Rowan County Sr. High School in Kentucky. Mark is a three diamond coach.

What was your first NFL experience?

My first NFL experience was timing a policy debate event as a 6th grader.

When did you decide to be a teacher and/or coach?
I would say in high school. The speech coaches that taught us were excellent craftsmen and great role models. They loved what they did and it made a difference in my life. It inspired me to emulate what they had been to me.

What is your team philosophy?
To work as hard as you can, learn as much as you can, and enjoy what you’re doing.

How many hours do you spend with this activity a week?
Approximately 20 hours of coaching after school. That doesn’t count the tournaments that we attend on the weekends.

What is your vision for the future of the NFL?
The NFL has made great strides at being more inclusive to people, to small schools, to large schools, to more schools, and it also stresses debate and the individual events more evenly. I’m really optimistic that it’s going to continue on this path in the future.

What is exciting about being an NFL coach in the state of Kentucky?
There is an excellent collegial atmosphere among the coaches in Kentucky. I feel comfortable knowing that my students will receive excellent comments from other coaches and will be treated as if they were their own students.

What’s unique about Rowan County High as an NFL chapter?
We have a great blend of student interest, parent interest and school interest. And, I think that’s really quite different from other programs. This blend is what makes it successful and enjoyable.

What qualities do you look for when recruiting students for your program?
Students who have convictions and are not shy about defending those convictions. Students who are knowledgeable about current events. And, I know this is going to sound weird, but people who do well in math.

How has the NFL changed since your days as a competitor?
It’s certainly gotten a lot bigger. Also, in the beginning, it was more focused on competition. It’s not that competition is not stressed today, but I think there’s more of an attempt to educate and reach students through other avenues.

What is your favorite memory from a National Tournament?
Just the entire tournament in Golden, Colorado when we had 9 students competing. It was great to have that many students together at one time and at one national tournament.

What is the greatest challenge as a coach today?
Still motivating students.

Are there any rituals/lucky traditions that you employ as a coach?
I’ have coached at two schools and there are different traditions at both schools. We have individual student speech mail boxes. We also give students a personalized note with a penny attached to it at the state tournaments. There are students that I coached 20 years ago that still have that penny. At the other school, we have this 8 foot paper enchilada that each graduating class added material to. We always taped it to the ceiling of the school bus on the state tournament trip. The students would touch it for luck as they left the bus for competition, therefore the state tournament was referred to as the big enchilada.

What’s your favorite weekend tournament food item?
Pizza.