Coaching Through The Ages

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The full text of “Coaching Through The Ages” by Mike Snyder — Seminole Public Schools, Oklahoma, from the Vol 4 — Winter 2025 issue.

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Coaching Through the Ages I have had the privilege of coaching high school football in Oklahoma for the past 6 generations. High School Football has changed tremendously during this time. As it has evolved into the game it is now. Players and coaches have gone through many changes during the time I started in 1972.. In the 1970’s players would come up lift on their own. There was very small amount of contact with your kids during the summer. Weight rooms were filled with universal weight machines.

Free weights were not a huge part of the off season. There was no form of summer practices. As coaches we did not worry that much about conditioning as most kids had some type of jobs. They were push mowing yards and hauling hay. Very few kids came in overweight. The conditioning occurred when you were allowed to practice before school started either in 2 a day or 3 a day for 2 weeks. The coaching preparation was not complicated.

If you were the defensive coordinator you had to scheme around how to stop the I formation and the play action pass. The late 70’s brought about the wishbone as Oklahoma and Texas had success running it. On the 20

offensive side of the ball, you schemed to run against the 5-2 where there were not many adjustments. In the late 70’s teams started to make more adjustments out of the 5-2. There were not a lot of coaches’ meetings to plan for the year. A couple days of meetings before 2 a day started you were ready to go. As a staff you made sure you were prepared for those 2 weeks. My first contact in 1972 was $7600.00 so you had a summer job just like the kids did.

The 1980’s started to bring many different ways to prepare your players for the upcoming season. This is when the VHS tapes were brought in to replace the 16-millimeter film that we watched. Not many of you ever broke down a 16 mm film. You missed out on film running off the reel in the floor or splicing the film with scotch tape when it broke. As coaches you would take your projector home and show the film on a white wall in your house. The VHS tapes allowed you to have your own recorder and watch it on TV.

You were able to break down the opponent with more ease. More preparation time takes place during off season. You could evaluate your scheme and your players with more ease. Programs started to build weight rooms and go to free weights. The weightlifting program became the backbone of your football program. Offenses and defenses started to change. I think the 80’s brought the passing QB to the forefront. Bill Walsh and Joe Montanna brought the 3-step passing game to Friday Nights.

This means more preseason preparation. You had to find a way to stop the passing game with a pass rush and adjustments to the pass-

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ing game. Many of us designed our run game around the passing game as we realized the importance of the passing game. As head coaches you had to find coaches to visit that had the knowledge in throwing the football. . The 90s brought a different concept of the passing game. You took your QB to passing camps during the summer. The passing game philosophy changes some. You get more 5 step drop game. The shotgun becomes prevalent thus the preparation as an offensive and defensive coordinator becomes more important.

The more exotic routes come in play thus your preparation time changes. The 5-2 defense with cloud coverage and invert coverage must change to match the offense. The preparation time with your kids and coaches demands more time. Summer weights become important thus preparation time changes. You wanted your QB to come up and throw to receivers. You had to watch them from the comer of the stadium as you were not allowed as a coach to be involved. Spring football becomes more important. More staff time was required.

The 2000's obviously brings many changes to preparation of the upcoming season. Daily summer pride programs are implemented. Players and coaches are expected to be there. You meet as a staff during the summer to prepare for the upcoming year. It allows us more interaction time with our players. Technology changes everything. I have a coach that tells me we will be able to exchange video over what he says was the internet, look where we are now.

You do not have to meet halfway on Saturday morning to trade film for the next opponents. I miss those roadside meetings. We can come in and watch the game as soon as it is over. The 2010 and the 2020 generation brought off season to another level. Our preparation time changes. It demanded more time for coaches and players. Offenses continue to advance and with this brought about all the defensive schemes that we see today. Seven on seven passing leagues start during summer.

You are allowed to hold your own team camp or go to a college team camp. This created more exposure for your kids I became the head coach in Seminole in 1980. I was afraid not to go to the stadium everyday as I was worried about my preparation as a head coach. My concern about preparation is still there but I do realize that it is ok to take a day off. We work 365 days of the year, as no day goes by that you do not think, ‘WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM BETTER. We ask so much out of our kids and our coaches.

We know there is no substitute for preparation. THE WORST FEELING YOU CAN HAVE AS A COACH IS WHEN YOU WALK ON THAT FIELD ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAY, “I WISH I HAD PREPARED MORE.” 23

Preseason now is winter, spring and summer. Some days I wish it was 1972. Run the ISO out of the I formation and defend the ISO on the defensive side of the ball. It was not the X and O it was Jimmy and the Joes. A real man’s game. Now the QB can choose to hand the ball off or throw it to someone when the ball is snapped, the RPO. Now it is what many call basketball on grass, not as simple as it used to be. I hope after 54 years of coaching there is not much left to change.

It does not matter how you line up on Friday night. It does not matter how many 7-7 games you had in summer. It does not matter how many camps you went to. It does not matter how much weight you can lift. It comes down to one thing. HOW HARD WILL JIMMY AND JOE PLAY FOR YOU. HAVE A GREAT SEASON Mike Snyder Seminole Public Schools Seminole OK 74868 CAA Athletic Director Head Football Coach Office 405-382-5134 Cell 405-380-2330 Starting his 54th year at Seminole High. 47 as head coach Record 392-145.

Winningest Football coach in Oklahoma Seminole High School Football is 5th winningest program in Okla High School Football 1 State Championship with 5 State runner ups Past President of Oklahoma Football Coaches Asoc Mike Snyder Seminole Public Schools Seminole OK 74868 CAA Athletic Director Head Football Coach Office 405-382-5134 Cell 405-380-2330