~CONTENT POWERED BY HOLLY SEED~
Winning isn’t everything.
At the same time, it doesn’t hurt.
Just ask Big Horn High School Head Football Coach Mike McGuire. The defending 2A State Champion Rams enter today’s semifinal matchup with Wheatland undefeated and top-ranked, and in McGuire’s three years at the helm, Big Horn has a staggering 29 wins in 31 games.
However, the Greybull native — who first caught the coaching bug while serving as a student manager for the University of Wyoming football team and has had stints along the way at Fort Hays State University, Riverside High School, and Sheridan High School — will also be the first to tell you that success isn’t only measured by wins and losses. It’s about perseverance and growth and integrity and positive relationships with the young men he coaches and the men he coaches with.
But the wins are nice, too.
We recently huddled up with Coach Mac for 5 Questions.
SB: What characteristic do you feel is the most important in being an effective leader and how is that characteristic reflected in your coaching style?
MM: To me integrity is the most important characteristic a coach can have. It’s important that you make the right decisions for the right reasons. Your kids have to believe in the decisions you make, both for them as an individual and for the collective good of the team. Parents have to know that you care for their child and will do what’s best for them. Without integrity I think it would be very difficult to be a legitimate leader. I’m very blessed at Big Horn to have a coaching staff that are high character men of integrity who are great role models for our young men.
SB: Who do you consider your coaching mentors and in what ways have they influenced your coaching?
MM: I’ve been blessed to coach with many great people, so choosing just a few is difficult. Growing up, Bo Schembechler at Michigan was one of my favorite coaches. He was a hard-nosed guy who loved his players and his focus was always on The Team, The Team, The Team. Don Julian at Sheridan has been a man I’ve always looked up to. When he was at UW I was always impressed with the way he carried himself. That’s why when I got the opportunity to join his staff at Sheridan I jumped on it. He and his whole staff do things the right way. They’re great men first, coaches second. They’ve had a huge influence on me and I’ve been a better leader having been around them. But Dick Lebeau (Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Coordinator) is my favorite coach of all time. For a man who has accomplished what he has his humility is amazing. Getting to spend time with him last summer and see the way he leads men and the love he has for his players, and they for him, is something I really aspire to.
SB: Do you think more is learned from winning or losing?
MM: I’m not sure there’s an answer to that. I think most of the lessons we learn from athletics, football specifically, are from competing in general. Learning to work with others, to care more about the guy next to you than you do about yourself, pushing yourself physically and mentally to places you never thought possible, how to get up when you get knocked down, how to handle success, the importance of preparation, dealing with criticism, etc., are all life lessons learned through competing. Winning and losing both present great learning opportunities.
SB: You’ve had the opportunity to spend time at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camps and practices. What do you take away from those experiences that is applicable to coaching a high school team in Big Horn, Wyoming?
MM: A few things really stuck out to me while in Pittsburgh that I’ve tried to bring with me to Big Horn. One is preparation. There’s no substitute for it. You either put the work in and prepare yourself, or you don’t. There are no shortcuts for being prepared. The work both physically and mentally many of those professional players and coaches put in is astounding. Another is attention to detail. Doing the little things right so that big things can happen. Once again preparing on a daily basis to be successful. Lastly the biggest thing I took with me from Pittsburgh is that even though football can be a very complicated game, success in it always comes back to fundamentals. Blocking, tackling, running, throwing, catching, kicking. If you don’t do those things well, you can’t be successful at any level. It was exciting to see the professional players doing some of the same drills we use out in Big Horn. The fundamentals don’t change, just the size, speed, and ability of the men playing it.
SB: You grew up in Greybull with Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive lineman Brett Keisel, who’s well-known for both his football prowess and facial hair. If it would GUARANTEE that Big Horn would win another state championship, would you grow and sport a Keisel-like beard for a year?
MM: Without a doubt. I think I could go 10 years without shaving and my beard would never look like Brett’s, though. His is the best in the business, and growing hair is not one of my strengths.
(STORY PHOTO CREDITS: KERRY POWERS, BIG HORN HIGH SCHOOL)
