Baby Boomer fans of the NFL recall quite well a sure-handed receiver wearing the orange and white of the Cleveland Browns named Dave Logan.
But his players can't remember that. They weren't even a twinkle in their mothers' eyes.
Logan made his mark in NFL stadiums in the 1970s and 1980s. But he certainly can't use that fame to his advantage with his Mullen High School Mustangs near Denver.
"These kids weren't even born when I was playing," he points out.
It doesn't matter. Logan's teams keep winning anyway, reaching the Class 5A state semifinals in each of his five seasons, capturing the title in 2004, and compiling a record of 61-7 during that stretch.
The dominance begins at the youth level. The Arapahoe Youth League in Jefferson City, the suburban Denver town in which Mullen is housed, has produced much of the talent that has made the Mustangs one of the premier teams in Colorado. Logan estimates that nearly 90 percent of his players boast youth football experience.
"Those kids have more of an intuitive understanding of football," explains Logan, who doubles these days as the radio voice of the Denver Broncos. "In that environment, the team concept is preached to them, and that's always important. Plus they've experienced the game."
So has Logan - at the highest level. But if he attempted to gain the respect of his players by boasting of his accomplishments with the Browns, it would fall on deaf ears. Moreover, he prefers to earn their admiration through his coaching rather than his achievements.
"I played a decade in the league, but these kids are pretty smart today," he says. "They can tell if you're real. If you treat the kids with respect and are demanding of them and if you get the message through to them that if they do things the right way they have a chance to win, they'll buy into it."
They've bought into it with the conviction of perennial contenders. Logan has instituted a "play hard or don't play" policy that befits a physical team. The Mustangs run a highly diversified offense that sways toward the run or the pass based on the returning talent.
But despite his experience in the NFL, Logan understands one football fact that is basic to all levels of the game. That is, teams must be able to run the ball and stop their opponents from doing the same to enjoy success.
"We don't change up much from year to year," he says. "We're going to be able to run the ball. I believe in that good, solid power running game. Some years we run multiple defensive fronts and some years we throw the ball more. But our goal is to run and stop the run first and foremost."
The Mustangs have featured many players who have helped achieve that objective. One is running back Maurice Greer, a 2005 graduate who keyed the state championship run in 2004 by rushing for 1,900 yards. He often pounded the ball behind offensive lineman Jessie White, who went on to play at the University of Oklahoma before being sidelined with a knee injury.
Among the other Division I recruits who wore Mullen uniforms was cornerback Chris Carney, who displayed tremendous coverage skills as a junior on that same title team and landed at Kansas State. Eventually taking over as the leader of the secondary was safety Nolan Brewster, a 2008 graduate who has earned a scholarship to the University of Texas. Brewster, whose father is University of Minnesota football coach Tim Brewster, led the Mustangs last year with six interceptions.
Arguably Mullen's premier skill position player during Logan's tenure has been wide receiver Devin Aguilar, who racked up more than 1,000 yards receiving as both a junior and senior before leaving for the University of Washington a season ago.
Perhaps one of those former Mullen players will work his way into the NFL someday. Perhaps he will also play in the NFL. And perhaps he too will become a high school coach. But if he ever approaches Logan for advice, he will most certainly be instructed to forget about trying to impress his players with a list of NFL achievements.
Logan knows as well as anybody that the way to gain respect is to earn it.
Story courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc.