By Rex Kirts
Kirk Kennedy said the way he coaches football is "kind of rare now."
The offensive trend in football has swung to the spread formation and making defenses defend the field horizontally. Kennedy doesn't do that. He runs a vertical game with the emphasis on blocking instead of trying to fool defenses with all kinds of formations.
"Control football, fundamentals, field position," Kennedy explained his philosophy.
That's what is coming to South football as Kennedy replaces Drew Wood. The Panthers will line up, for the most part, in an I formation and try to root their way downfield.
"We'll have drives of 12-15 plays," he told the Panthers in Thursday's community meeting at the school. Ball control, first downs. That will be the new Panther way.
AND, OF COURSE, there will be some defense. It's highly critical to teams that play Kennedy's stylE of offense. His defenses at Lowell were strong.
He will pass the ball, but his preference is the running game. What does he do when he gets behind? "Don't panic," he said. "In the fourth quarter more often than not the game will go your way if you're prepared and in condition.
"A lot of what we do is what we did in high school," Kennedy said. "I understand the importance of controlling the football."
Quite often, good coaching is the result of a person's pedigree. That is, who he played under or coached for in high school and college. Kennedy's pedigree is solid.
First of all, his father, Bob, was a high school coach. He retired before Kirk played in high school.
"What I learned from him was the daily routine of coaching," Kennedy said. "The work ethic, organizational skills, the time commitment, building relationships with kids. Everything, really. What it takes to be successful."
Keith Mescher was Kennedy's high school coach.
"HE PLAYED with Phil Simms (former New York Giants quarterback) at Morehead State," Kennedy said. "From Mescher I learned that hard work solves all problems. I learned about accepting responsibility, how to lead, team chemistry, how a team when it comes together can overcome all obstacles."
That's a lot to learn, and Kennedy was able to translate it into coaching and turn a weak Lowell program into a powerhouse.
After high school, Kenneday stepped into an unusual situation in college at Louisville. Bob Weber was the coach when he arrived, but Howard Schellenberger replaced him.
Schellenberger, whose assistant coaching included jobs under Bear Bryant and Don Shula, started with 120 players in the off-season. Before the first game Louisville was down to 48 players, and Kennedy was one of them.
"I WAS A SURVIVOR," he said. He survived because college was it for him, he had, as he said, no other options. "I had a lot of determination. I set the goal of getting through it. It was rough for a while.
Right away with Schellenberger you knew the program was going to go up another level," Kennedy said. "From him I learned accountability and an environment of excellence.
"He had an aura of instant credibility. He improved the facilities. We learned intensity and durability at the workouts. He wanted to make sure those who were left wanted to be there."
Kennedy created his own instant credibility at Thursday's meeting. In a level but firm voice he told the assembled players to "take off your hats, take off the earrings, turn off your cell phones." They did as instructed and did it right away.
STAFF BEING ASSEMBLED: In his first week at South Kennedy began interviewing for his staff. It shoud be announced before long.
"I'm reaching back to some of the people who have been here," he said. "We will have a mixture of veteran experience and youthful enthusiasm."
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Kennedy getting an early start
By Rex Kirts
Kirk Kennedy will get the school board's OK Wednesday night as South's new football coach, but he's already been on the job doing preliminary work.
"It's transition time," Kennedy said Tuesday from his office in the school.
That means, in addition to straightening up the office and getting started with football, selling a house and buying a house and all those things necessary to move from Lowell to Bloomington.
"I've said my goodbyes at Lowell," he said. "It was tough, emotional last Friday. A 21-year career flashes by before you. I'm very proud of what we accomplished there."
In taking over for Drew Wood, Kennedy has already been meeting with the assistant coaches and will meet with players and parents Thursday night at 7 at a community welcoming at the school. All Panthers fans are welcome to attend.
"I'M JUST TRYING to get stuff together here," Kennedy said. "I've been answering a lot of questions. We're looking forward to getting started."
He will start to learn more on Thursday when he takes over the weight classes and sees what kind of strength condition the football players are in. Kennedy has already seen tapes, on You Tube, of the Panthers in action this past season.
"We've got work to do," he smiled. The Panthers finished 3-7 for their first losing season in over two decades. "It's good we've got the time." He meant the extra time he is gaining by starting in April, after Lowell let him out of his contract early.
A positive for Kennedy is the welcome reception he has received by the school and the community. Principal Mark Fletcher and athletic director J.R. Holmes started quickly to find a new coach after Wood's resignation during the winter. Wood is now in charge of energy conservation for the MCCSC.
"I definitely feel a strong commitment from the community to win," Kennedy said. "There's a sense of urgency to get things done.
"YOU HEAR COACHES say they have a two-year plan or a four-year plan. But what does that say to the players you have now?
"We're going to do everything we can now to get better for the upcoming season. We want the players to have ownership in their program and get it back up to where it needs to be. The cupboard is not bare.
"We'll be working on attitude, motivation, discipline. We want to create a sense of obligation to the program."
Kennedy is still in the process of putting a staff together. "I still need to find some experienced guys, to select offensive and defensive coordinators and build a staff off of those two cornerstones," he said.
Kirk Kennedy will get the school board's OK Wednesday night as South's new football coach, but he's already been on the job doing preliminary work.
"It's transition time," Kennedy said Tuesday from his office in the school.
That means, in addition to straightening up the office and getting started with football, selling a house and buying a house and all those things necessary to move from Lowell to Bloomington.
"I've said my goodbyes at Lowell," he said. "It was tough, emotional last Friday. A 21-year career flashes by before you. I'm very proud of what we accomplished there."
In taking over for Drew Wood, Kennedy has already been meeting with the assistant coaches and will meet with players and parents Thursday night at 7 at a community welcoming at the school. All Panthers fans are welcome to attend.
"I'M JUST TRYING to get stuff together here," Kennedy said. "I've been answering a lot of questions. We're looking forward to getting started."
He will start to learn more on Thursday when he takes over the weight classes and sees what kind of strength condition the football players are in. Kennedy has already seen tapes, on You Tube, of the Panthers in action this past season.
"We've got work to do," he smiled. The Panthers finished 3-7 for their first losing season in over two decades. "It's good we've got the time." He meant the extra time he is gaining by starting in April, after Lowell let him out of his contract early.
A positive for Kennedy is the welcome reception he has received by the school and the community. Principal Mark Fletcher and athletic director J.R. Holmes started quickly to find a new coach after Wood's resignation during the winter. Wood is now in charge of energy conservation for the MCCSC.
"I definitely feel a strong commitment from the community to win," Kennedy said. "There's a sense of urgency to get things done.
"YOU HEAR COACHES say they have a two-year plan or a four-year plan. But what does that say to the players you have now?
"We're going to do everything we can now to get better for the upcoming season. We want the players to have ownership in their program and get it back up to where it needs to be. The cupboard is not bare.
"We'll be working on attitude, motivation, discipline. We want to create a sense of obligation to the program."
Kennedy is still in the process of putting a staff together. "I still need to find some experienced guys, to select offensive and defensive coordinators and build a staff off of those two cornerstones," he said.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Kennedy up to the challenge
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE POST-TRIBUNE OF NORTHWEST INDIANA
Kennedy up to the challenge in Bloomington
April 2, 2010
BY MARK LAZERUS
Think of the Duneland Conference and what comes to mind? Pristine artificial turf fields, flashy spread offenses, 280-pound linemen and Division I recruits dotting the field.
Think of the Northwest Crossroads Conference and what comes to mind? Mud-soaked uniforms and dirt painted green, grinding I-formation offenses and 180-pound linemen getting by on technique and quickness.
The look of determination: Kirk Kennedy never had trouble getting his point across to players and referees alike. post-tribune file photo
This is the difference between Class 5A football and Class 4A football in Indiana. This is the jump Kirk Kennedy is making as he leaves the smashouth security of Lowell for the great unknown of Bloomington South.
Bloomington South has only 371 more students than Lowell. It would be by far the smallest school in the Duneland Conference. But it will compete against megaschools such as Warren Central and Ben Davis for a state championship. It's in the same conference as Columbus North and Pike.
IT'S A BRAVE, DAUNTING, somewhat horrifying new world for Kennedy. He won't take the Panthers -- wow, Kirk Kennedy a Panther; what would Griffith think? -- to the semistate every year, like he did Lowell. He won't be a fixture in the state championship game, like he was at Lowell. He won't be a conference champion year in and year out, like he was at Lowell.
He's taking over a small 5A program that went 3-7 last year (its first losing season since 1988, to be fair), and none of his terrific assistants are coming with him. And he's giving up maybe the most secure job in Indiana in a lousy economic climate, especially for educators.
"It's going to be a challenge, no question," Kennedy said. "But that's part of the appeal, I think."
Nobody accepts a challenge quite like Kennedy. He took an indescribably bad program at Lowell and turned it into one of the two or three best programs in all of Class 4A -- and the model for all region teams. He fought through four surgeries and four months of hospitalization due to a life-threatening bout of advanced pancreatitis in his second year at Lowell -- and was back running laps around the school before the next season began.
HE TOOK ONE -- 34 iso, a simple run off tackle -- and turned it into a legend, an attitude, a rallying cry, Red Devil Pride.
There's a running theme around the Post-Tribune newsroom that pops up every football postseason. When we're all making our weekly staff picks, the mantra is "Don't Bet Against Kirk Kennedy." And when someone does, they're promptly ridiculed, because they're almost always wrong.
Well, I'm not about to start picking against him now.
But like every other person who's watched a Lowell game at the Inferno, I have my doubts. How can the Lowell offense work at the 5A level? If the next Rex Grossman shows up at Bloomington South practice one day, is Kennedy going to have him hand off the ball 50 times per game, and maybe roll out for two short screen passes?
Kennedy laughed at the question.
"OUR STYLE IS the style that worked at Lowell," he said. "We do have a rather large playbook. It's just that we only use a small part of it. I like to think I'm smart enough to go down there and evaluate the talent and tweak things to suit whatever talent they may have. That's not to suggest by any means that we'll sell out to the spread offense or anything like that. You can throw the ball very effectively out of the I formation. I'm not worrying about going down there and ram-rodding anything down their throats."
And that's why Kennedy will succeed. He's never been all about Xs and Os. As he likes to say, he's all the players executing those Xs and Os. Give him the reins of a Pop Warner team, and you'll have the toughest, smartest, best-conditioned and best-prepared Pop Warner team around.
Kennedy's less a football coach than he is an attitude coach. He makes kids tougher. He makes kids stronger. He makes kids believe in themselves and in something greater than themselves. He makes them fiercely devoted to his teammates -- past, present and future. He makes them dedicated to the idea of not letting down everyone who came before them.
HE MAKES THEM little Kirk Kennedys.
And that's why Lowell -- with a bunch of 170-pound offensive lineman -- can dominate the line of scrimmage against bigger, more talented teams. That's why Lowell -- with that tiny corner of the playbook -- can run the same play eight straight times and get 5 or 6 yards every time. That's why Lowell -- with two-way players at nearly every position -- can outlast deeper, one-way teams and pull away in the fouth quarter.
And that's why Bloomington South wanted Kennedy. The Panthers might lack the depth, the size, the speed and the talent that some of the 5A powers in the Indianapolis area have. But they now have something those other schools don't.
They have Kirk Kennedy.
And you just don't bet against Kirk Kennedy.
Kennedy up to the challenge in Bloomington
April 2, 2010
BY MARK LAZERUS
Think of the Duneland Conference and what comes to mind? Pristine artificial turf fields, flashy spread offenses, 280-pound linemen and Division I recruits dotting the field.
Think of the Northwest Crossroads Conference and what comes to mind? Mud-soaked uniforms and dirt painted green, grinding I-formation offenses and 180-pound linemen getting by on technique and quickness.
The look of determination: Kirk Kennedy never had trouble getting his point across to players and referees alike. post-tribune file photo
This is the difference between Class 5A football and Class 4A football in Indiana. This is the jump Kirk Kennedy is making as he leaves the smashouth security of Lowell for the great unknown of Bloomington South.
Bloomington South has only 371 more students than Lowell. It would be by far the smallest school in the Duneland Conference. But it will compete against megaschools such as Warren Central and Ben Davis for a state championship. It's in the same conference as Columbus North and Pike.
IT'S A BRAVE, DAUNTING, somewhat horrifying new world for Kennedy. He won't take the Panthers -- wow, Kirk Kennedy a Panther; what would Griffith think? -- to the semistate every year, like he did Lowell. He won't be a fixture in the state championship game, like he was at Lowell. He won't be a conference champion year in and year out, like he was at Lowell.
He's taking over a small 5A program that went 3-7 last year (its first losing season since 1988, to be fair), and none of his terrific assistants are coming with him. And he's giving up maybe the most secure job in Indiana in a lousy economic climate, especially for educators.
"It's going to be a challenge, no question," Kennedy said. "But that's part of the appeal, I think."
Nobody accepts a challenge quite like Kennedy. He took an indescribably bad program at Lowell and turned it into one of the two or three best programs in all of Class 4A -- and the model for all region teams. He fought through four surgeries and four months of hospitalization due to a life-threatening bout of advanced pancreatitis in his second year at Lowell -- and was back running laps around the school before the next season began.
HE TOOK ONE -- 34 iso, a simple run off tackle -- and turned it into a legend, an attitude, a rallying cry, Red Devil Pride.
There's a running theme around the Post-Tribune newsroom that pops up every football postseason. When we're all making our weekly staff picks, the mantra is "Don't Bet Against Kirk Kennedy." And when someone does, they're promptly ridiculed, because they're almost always wrong.
Well, I'm not about to start picking against him now.
But like every other person who's watched a Lowell game at the Inferno, I have my doubts. How can the Lowell offense work at the 5A level? If the next Rex Grossman shows up at Bloomington South practice one day, is Kennedy going to have him hand off the ball 50 times per game, and maybe roll out for two short screen passes?
Kennedy laughed at the question.
"OUR STYLE IS the style that worked at Lowell," he said. "We do have a rather large playbook. It's just that we only use a small part of it. I like to think I'm smart enough to go down there and evaluate the talent and tweak things to suit whatever talent they may have. That's not to suggest by any means that we'll sell out to the spread offense or anything like that. You can throw the ball very effectively out of the I formation. I'm not worrying about going down there and ram-rodding anything down their throats."
And that's why Kennedy will succeed. He's never been all about Xs and Os. As he likes to say, he's all the players executing those Xs and Os. Give him the reins of a Pop Warner team, and you'll have the toughest, smartest, best-conditioned and best-prepared Pop Warner team around.
Kennedy's less a football coach than he is an attitude coach. He makes kids tougher. He makes kids stronger. He makes kids believe in themselves and in something greater than themselves. He makes them fiercely devoted to his teammates -- past, present and future. He makes them dedicated to the idea of not letting down everyone who came before them.
HE MAKES THEM little Kirk Kennedys.
And that's why Lowell -- with a bunch of 170-pound offensive lineman -- can dominate the line of scrimmage against bigger, more talented teams. That's why Lowell -- with that tiny corner of the playbook -- can run the same play eight straight times and get 5 or 6 yards every time. That's why Lowell -- with two-way players at nearly every position -- can outlast deeper, one-way teams and pull away in the fouth quarter.
And that's why Bloomington South wanted Kennedy. The Panthers might lack the depth, the size, the speed and the talent that some of the 5A powers in the Indianapolis area have. But they now have something those other schools don't.
They have Kirk Kennedy.
And you just don't bet against Kirk Kennedy.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Commentary: 'Fluffy' must go
By Rex Kirts
Last summer a new neighbor registered his kids at South and told me he saw some of the football players. I asked what he thought of them, and he replied, "fluffy."
Fluffy.
That's the worst thing I ever heard say about a football team.
When Kirk Kennedy arrives and starts to build his program at South, maybe he should put the word fluffy above the entrance to the weight room. The players should have to read it every day as a reminder of what can happen on the field, such as go 3-7 like the Panthers did last year.
The neighbor's comment was the second in two years that indicated South needed a change. Two
Last summer a new neighbor registered his kids at South and told me he saw some of the football players. I asked what he thought of them, and he replied, "fluffy."
Fluffy.
That's the worst thing I ever heard say about a football team.
When Kirk Kennedy arrives and starts to build his program at South, maybe he should put the word fluffy above the entrance to the weight room. The players should have to read it every day as a reminder of what can happen on the field, such as go 3-7 like the Panthers did last year.
The neighbor's comment was the second in two years that indicated South needed a change. Two
Kirk Kennedy
years ago former Martinsville coach Bill Siderewicz said the Panthers were "soft" after the pre-season scrimmage against Center Grove.
Kennedy is not a man who will tolerate fluffy and soft. That's not how he lifted Lowell from a downtrodden franchise to one of the best in the state.
Consider his background: he's the son of a coach and played for Howard Schellenberger at Louisville. That's an excellent football pedigree.
HE TELLS AN enlightening story about playing for Schellenberger, one that illustrates how his football persona was shaped. When Schellenberger took over at Louisville there were 120 players, but after the pre-season practice there were 48. Kennedy was one of the 48 survivors.
The man who coached Lowell for 19 years seems to be a perfect fit for what South needs. The Panthers need to get tougher and to be more disciplined in their total approach to the game and to their academics.
This winter there were about 40 players not in a winter sport, yet only about 15 showed up for workouts at Teamwork, the indoor facility on the west side of town. And too many of them were in academic trouble. Both situations are intolerable.
Kennedy, a personable man, is no stranger to hard work. All phases of running a football program will be attacked, just like his defense and run-dominated offense.
"I believe you have to be honest with the kids, work hard and do things right," he said.
With these things as a base, Kennedy has won seven straight sectionals at Lowell and a class 4A state championship in 2005. He produced some outstanding results at Lowell, but the one I like best, in addition to seven straight sectionals, is that his 2005 team won the state despite starting the season with a 1-4 record. That is pretty amazing. That was a brilliant piece of coaching.
KENNEDY GOES ABOUT COACHING in a fearless way. For instance, he took the South job even after watching the Panthers' game at Columbus North this season. If that didn't scare him away nothing will.
"They seemed to get pushed around a little bit," Kennedy said of the Columbus game. "Defensively they played a little high."
And his solution to the problem?
"We've got to get stronger in the trenches. Overall we've got to get stronger but especially in the trenches."
Players get stronger in the off-season. Kennedy's motto for the off-season program is, "Those who sweat in peace-time bleed less in war."
He believes that persistence is "the most important quality of the consistent winner." And people must "get in the habit of success."
Kennedy also believes in personal conduct rules and a disciplined approach to behavior. Common sense stuff, all directed toward discipline.
"You want to be a champion? Act like one!" he writes in his booklet.
Up-tempo practices will be the norm. "They will be fast-paced, competitive, physical," Kennedy said. "We'll get them ready for Friday night."
ASKED WHAT HE BRINGS to the program, he said his leadership ability. "I try to get everyone on board. I want everyone to take pride in it."
He will also bring a South-first attitude, meaning he believes teams create their own destiny by executing. "We don't worry about playing teams who are bigger, faster, stronger. We can't control that. It's about what we do and what we can control."
It's a fair statement to say the real football players at South will welcome this attitude.
One of the first things Kennedy needs to do is get his staff. He regards himself as a staff-friendly guy. He had the same offensive and defensive coordinators all 19 years at Lowell.
"I'm excited to get there and go to work," Kennedy said. "It's not magic. We won't reinvent the wheel."
He is, naturally, aware of the Panthers' history of success.
"The pieces are here, We've just got to light the fire again," he said.
Kennedy is not a man who will tolerate fluffy and soft. That's not how he lifted Lowell from a downtrodden franchise to one of the best in the state.
Consider his background: he's the son of a coach and played for Howard Schellenberger at Louisville. That's an excellent football pedigree.
HE TELLS AN enlightening story about playing for Schellenberger, one that illustrates how his football persona was shaped. When Schellenberger took over at Louisville there were 120 players, but after the pre-season practice there were 48. Kennedy was one of the 48 survivors.
The man who coached Lowell for 19 years seems to be a perfect fit for what South needs. The Panthers need to get tougher and to be more disciplined in their total approach to the game and to their academics.
This winter there were about 40 players not in a winter sport, yet only about 15 showed up for workouts at Teamwork, the indoor facility on the west side of town. And too many of them were in academic trouble. Both situations are intolerable.
Kennedy, a personable man, is no stranger to hard work. All phases of running a football program will be attacked, just like his defense and run-dominated offense.
"I believe you have to be honest with the kids, work hard and do things right," he said.
With these things as a base, Kennedy has won seven straight sectionals at Lowell and a class 4A state championship in 2005. He produced some outstanding results at Lowell, but the one I like best, in addition to seven straight sectionals, is that his 2005 team won the state despite starting the season with a 1-4 record. That is pretty amazing. That was a brilliant piece of coaching.
KENNEDY GOES ABOUT COACHING in a fearless way. For instance, he took the South job even after watching the Panthers' game at Columbus North this season. If that didn't scare him away nothing will.
"They seemed to get pushed around a little bit," Kennedy said of the Columbus game. "Defensively they played a little high."
And his solution to the problem?
"We've got to get stronger in the trenches. Overall we've got to get stronger but especially in the trenches."
Players get stronger in the off-season. Kennedy's motto for the off-season program is, "Those who sweat in peace-time bleed less in war."
He believes that persistence is "the most important quality of the consistent winner." And people must "get in the habit of success."
Kennedy also believes in personal conduct rules and a disciplined approach to behavior. Common sense stuff, all directed toward discipline.
"You want to be a champion? Act like one!" he writes in his booklet.
Up-tempo practices will be the norm. "They will be fast-paced, competitive, physical," Kennedy said. "We'll get them ready for Friday night."
ASKED WHAT HE BRINGS to the program, he said his leadership ability. "I try to get everyone on board. I want everyone to take pride in it."
He will also bring a South-first attitude, meaning he believes teams create their own destiny by executing. "We don't worry about playing teams who are bigger, faster, stronger. We can't control that. It's about what we do and what we can control."
It's a fair statement to say the real football players at South will welcome this attitude.
One of the first things Kennedy needs to do is get his staff. He regards himself as a staff-friendly guy. He had the same offensive and defensive coordinators all 19 years at Lowell.
"I'm excited to get there and go to work," Kennedy said. "It's not magic. We won't reinvent the wheel."
He is, naturally, aware of the Panthers' history of success.
"The pieces are here, We've just got to light the fire again," he said.
Kennedy should bring toughness to football team
By Rex Kirts
Kirk Kennedy, whose Lowell football teams used strong defense and a dominant running game to win seven straight sectionals, showed up at his interview for the South job with a purple and white tiet and told the story about an opponent who had a 6-9, 300-pound tackle.
"He was blocking like this," Kennedy said, indicating a passive-type technique. "If I had a 6-9, 300-pound tackle you'd have to call an ambulance after every play."
It was clear from this and other juicy tidbits that South can expects a different kind of football, a physically tougher one, in the future.
Kirk Kennedy, whose Lowell football teams used strong defense and a dominant running game to win seven straight sectionals, showed up at his interview for the South job with a purple and white tiet and told the story about an opponent who had a 6-9, 300-pound tackle.
"He was blocking like this," Kennedy said, indicating a passive-type technique. "If I had a 6-9, 300-pound tackle you'd have to call an ambulance after every play."
It was clear from this and other juicy tidbits that South can expects a different kind of football, a physically tougher one, in the future.
"That is a football coach," one member of the 18-man committee beamed. The committee was
Kirk Kennedy
over-whelmingly in favor in hiring the man who who a class 4A state championship at Lowell.
How potent is the coaching ability of this 46-year-old with a strong football pedigree? Well, his 2005 team won the state title after starting 1-4!
KENNEDY HAS A LOT of assets that fit South's needs. Number one, he will make the Panthers tougher physically. Number two, he is extremely personable but a disciplinarian.
"We play a sport that requires discipline. If you're not disciplined you beat yourself,' he explained.
And he is aggressive. "Our defense attacks. We don't read anything," he said.
Offensively, Kennedy, 161-70 in his 19 years at Lowell, represents a little bit of an opposite from Drew Wood, who resigned recently after six years as the Panthers' coach. Wood liked balance but also liked to throw the ball, and Kennedy insists on running it first. And second, and third.
"We'll be basic and fundamentally sound. We will work hard," he said.
Kennedy believes in the power of executing.
"One game one of our linemen said, 'Coach, they know all our plays.' I don't care if they knew our plays! So I called out (from the sidelines) , "Run (a certain play)."
He didn't say how that play fared.
"We don't have to out-athlete people," Kennedy said. We're going to out-work, out-prepare and out-last people."
HE CLEARLY IS a believer in the KISS system (Keep It Simple, Stupid). And he has been very good at motivating his players.
"You have to get the kids playing with passion, with great effort," he said. "Xs and Os are about fifth on the list. They must play hard for the uniform and the guy next to them. It's all about preparation, working hard, doing things right and keeping it simple. It's all about execution.
"We do what we do with a high degree of efficiency. We establish the run first." A balanced offense, he said, "is what you do at a high level of efficiency."
Kennedy's philosophy succeeded quite well at Lowell. The Red Devils won nine conference championships, 10 sectional championships, six regional championships, three semistate championships and one state championship.
He obviously can succeed quickly - his second Lowell team won a sectional.
WHY WOULD HE leave Lowell with the kind of success he's having there?
"We've built a very strong program. Things are rolling, there are great people here, a great staff and the kids work hard," Kennedy said. "But this (the South job) is an opportunity to be part of something special, to be a part of a great school and tradition. This is a positive change, to be part of a community and school system."
Kennedy applied for the job six years ago, when Wood was hired.
"I got to know Mr. Fletcher (Mark, the principal) and Mr. True (Jay, assistant principal) and Mr. Holmes (J.R., the athletic director and basketball coach)," he said. "They sounded like great people."
What Fletcher and True and Holmes and Panther fans will see on the field is basically an I formation offense and a 4-4 multiple defense. From these, Kennedy hopes to win big. To accomplish that, the Panthers will have to buy into his rigorous program."
"To people who hang around, we're going to be champions," he said.
Several times at the interview Kennedy said, "We will do things right," and he meant the entire program, on and off the field. He is eager to set his program in motion at South, and those who sat on the selection committee are just as eager for him to begin.
Kennedy's hiring must be passed by the school board, which meets next on April 14.
over-whelmingly in favor in hiring the man who who a class 4A state championship at Lowell.
How potent is the coaching ability of this 46-year-old with a strong football pedigree? Well, his 2005 team won the state title after starting 1-4!
KENNEDY HAS A LOT of assets that fit South's needs. Number one, he will make the Panthers tougher physically. Number two, he is extremely personable but a disciplinarian.
"We play a sport that requires discipline. If you're not disciplined you beat yourself,' he explained.
And he is aggressive. "Our defense attacks. We don't read anything," he said.
Offensively, Kennedy, 161-70 in his 19 years at Lowell, represents a little bit of an opposite from Drew Wood, who resigned recently after six years as the Panthers' coach. Wood liked balance but also liked to throw the ball, and Kennedy insists on running it first. And second, and third.
"We'll be basic and fundamentally sound. We will work hard," he said.
Kennedy believes in the power of executing.
"One game one of our linemen said, 'Coach, they know all our plays.' I don't care if they knew our plays! So I called out (from the sidelines) , "Run (a certain play)."
He didn't say how that play fared.
"We don't have to out-athlete people," Kennedy said. We're going to out-work, out-prepare and out-last people."
HE CLEARLY IS a believer in the KISS system (Keep It Simple, Stupid). And he has been very good at motivating his players.
"You have to get the kids playing with passion, with great effort," he said. "Xs and Os are about fifth on the list. They must play hard for the uniform and the guy next to them. It's all about preparation, working hard, doing things right and keeping it simple. It's all about execution.
"We do what we do with a high degree of efficiency. We establish the run first." A balanced offense, he said, "is what you do at a high level of efficiency."
Kennedy's philosophy succeeded quite well at Lowell. The Red Devils won nine conference championships, 10 sectional championships, six regional championships, three semistate championships and one state championship.
He obviously can succeed quickly - his second Lowell team won a sectional.
WHY WOULD HE leave Lowell with the kind of success he's having there?
"We've built a very strong program. Things are rolling, there are great people here, a great staff and the kids work hard," Kennedy said. "But this (the South job) is an opportunity to be part of something special, to be a part of a great school and tradition. This is a positive change, to be part of a community and school system."
Kennedy applied for the job six years ago, when Wood was hired.
"I got to know Mr. Fletcher (Mark, the principal) and Mr. True (Jay, assistant principal) and Mr. Holmes (J.R., the athletic director and basketball coach)," he said. "They sounded like great people."
What Fletcher and True and Holmes and Panther fans will see on the field is basically an I formation offense and a 4-4 multiple defense. From these, Kennedy hopes to win big. To accomplish that, the Panthers will have to buy into his rigorous program."
"To people who hang around, we're going to be champions," he said.
Several times at the interview Kennedy said, "We will do things right," and he meant the entire program, on and off the field. He is eager to set his program in motion at South, and those who sat on the selection committee are just as eager for him to begin.
Kennedy's hiring must be passed by the school board, which meets next on April 14.
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