Posted on 08/11/2005 5:46:23 PM PDT by Osage Orange
Coach Brings New Offense To Millwood
By Berry Tramel
The Oklahoman
Desota Bell's phone rang several times. He's not on the Millwood school board anymore, but folks still called. Millwood had gone and hired a white football coach. Keith Bell is the white shadow of Millwood's all-black and always-successful gladiators.
The independent school district in northeast Oklahoma City long has been a magnet for the black community, and the Falcons take pride in their football, with four state titles in the last 15 years.
But when longtime coach Don Willis resigned earlier this year to take a job in Texas, Millwood hired Bell, late of Topeka High, a Class 6A Kansas school.
And sure enough, the Falcons were in for quite a shock. Not because of their new coach's skin color. Because of his offense.
Millwood is known for old style football. Smashmouth. Run-it-up-the-gut. Power game. Donovan Woods is running a spread, no-huddle offense at OSU, but as a Millwood quarterback, Donovan lowered his shoulder or handed off. Fancypants football hadn't made its way to Martin Luther King Avenue.
Until now. Practice began Tuesday, and Bell has installed what he calls the Carl Albert offense, a shotgun/spread formation with plays signaled in and arm bands for his quarterback to keep up with the 90 possible plays.
“To become a better team, to reach that next level, sometimes you have to change,” said Millwood linebacker Robert Ford.
He was talking offense, not race.
Oh, some people will still talk about the white shadow. Bell’s offensive coordinator, Mike Post, a 20-year Falcon coach, admits he was surprised when Millwood hired a white man.
And all those people calling Bell were wondering what the school board was doing.
“Those I heard from were surprised,” Bell said. “My perspective is, if they hired the best candidate, that’s fine.
“Times have changed. We are having a lot of black coaches in white schools.”
John Willis, the state’s former secretary of veteran affairs and a long-time Millwood booster, said, “I don’t have any problem with it.
“What they need is a good coach, regardless of color. Someone who can work with the kids and have an interest in them.
“If they can get that kind of coaching, I don’t care what color he is.”
I chatted with four Millwood seniors Tuesday. None expressed any problem with a white coach.
“Naw, didn’t surprise me,” said flanker Jaye Lambert. “We needed a change somewhere.”
Ford said it wasn’t the least bit strange to be coached by a white man, but he can see how his elders might be taken aback. “If they see how he’s helping us off the field as well as on the field, they’ll be fine,” Ford said.
He’s on to something. Maybe the younger generation doesn’t see things so black and white.
“I didn’t hear anything,” said offensive lineman Kris Jennings.
Truth is, Millwood’s culture shock this season won’t be when Keith Bell leads the Falcons onto the field, but when his offense lines up.
Post wants to send a message to Millwood fans: “We’re not abandoning smashmouth football. We’re still going to have that.”
Bell said he’s not trying to make sociological statements. He just wanted to move back to Oklahoma and was lured by Millwood’s tradition.
“I don’t look at it any like there’s white or black,” Bell said. “I treat every kid the same.
“There are only two types of people,” he said.
“Good and bad.”
"There are only two types of people, good and bad."
Very well put!
Why mess with success?
The run-and-shoot never worked in the NFL, and it never will.
It doesn't really work in college either, against good teams.
I think they haven't won State in a few years.....
I also think the coach is playing to the team's strengths....
BWDIK???
I LOVE IT...
“There are only two types of people,” he said.
“Good and bad.”
Kinda like ... Good or bad;
government,
school,
church,
family?
or could platonic duelism be worded like this;
good vs. evil
righteous or unrighteous
Godly or unGodly.
Godly or unGodly nation
Godly or unGodly government
Godly or unGodly school
Godly or unGodly church
Godly or unGodly family
Godly or unGodly women
Godly or unGodly men
Godly or unGodly youth
There's a thought...!
In High School, it can work, my High School lost a couple of city championships to a team that used a hurry up version of the run and shoot.
Spurrier's championship teams ran the ball 50% of the time.
In their non championship yrs, they threw the ball a lot more.
And they were never no-huddle.
He used no huddle in appropriate situations (generally), i.e. 2 minuit offence, time running down, losing, etc.
The only times he used outside of that....was when he felt like being a jerk and kicking another team when they were down.
Run and shoot isn't just passing, it means no tight end.
He would line guys up in 3 wide and 2 backs, or 4 wide and one back (this is the standard), or "go naked" (no backs), with the exception of the "naked set" , you can run the ball out of any of those formations....and he did.
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