ASU football coach shows his class on, off the field
By Roy Ockert Jr.
Arkansas State University’s head football coach, Blake Anderson, held a remarkable news conference last week during which he announced that he was replacing several coaches including himself. The event was remarkable in that his team had just finished a fifth straight successful season and bowl appearance.
It was even more remarkable in that he discussed frankly the challenges, both personal and professional, that he and his family are facing. He’s not replacing himself as head coach, of course, but rather as offensive coordinator.
I didn’t get to attend the news conference but rather watched it later online. It’s still available at astateredwolves.com. Just click on Football News under the Sports menu, and you’ll find the link under Red Wolves Digital Network.
College football has become big business, and there is much not to like, especially the win-at-all-costs attitude some leaders and some fans have. But it’s still a game played by young people who are students, and they deserve coaches with the character and teaching ability to help them develop into productive citizens. Only a select few have the athletic skills to carry them into professional careers; all the rest need something more to be successful in life.
Arkansas State University is fortunate to have such a head coach in Blake Anderson, and he has surrounded himself with assistants of similar qualities and character.
He quickly set aside some rumors: “I’m not resigning. I'm not stepping down. I'm not taking a leave of absence. I’m not going anywhere. I know that has been one [rumor] apparently that has been rampant, so those of you who were hoping I would, sorry. Bad day for you is all I know to tell you, but I’m not going anywhere.”
That was the best news of all.
First, no one could have rightfully blamed Coach Anderson if he’d taken a leave of absence during the past season. Facing a serious illness that threatens the love of your life, the mother of your children, is something that, thankfully, few of us have to experience, at least not at an early age. My job was never as difficult as his, but I’m not sure I could balanced such demands, certainly not with the courage that he and his wife Wendy have shown in the fishbowl that is their life.
“I believe gradually as the season progressed, as it became evident to me that my wife wasn’t well, and I became honestly focused on her and distracted at times, I didn’t do my job very well, and it affected our football team,” he said.
He could not have helped but be distracted at times, but I’d bet few, if any, players or fellow coaches would agree he didn’t do his job very well. The team would not have done better without him.
ASU fans were disappointed with the outcome because some had predicted in the pre-season, when everyone is unbeaten, that this team could wind up 11-1. Instead, the Red Wolves were 8-5, losing a bowl game in overtime. They missed their goal of a Sun Belt championship.
We are victims of our own success. Not only do ASU fans expect to have a winning season every year, but we also expect a conference title and a bowl invitation. After all, ASU has now had eight straight winning seasons, each ending with a bowl game; five of those eight seasons were good enough to win conference championships.
Let’s put this in perspective. For the first 11 years of this century A-State did not have a single winning season. In three of those years the team finished at .500 — six wins and six losses — but twice victories had to be vacated because of NCAA sanctions (four wins in 2005 and all six the next year).
That 2005 team did well enough to earn a trip to the New Orleans Bowl. ASU fans were ecstatic because that was the first bowl appearance in 35 years and the first post-season action since the I-AA playoffs in 1987.
The first two years of this century brought 1-10 and 2-9 records and the only on-field firing of a head coach I’ve ever seen. One positive for me was being able to get great season tickets because hardly anybody wanted to attend.
Things changed dramatically in 2010, and we’ve been spoiled to expect great things every year. That will be the case as long as Blake Anderson is in charge.
Let’s consider how he did as offensive coordinator in 2018. ASU ranked 17th out of 130 teams nationally in total yards per game, 466.1, which was tops in the Sun Belt. Scoring average, 12th in the country in 2017, dropped to 53rd but would have ranked much higher except for playing Alabama. That’s pretty good for a guy who was distracted, and remember that play calling is only as good as the execution.
Could ASU have been better? Coach Anderson thinks so, and he wants to focus more on the big picture. A good leader always works to make things better. Even Nick Sabin would tell you that his team could have been better.
Some things are more important than winning. And we ASU supporters should be thankful to have a head football coach with character and class who can lead on and off the field. May 2019 be victorious for the Anderson family and A-State.
Roy Ockert is a former editor of The Jonesboro Sun, The Courier at Russellville and The Batesville Guard. He can be reached at royo@suddenlink.net.