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Coach of the Year Jeff Green

Coach of the Year Jeff Green

By Michael Preston

Jeff Green might have been selected as the sole winner of The Home Depot NFL Coach of the Year award, but as far as the Chatham-Kent Secondary head coach is concerned, it is an honour that belongs to more than just one person.

Green, who was selected from a shortlist of 10 community and high school coaches from across Canada, turned to the same philosophy he employs through his coaching when it came to accepting the prestigious award.

“One of the first things I did was thanked one of my assistant coaches and he thought I was crazy,” said Green. “But I explained to him that everyone from the volunteers on the team to the assistants and the players and the staff and administrators have helped and have given me the energy to do what I do. It is not just about my contribution.

“Just as importantly, my family allows me to do the things I do and without their support I could never have won this award. My wife Ellen is involved as an executive of the Chatham-Kent Cougars teams that I coach and my son Clark plays with the travel team, so that makes it easier for me. My daughter Madie is on the cheerleading squad, so we’re all involved and it has been a nice bond for our family.”

Green was nominated in a letter written by his former wide receiver Derek Easter, a Chatham-Kent graduate who now attends the University of Western Ontario.

“I was ecstatic when I heard he had won,” said Easter. “I wrote the essay because I respect him so much and he is more of a friend than a former coach now. I called my Dad and my coach here and I was so excited and was telling all my friends.

“It is awesome and the equipment will really help the football program. It is a great boost for future kids at the school.”

Green is not surprised that the relationship that developed between coach and receiver has extended beyond the secondary school years.

“I helped him believe in himself and stick with his studies, which I’m sure has something to do with why he nominated me,” added Green. “I was very humbled being nominated by a past player. It is one of those things where you don’t really expect it and you don’t do these things for the accolade.

“Derek played for us for five years and all the way along you could tell that he was going to be extremely good. I was the offensive coordinator as well as the head coach so with him being a wide receiver we had a strong bond. I also worked quite a bit to get him prepared to go to university because I don’t think it was something that was on his mind originally.

“It is nice to see he is looking back at his grassroots and doesn’t forget where he comes from. When he played summer ball with the Essex Ravens I followed his exploits there and cheered him on, so we’ve always had a very good relationship.”

Easter agrees that Green was his motivation and the reason he is now pursuing an academic and athletic path at the University of Western Ontario. The freshman receiver and his Mustangs lost their first four games of the current season, but after seven straight wins, will play in the Mitchell Bowl on Saturday against the Manitoba Bisons. A win will earn a place in the Vanier Cup on November 23, where Coach Green will receive his The Home Depot NFL Coach of the Year award.

“He always pushed me because I was always the average student and never wanted to go to university,” explained Easter. “He convinced me and he definitely changed my life because he helped me get to a different level of education.

“My team is the Cinderella story of Canadian college football and because of Coach Green I have a shot at a national championship.”

Green has also mentored players who have gone beyond college to the professional level, including current Washington Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham, whose career he follows closely when his busy schedule allows. But he was quick to stress that he does not limit his interest to former students who excel on the football field.

He explained: “I become a fan and am on the web constantly to see how Shaun and a couple of others are doing, but I was only a small part of what has put those people in a great position to succeed in life.

“Those who are just as successful in academics, who go on to become lawyers or doctors and do not play football at a higher level are just as important and my ties to them are just as strong.”

The fact that Green’s role as a football coach extends far beyond the gridiron was evident when another former student and player delivered a heartfelt congratulatory note in a greeting card on the morning the award was announced.

“The one thing that I constantly talk about is the idea of respect,” he explained. “We talk about it during games and practices. You should have it for your teammates, your coaches, the opposition, the referees and everybody involved in the game.

“With respect comes discipline and also a very community-orientated person who is not always thinking about themselves.

“I have always taken the approach that we are all in this together and it is their team that we are trying to create, so I put the onus back on them to learn the game and the skills. We try not to push the idea of first stringers, but more of a team.”

Green’s nominating former player Derek Easter agrees.

He added: “He taught us that win or lose you shake hands after the game and if you win you can do that graciously. He taught me to be a better person overall.”

The team at Chatham-Kent Secondary will now benefit to the tune of $5,000 in football equipment and a $1,000 The Home Depot gift card that will be put to good use by the school.

Green explained: “From the standpoint of the equipment, football is a very expensive sport to run. To have this money to help keep the cost for the players and for the school down is an excellent bonus. The Home Depot money is ideal because we have an equipment storage area that could use an overhaul.”