate your runners to work hard and think weeks and months before the race. First comes the work, then the reward."

Glory days: "I was primarily a baseball player, a pitcher and center fielder, in New York (Queens). I actually didn't start running until I got to college. The P.E. people at USF had us running two miles under a certain time and I didn't even train for it. Then they bet me a steak dinner that I couldn't do the Temple Terrace Road Race (7.8 miles) in a certain time and that was my first real race. I got interested and it eventually reached the point where I was running marathons. The best was the old Orange Bowl Marathon in 1981. I finished 68th out of thousands of runners (two hours, 43 minutes) and I was proud of that, doing six-minute miles for 26 miles. I have also run 30 Gasparilla races."

My first job: "Working at Baskin-Robbins in New York. Even in the middle of winter, people would come in and buy it by the gallons. I scooped so much ice cream, my arm would cramp up."

Matt Hernandez, Alonso

Sport: Flag football.

Why I'm a coach: "I love seeing kids excel. It has been fun seeing them develop, especially in a sport such as flag football, where there has been such improved in three years."

Motivational tactics: "We always tell them to not settle for being pretty good. Be as good as you can be. We tried not to look at the score of every game, but instead we focused on things like, 'Did we play better? Did we take a step forward? Did we progress as individuals and as a team?' ''

Glory days: While a student at Florida State University, Hernandez participated in the intramural flag-football national tournament, which featured 50 teams. FSU finished second in its regional event to earn the spot.

My first job: "I worked behind the counter at Einstein's Bagels. Later, I helped to officiate flag football."

Nancy Kroll, Tampa Catholic

Sport: Girls basketball.

Why I'm a coach: "I love teaching kids. It keeps you young. Everyone sees the games. No one sees when you stay an hour or two after practice. No one sees leaving at 6:30 in the morning, picking up kids or driving them home. No one sees trying to help a kid when they have a problem at home or an issue with their academics. If coaching was just two hours of practice and two hours or game time, it would be a lot less stressful. But it wouldn't be the complete package of coaching."

Motivational tactics: "They say the voice of your favorite coach or favorite teacher is always in your head. When they ordered our state championship rings, instead of putting their initials, we had them write the word, 'Relentless.' That was a common theme. I kept telling them, 'You don't jump the highest. You aren't the fastest runners. But if you play as a team, if you are relentless, we will win.' I like the quote from (runner) Steve Prefontaine: 'To give nothing less than your best is to waste the gift.' That is so true."

Glory days: Kroll was a 1,000-point scorer in high school at Florham Park, N.J. She remembers a 39-point game. She also had a memorable game-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer. "I looked over at the bench and there was my coach clutching his chest, then the other coach was clutching his chest. It was pretty tense." Kroll attended Park College, an NAIA school in Parkville, Mo., where she scored 2,000 career points.

My first job: "Working as a summer-camp counselor, then as a lifeguard at the Florham Park Municipal Pool. I was a point guard. I liked telling people what to do."

Jim Macaluso, King

Sport: Baseball.

Why I'm a coach: "Love of the game and the relationship that you build with the players. Those are the two big reasons. I've always tried to get involved with the players' lives, get to know their families. There's a tremendous self-satisfaction when you feel like you're helping people. We've had more than 100 players who have received a college scholarship and many others who played professional baseball, so that's also a reward in itself.

Motivational tactics: "We've always emphasized loyalty, commitment and dedication. Sometimes, a theme emerges. This year, before we went to Gaither for the district tournament, I was telling them, 'Guys, I think we're better than our record indicates. Here's the bracket. It's doable.' '' So we beat Sickles the next night and somebody says, 'It's doable.' We win again and more people are saying, 'It's doable.' Pretty soon, everybody was saying it. So that became the thing we all rallied around."

Glory days: Macaluso, a 35-season veteran of coaching baseball at King, actually never played baseball for the Lions. He was a track and field athlete, setting the school record for the 100-yard dash (9.7) and finishing second at the state meet. Macaluso's King record stood for a decade before being broken by Frank Mitchell, father of Hillsborough's multi-sport standout, Terrence Mitchell.

My first job: "My first summer out of high school, I worked for the Neighborhood Youth Corps program on the landscaping crew. We pretty much landscaped the whole campus at Leto High School. Hard, hard work. I was also a bellhop at the Causeway Inn on Highway 60. I worked the night shift, the weekend shift, we used to go to the airport and pick up the flight crews from Eastern Air Lines. I actually loved that job and the reason I did was because of the people, all the various people you would meet."

Glenn Rodriguez, East Bay

Sport: Softball.

Why I'm a coach: "I enjoy seeing improvement, then seeing them succeed later in life. Usually, they'll call a few years later and thank me. None of us do this for the money, but you can't put a price tag on the relationships that you build with the kids."

Motivational tactics: "After every practice, I always say, 'Did you out-practice your opponent or not? The end result is what everyone remembers. But you get it done in practice with your work habits and your determination. I want them to know how important that is. I'm always pushing them and I want them to know that we can't get away with having so-so practices. We need great practices."

Glory days: Rodriguez played three years of baseball at Brandon High School. "But my biggest highlight was when we got to the Big League State Tournament - high-school-aged kids - at Tinker Field in Orlando. I was the leadoff batter. That was such a thrill, playing in a major-league ballpark. We came in second, but I'll never forget it."

My first job: "My dad was operations manager in a warehouse and he hired me part-time, the night shift. I unloaded rail cars, boxcars and a whole lot of fertilizer. I also drove the forklift. I probably made about $2 an hour. I knew then I wanted to do something else with the rest of my life."

Kevin Rosepapa, Berkeley Prep

Sport: Boys swimming.

Why I'm a coach: "The main reason I coach is to help the children develop in a positive manner. It is my belief that I can help the world best by helping children become very productive adults through the lessons taught in the pool."

Motivational tactics: "The biggest thing I harp on is that they are the only one who controls their destiny. I can only lead the way and it is really up to them on how far they go. We're looking for personal responsibility for actions, whether it is doing the drills correctly in practice or taking personal pride in the way they train for competitions. We will compete how we practice."

Glory days: Rosepapa, a competitive swimmer since he was 9, was a high-school All-American in Bellaire, Ohio, where he was a junior and senior national qualifier. He was part of two national-championship teams at Indian River Community College, where he captured individual national titles in the 100 and 200 freestyle. He finished swimming at Southern Illinois University. "My biggest memory is that I always competed as hard as I could in each event ... and how my father always told me that was the most important part of any competition."

My first job: When he was 16, Rosepapa served as a lifeguard at the Bellaire City Pool, getting the job "because I was around the pool so much." On Rosepapa's second day of work, he saved two adults. "One was a 25-year-old girl who could not swim and had waded out to the middle of the pool. I dragged her to the side. Not an hour later, another group was horsing around next to an old-time fountain in the middle of the pool. One of them hit his head on the concrete and slid into the pool. The guy was completely unconscious. Because of the fear of a back or neck injury, we had to backboard him in the pool. Both of the patrons were OK."

Marcie Scholl, Wharton

Sport: Boys tennis.

Why I'm a coach: "My major was physical education and once my own boys grew up, I had the time to give back. In high school, I love the spirit and competitiveness of the athletes. Everybody brings something different to the team. It's a wonderful growing process."

Motivational tactics: "Before each match, we have a big poster with a motivational quote. We usually work on that before the season and have quotes for all the matches. I liked the one from Ralph Waldo Emerson - "What lies before us and what lies behind us are nothing compared to what lies within us.' For tennis players and golfers, it's often an individual approach, so I also like, 'If it's to be, it's up to me.' ''

Glory days: Scholl graduated from high school in Whitefish Bay, Wisc., in 1970 before there were widespread high-school sports activities for girls. But she was on the aquatics team and also sprinted for the track and field team. She took a second place in the state 100-yard dash. Now she stays active with recreational tennis, golf and yoga. She also runs the Gasparilla 15-kilometer race each year.

My first job: "I was on a teen board for a clothing store called Smart Wear. We would model the clothes and represent the department."

Dick Sheffield, Durant

Sport: Girls golf.

Why I'm a coach: "I'm an ex-jock. I'm a 62-year-old who wants to stay young.

Motivational tactics: "I like to adapt to the kids. I thought (former UCLA basketball coach) John Wooden was a master of motivation, and he didn't necessarily believe in a specific policy. At my school, you're not really messing with their swings or anything. You just send out the lineup and fill out the scorecard. But the past few years, I've been putting little reminders to the players on 3-by-5 cards. Just little things we have talked about. It got to the point where some of the kids were saying, 'Hey, where's my 3-by-5 card?' That's if I didn't have one for them."

Glory days: Sheffield played hockey, golf and baseball at Boston University. He was a baseball teammate of Reggie Rucker, a future NFL wide receiver. In hockey, he played during the same era of Jackie Parker, who is now the BU coach, although Sheffield never cracked the varsity lineup. Sheffield said he is actually playing his best golf of late. "I've broken par three times in the last two months. And I'm not hitting off the senior tees, either. It's a combination of experience, technology and knowing how to score."

My first job: Sheffield, a native of Lake Placid, N.Y., worked as a caddie at the Lake Placid Golf Club when he was 10. "Got paid $5 a round, usually got a $10 tip. So in the summer, you might get out four times a week and that was 60 bucks. Not a bad week for a kid. I didn't necessarily caddie for any famous golfers, but I remember one guy who never hit a wood. In fact, he didn't even have a wood in his bag. He said, 'Do not learn how to hit a wood until you can hit all the irons.' I kind of believed that and used that advice as I learned to play golf."

Joe Sipp, Hillsborough

Sport: Boys track and field.

Why I'm a coach: "I love watching kids develop and helping to mold them into great athletes. It's a rebuilding process every year. There are always new kids to teach. I think the whole process is a thrill."

Motivational tactics: "I like to draw on the kids who have moved on from Hillsborough, the great ones who leave. I like to tell the current kids they can be just as good if they apply themselves. They just have to work at it. Also, a lot of guys come out and hope they win. In our program, I want you to come out and expect to win."

Glory days: "We went undefeated my senior football season (1995) at Hillsborough, then I signed a football scholarship with USF (joining Coach Jim Leavitt's first signing class). A lot of people doubted me, saying I didn't have the size (to play center) and I wouldn't ever see the field." Sipp started 44 consecutive games for USF's football team, which was then a school record, from 1997-2000. and also played two seasons of Arena Football for the Orlando Predators.

My first job: "I worked at Wendy's in the old Tampa Bay Center mall. I was usually working in the back, cooking the burgers, where it was hot and greasy. But it was actually fun because I had some of my friends from Hillsborough working with me. We made it fun."

Ron Slater, Riverview

Sport: Boys golf.

Why I'm a coach: "I enjoy being around the kids and trying to help them. If I can inspire them to do their best and give 100 percent, that's worthwhile."

Motivational tactics: "I tell them to focus and finish strong. Always finish strong, no matter how bad it might be. Concentrate on the next hole. Don't dwell on the last hole."

Glory days: Slater was a football linebacker and a baseball catcher at Tate High School in the Pensacola area. He was also a 5-handicap golfer. He played junior-college football in Mississippi.

My first job: "I was 15 and worked at the Howard Johnson's. I was stationed at the ice cream fountain and I mixed the milkshakes. Every time, I see a Howard Johnson's restaurant, it brings back memories."

Doug Smith, Tampa Prep

Sport: Boys soccer.

Why I'm a coach: "If I look back over the past 25 years, almost every day, I have been on a soccer field. It's clearly a huge part of my life and now I can give back some of the things that I have learned. You see kids mature. You see them listen to you and take their games to a higher level. I've got three young sons and there are days when you haven't seen your family and you don't feel good about that. Hopefully, you are making a difference on a daily basis. The ultimate reward would be one day having my sons play for me."

Motivational tactics: "It almost depends on the players you have. This year, for example, I knew we had a ton of talent. Sometimes, it's just motivating those talented players to come out to every practice and give their all. My focus has been to outwork teams. With our talent, we were probably going to win most of the time. But if you sell them on outworking the opponent every single time, I think that's going to pay off in a big season."

Glory days: Smith played high-school soccer in suburban Cleveland, then earned a scholarship to the University of Maryland. He remembers reaching the NCAA Tournament as a junior, then scoring a key goal in a 4-3 first-round victory against Georgetown. But the memories are more vivid of a shootout loss against James Madison University in 1995. It was the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16 - and Smith's final moment as a collegiate soccer player. "We were tied in the shootout, the last round, and it was my turn. Well, the keeper was going to jump from side to side, trying to guess where I would go with it. I decided to drive it down the middle and cross him up. He dove to his left, but my shot glanced off his foot dragging behind, then bounced off the post and out. James Madison converted the last shootout kick and it was done. As bad as I felt at the time, I have always tried to draw on that for motivation and use it as a teaching moment. To tell you the truth, that moment is the reason why my teams practice penalty kicks so much, even to this day."

My first job: "I was a stockboy at Fox Drugs, a local drug store in Mayfield Village, Ohio."

Kelly Townsend, Newsome

Sport: Girls soccer.

Why I'm a coach: "It's for the love of the game and the passion I have for soccer. I'd like to instill those values in the growing number of girls athletes."

Motivational tactics: "Our team shirts usually have a quote of some significance. My first year as head coach, we used the slogan of the U.S. national soccer team: 'We're the greatest team no one has ever heard of.' I also like, 'Some wish for it. We work for it.' The truth is we really do work for it. We got to the region final, one of the top eight teams in the state - we would've liked to go even higher - but we did that with only two returning starters and both of those moved to different positions. I want to get them to a point where they know what they want to accomplish as a team and they don't let outside influences affect that."

Glory days: Townsend was an outside defender and goalkeeper at Greater Latrobe (Pa.) High School. Once, the opposing team had 42 shots and Townsend collected 37 saves. She was named all-section goalkeeper. At Division II Clarion University, Townsend played goalie and striker. "Three times, I was allowed to play striker. All three times, I scored a goal."

My first job: "I was a playground leader and instructor for the City of Latrobe parks department. I also worked at a tanning salon."

Lynn Vu, Plant

Sport: Girls tennis.

Why I'm a coach: "It's a great way to stay connected to a sport that I love. I had so much fun playing tennis when I was in high school. It's primarily an individual sport, but in high school, you get the team aspect as well. I find it very rewarding."

Motivational tactics: "I think you get to know everyone's strengths and weaknesses over time. You know what gets them charged up. You find whatever you can to make sure your players are the best they can be."

Glory days: "I played at Leesburg High School and although I never made it to the state tournament, there were a lot of memorable moments. One match stands out. Back then, we played pro-sets. I was leading 7-0, needing one more game to win the match, and I guess you start thinking it's a foregone conclusion. Well, the other player kept chipping away, chipping away, chipping away, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3. You're still not worried. But nothing good was happening. Pretty soon, it was tied and we go to a tiebreaker. I get up 6-0 in the tiebreaker, again needing one point to win, but she comes back and it's 6-6. I finally won in the tiebreaker 10-8. I still use that match as a teaching point. You approach it point by point. You can't assume anything. You never think the match is over until it's over. I learned that the hard way."

My first job: "It was in a warehouse. I had a job assembling those little things you use to hold drinks - we called them 'coolees' - and I'd put the plastic casing inside the foam holder. Over and over and over. It was very monotonous. Extremely monotonous. It was a small operation and we'd have those things stacked up. I don't know how many of those things I actually assembled, but it was a lot."

Robert Weiner, Plant

Sport: Football.

Why I'm a coach: "All of us have places where our talents take us to, where our hearts lead us to. You want to find something that fulfills our search. There are the X's and O's of a playoff game, but the biggest thing is to witness and be a small part of someone else's achievement. If you don't love that part, it's hard to exist as a coach. I do love the daily grind of coaching. I love it when it's blazing hot outside. I love it when it's raining. You try to work as hard as you possibly can. There are moments as a head coach when you say, 'Man, I wish I was coaching wide receivers again and not dealing with every single detail.' But basically, I love the details, too. It's something I love and it's something that fulfills me."

Motivational tactics: "I think before I approach motivation for the kids, I first deal with my own motivation." Weiner said he believes a quote from Henry David Thoreau is particularly meaningful: "Though I do not believe a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. ... Convince me you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." So that is Weiner's prevailing motivation. "You try to find where the seed is in each one of our young people. That's true in coaching and teaching."

Glory days: At Jesuit, Weiner played No. 5 singles and No. 1 doubles in tennis. He reached the state semifinals in doubles. "That was at the height of the tennis craze and I wasn't going to escape it because my mother owned a tennis store. The sport was a big part of my life back then."

My first job: Working at Baskin-Robbins ("scooping all the ice cream gave me really strong forearms") and Busch Gardens ("working the rides at Timbuktu and my favorite day was always when I got to get on the microphone: 'Please step forward, all the way forward, stand behind the yellow line and enjoy the sting of the Scorpion.' ").

Fay Went, Sickles

Sport: Girls swimming.

Why I'm a coach: "The camaraderie with the girls. It's pretty hot out on that pool deck, but the rewards are great. You have kids really excited to improve and contribute to the team."

Motivational tactics: "We lost a lot of kids to (first-year school) Steinbrenner. We only had 10 swimmers. The kids were somewhat discouraged at the beginning and the morale was kind of low. So we came up with this idea of 'helmet stickers.' Of course, there aren't helmets in swimming, but we had this joke, 'If it's not football, it's not important.' It was a tangible reward for any type of achievement. They could hang the helmet stickers (from their backpacks) and it became a big deal. They were just laminated construction paper, but everybody wanted to get one. I think it brought us closer together."

Glory days: "I swam as a kid, but my biggest activity was cheerleading. I was a cheerleader at Leto, then at USF from 1980-82, the first group that got to cheer in the Sun Dome. I took it very seriously and it truly was an athletic endeavor because we had weight training and conditioning. My dad always said I majored in cheerleading and minored in finance."

My first job: "I worked at Busch Gardens in the gift shop, the Emporium. I'm a little bit tall and I had to wear these striped knickers that were probably designed for someone about 5 feet tall. But it was a fun time."