Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/205938
health, wellness & business ~ C o m e s Sacred Heart t o S a c r e d by TJ Byrne Thursday, February 14: The Interview This was the sixth different waiting room lobby couch that I had sat on over the past three years. For the ten minutes that I had been sitting on this couch, the second time in as many weeks, I had decided whatever the outcome it would be my last couch on the job interview tour. I was reading the school newspaper that was on top of the table next to the couch, as I heard, "Coach, thank you for coming back to speak with us." The last two words I remember reading before I looked up were "Inspiring Minds, Fostering Faith." I looked up to meet the handshake of Sacred Heart High School's principal, Dr. Michael Gill, who was walking across the lobby to greet me. As we shook hands and exchanged quick pleasantries, Dr. Gill asked, "I hope you don't mind but I asked coach here to sit in with us and help us out in our search." My eyes left Gill to the familiar looking man standing next to him, whom I did not notice walking next to him, but immediately recognized when I saw him. "Coach, very nice to meet you," I said as I raised my eye level six inches to meet his. Following his 14-year professional playing career, Steve Nelson had become one of the faces that every football fan identified with the New England Patriots. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times before having his number retired and elected into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Following his career, Nelson had become a local celebrity working Patriots media coverage on television and radio. More recently, Nelson had established himself as one of the more respected coaches in the area by turning a floundering Curry College football program into a consistently successful and talented organization. In 2006, Nelson stepped down as both athletic director and coach at Curry College. For the second time in as many weeks, I sat down at the conference table with Sacred Heart's first year principal, Dr. Gill, and their athletic director of 30 years, Bob Duquette. A quick introduction and review of our first meeting was given to Nelson by Dr. Gill, who established the agenda for this meeting. "After 66 years, Sacred Heart has decided to start a football program. We are looking for a coach to help build and lead this venture." The search for Sacred Heart's first head football coach had begun with two men, Gill and Duquette, who freely admitted they had very little 60 H e a r t experience in playing, coaching or managing in the game of football. Duquette was a former swimmer at both Sacred Heart and Bridgewater State. Nelson, by marriage to the school's nurse, had now become the only face in Sacred Heart with football acumen. Having interviewed at five different schools over the previous three years, I became familiar with the topics of the questions that all schools have in hiring a new member to their faculty. There are always the major topics to cover such as, academics, college preparation, MIAA rules and the school's discipline policies. These topics were covered during this interview. However, this interview was different in two ways. First, as the interview began, my bucket list had become one item less as I was able to talk to football strategy, preparation and fundamentals with a former NFL player. Second, the benefit of having an outsider's perspective on a subject. Nelson's job was to discuss the x's and o's of football with the prospective candidates. Having spent very little time involved in football, Dr. Gill and Duquette did not ask the typical questions that usually accompany these types of interviews. They asked questions that were not so much football-specific as they were more about general philosophy and morality. As the meeting began to wind down, Dr. Gill asked in a throw away kind of manner, "Coach, by the way, why did you get into coaching?" On my final interview for any head-coaching job, this was the first time I was asked this question. I explained to Dr. Gill, Duquette and Nelson that the reason I got into coaching back in 1995 was to stay competitive in the sport knowing my playing days were behind me. What kept me in coaching are the relationships I've made and continue to make. The interview concluded with Gill and Duquette saying they had more candidates to meet and their decision was a week away. Friday, February 15: The Relationship Begins "Hi, Coach, it's Mike Gill and I'm sitting here with Bob Duquette," was the greeting I received when I answered my phone. "We would like you to be our new and first football coach here at Sacred Heart." After 66 years, two interviews and one phone call, the relationship between football and Sacred Heart had begun.