Closson: 'An honor to be called Coach'
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
For the past 11 seasons, the McClain Tigers football program has been led by Randy Closson. That ended on Wednesday, as the head coach decided it was time to step away from the program that he'd been a part of in one way or another as a coach for nearly two decades.
Closson, who won 36 games as head coach of the Tigers, gets it. He realizes that winning is enjoyable, but football is about more than games won and lost … it's also about the relationships made, and family.
The head coach, who graduated from Ottawa-Glandorf in northwest Ohio and Youngstown State University, knew when thinking about spending time with his family that it was the right time to step away from a program he helped shape and mold.
He just wasn't able to give the full, all-out effort it takes to be a football coach at any level, high school or higher.
"Obviously, we didn't have the best year (in 2014). We really struggled with lots of things on the field, but what really drove my decision is family," Closson said. "My son is going to be a seventh grader next year and will be playing football. They play on Wednesdays, and obviously as a head football coach, Wednesday is a big practice day. I just didn't think I could give 100 percent of myself to the team when 100 percent of me wanted to watch my son."
If there is one thing people say when you ask those around the program, it was Closson gave everything he had to the program for over a decade as the head coach, a feat not seen at many levels these days.
Take a look at the South Central Ohio League. All but McClain and Clinton-Massie have changed their head coach in the sport of football since Closson became the head coach of the Tigers in 2004.
But for the head coach, long tenure or not, his decision came back to family. Closson wanted to not only be able to watch his son play football, but see his wife on a consistent basis as well.
"Whether if he is playing away or home, I would want to be there watching him, cheering him on and be there to support him as a young man, just like all the young men I've worked with," Closson told The Highland County Press. "I wanted to be there for my child and my wife.
"I spend a lot of time during football season away, and we become strangers in the same house, as we pass each other with the comings and goings and all the tasks I need to take care of as a coach. It will be nice to spend more time with her and to be able to enjoy my son's first year in tackle football. I spent a lot of time thinking about what we could do different and what we could do to improve the program, and bottom line was I needed to take care of my family and be with them."
Sure, there are the rivalries, the pep rallies and heat of the lights each Friday night from late August to sometimes early November, and though Closson is closing that chapter of his coaching life, he said he enjoyed it.
"When you are having fun, time flies," Closson said. "I've enjoyed it, and yes, there have been hard times … there have been really hard times, but overall it has been a great experience.
"Working with young people and sharing in my passion with football, working with young men who share that same passion for the game as well ... it has been a great experience."
That's another word that describes Closson and the McClain football program, or football in general … passion. Closson spoke with great pride about not only the McClain football program, but the Greenfield community in general.
"Working in this community, Greenfield seems to get a bad stereotype from people from outside the community, but when you work with the people like I've gotten to work with, there are so many wonderful people that are so supportive of kids and kids' activities," he said. "They give and they give … local businessmen and women, the Rotary Club … a lot of people in the community. There are just so many positive things and positive people. I've just been blessed to work with them and to have their support."
Also, there is no need to question the support Closson received during his tenure, as he described it with great fondness.
"The teachers and my assistant coaches have been fantastic," he said. "I know some people may speculate because of this or that, or I was pushed out (as a reason for stepping down) … there has never been a question of support for me, my program and my coaches.
"I'm thankful for that. The school board, superintendents, principals and Pat Stevens (the MHS athletic director) have been wonderful. I owe all those people and thank them for the honor and opportunity to coach in such a great town, great school and great community."
With that support and fondness fresh in his mind, he even had a fun moment, laughing, when he thought about the times before he was a head coach and thinking about having the top role one day in a football program.
"I did want to be a head coach, until I became an assistant," Closson said, laughing. "Once I became an assistant and saw the workload and responsibility of a head coach, it kind of pushed me back a little bit.
[[In-content Ad]]
"When coach (Tim) Gossett stepped down, I evaluated where I was and if I wanted to pursue that … and I did. I don't regret doing it. I enjoyed every minute of it, but it takes a tremendous amount of time, and it's a big commitment."
Then there are the relationships Closson has gained during his time at McClain, relationships he said he'll miss the most.
"I look back at the relationships … the people, the young men who are now fathers, college graduates. Nowadays with Facebook, it is easier to stay in touch and to see them post a picture of their child and talk about their job. To be able to hear about the good things in their lives and sometimes their struggles, hoping their time here in the program was an experience that gave them a better quality of life or a skill to handle the good and the bad that comes with life.
"I hope they gained an appreciation for the good things that come with life and a balanced approach with the bad and the challenges that often life throws before us. I hope they became stronger people."
Two of those relationships involved Tim Gossett and John Penwell.
"(Tim) was the head coach who hired me and gave me the opportunity to be a coach here in Greenfield. I'll always be appreciative of him. He's such a teacher," Closson said. "He's not only a teacher of the kids, but he's a teacher of adults, the coaches as well, because he taught us to be better coaches. With him retiring as a coach and teacher after this school year, Greenfield really loses a mentor, a guy who had really put his stamp on lots of kids over his many years of being an educator and coach. He's been a big role model and mentor for me.
"John Penwell has been our defensive coordinator for many years now, and he's a very high-quality, high-integrity person who is a great guy. All my assistants, they are phenomenal people. That's what I like to see in coaches, coaches who are quality people and treat the kids with respect, and those who are good role models."
When folks think of SCOL football, two of the biggest rivalries in the entire league involve the McClain Tigers, which is one aspect of the job Closson enjoyed as well … the rivalries.
Two of those rivalries involved the Tigers against the Washington Blue Lions and the Hillsboro Indians.
"The Greenfield-Court House rivalry was always a great game to coach in. There have been some great games, even this year," Closson said. "Unfortunately this year we didn't get a stand at the end and get the victory, but that game and that atmosphere … the two communities are so passionate about their schools, it was fun to be a part of.
"And the games with Hillsboro (the Rotary Bowl), with the communities being intermingled and the kids knowing each other … it is just a great experience. The passion that is there from the fans, and how excited the kids get – it is just an atmosphere that you have to be there to experience and be there in the trenches."
Closson said he grew up being a football fan, playing and watching the game as a child. Now, being a father and getting to watch his son play the game, you can say the football journey for Closson has come full circle.
Along with that football passion came another passion for Closson … education.
"My passion for football comes from my love of playing the game as a child. For me, football was a means to school. It wasn't the other way around, and now that I'm older and wiser, I realize the education is the most important part of it," he said. "I wanted to use my love for the game to do that with other kids. To use that passion for football to let them know football is a great thing, but your education is the most important thing.
"Every year as a head coach, we set a team GPA goal, and we had kids offer to help tutor other teammates. Very rarely did we get the goal of a 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, but many times we were at a 3.1 or 3.08, and that to me is what football and sports are all about … it is a path to education."
Closson is a big believer in mixing football and education.
"The game itself can teach you lessons you don't learn in the classroom, but yet, through the game, kids need to value and appreciate an education and go on with life," he said. "Ultimately, most kids will get four years of football and they go into the real world.
"I really want people to know how appreciative I am for the opportunity to have been the coach," Closson said. "It is an honor to be called 'coach,' and I want to let everyone know how appreciative I am for their support and of the efforts within the program."
Closson, who won 36 games as head coach of the Tigers, gets it. He realizes that winning is enjoyable, but football is about more than games won and lost … it's also about the relationships made, and family.
The head coach, who graduated from Ottawa-Glandorf in northwest Ohio and Youngstown State University, knew when thinking about spending time with his family that it was the right time to step away from a program he helped shape and mold.
He just wasn't able to give the full, all-out effort it takes to be a football coach at any level, high school or higher.
"Obviously, we didn't have the best year (in 2014). We really struggled with lots of things on the field, but what really drove my decision is family," Closson said. "My son is going to be a seventh grader next year and will be playing football. They play on Wednesdays, and obviously as a head football coach, Wednesday is a big practice day. I just didn't think I could give 100 percent of myself to the team when 100 percent of me wanted to watch my son."
If there is one thing people say when you ask those around the program, it was Closson gave everything he had to the program for over a decade as the head coach, a feat not seen at many levels these days.
Take a look at the South Central Ohio League. All but McClain and Clinton-Massie have changed their head coach in the sport of football since Closson became the head coach of the Tigers in 2004.
But for the head coach, long tenure or not, his decision came back to family. Closson wanted to not only be able to watch his son play football, but see his wife on a consistent basis as well.
"Whether if he is playing away or home, I would want to be there watching him, cheering him on and be there to support him as a young man, just like all the young men I've worked with," Closson told The Highland County Press. "I wanted to be there for my child and my wife.
"I spend a lot of time during football season away, and we become strangers in the same house, as we pass each other with the comings and goings and all the tasks I need to take care of as a coach. It will be nice to spend more time with her and to be able to enjoy my son's first year in tackle football. I spent a lot of time thinking about what we could do different and what we could do to improve the program, and bottom line was I needed to take care of my family and be with them."
Sure, there are the rivalries, the pep rallies and heat of the lights each Friday night from late August to sometimes early November, and though Closson is closing that chapter of his coaching life, he said he enjoyed it.
"When you are having fun, time flies," Closson said. "I've enjoyed it, and yes, there have been hard times … there have been really hard times, but overall it has been a great experience.
"Working with young people and sharing in my passion with football, working with young men who share that same passion for the game as well ... it has been a great experience."
That's another word that describes Closson and the McClain football program, or football in general … passion. Closson spoke with great pride about not only the McClain football program, but the Greenfield community in general.
"Working in this community, Greenfield seems to get a bad stereotype from people from outside the community, but when you work with the people like I've gotten to work with, there are so many wonderful people that are so supportive of kids and kids' activities," he said. "They give and they give … local businessmen and women, the Rotary Club … a lot of people in the community. There are just so many positive things and positive people. I've just been blessed to work with them and to have their support."
Also, there is no need to question the support Closson received during his tenure, as he described it with great fondness.
"The teachers and my assistant coaches have been fantastic," he said. "I know some people may speculate because of this or that, or I was pushed out (as a reason for stepping down) … there has never been a question of support for me, my program and my coaches.
"I'm thankful for that. The school board, superintendents, principals and Pat Stevens (the MHS athletic director) have been wonderful. I owe all those people and thank them for the honor and opportunity to coach in such a great town, great school and great community."
With that support and fondness fresh in his mind, he even had a fun moment, laughing, when he thought about the times before he was a head coach and thinking about having the top role one day in a football program.
"I did want to be a head coach, until I became an assistant," Closson said, laughing. "Once I became an assistant and saw the workload and responsibility of a head coach, it kind of pushed me back a little bit.
[[In-content Ad]]
"When coach (Tim) Gossett stepped down, I evaluated where I was and if I wanted to pursue that … and I did. I don't regret doing it. I enjoyed every minute of it, but it takes a tremendous amount of time, and it's a big commitment."
Then there are the relationships Closson has gained during his time at McClain, relationships he said he'll miss the most.
"I look back at the relationships … the people, the young men who are now fathers, college graduates. Nowadays with Facebook, it is easier to stay in touch and to see them post a picture of their child and talk about their job. To be able to hear about the good things in their lives and sometimes their struggles, hoping their time here in the program was an experience that gave them a better quality of life or a skill to handle the good and the bad that comes with life.
"I hope they gained an appreciation for the good things that come with life and a balanced approach with the bad and the challenges that often life throws before us. I hope they became stronger people."
Two of those relationships involved Tim Gossett and John Penwell.
"(Tim) was the head coach who hired me and gave me the opportunity to be a coach here in Greenfield. I'll always be appreciative of him. He's such a teacher," Closson said. "He's not only a teacher of the kids, but he's a teacher of adults, the coaches as well, because he taught us to be better coaches. With him retiring as a coach and teacher after this school year, Greenfield really loses a mentor, a guy who had really put his stamp on lots of kids over his many years of being an educator and coach. He's been a big role model and mentor for me.
"John Penwell has been our defensive coordinator for many years now, and he's a very high-quality, high-integrity person who is a great guy. All my assistants, they are phenomenal people. That's what I like to see in coaches, coaches who are quality people and treat the kids with respect, and those who are good role models."
When folks think of SCOL football, two of the biggest rivalries in the entire league involve the McClain Tigers, which is one aspect of the job Closson enjoyed as well … the rivalries.
Two of those rivalries involved the Tigers against the Washington Blue Lions and the Hillsboro Indians.
"The Greenfield-Court House rivalry was always a great game to coach in. There have been some great games, even this year," Closson said. "Unfortunately this year we didn't get a stand at the end and get the victory, but that game and that atmosphere … the two communities are so passionate about their schools, it was fun to be a part of.
"And the games with Hillsboro (the Rotary Bowl), with the communities being intermingled and the kids knowing each other … it is just a great experience. The passion that is there from the fans, and how excited the kids get – it is just an atmosphere that you have to be there to experience and be there in the trenches."
Closson said he grew up being a football fan, playing and watching the game as a child. Now, being a father and getting to watch his son play the game, you can say the football journey for Closson has come full circle.
Along with that football passion came another passion for Closson … education.
"My passion for football comes from my love of playing the game as a child. For me, football was a means to school. It wasn't the other way around, and now that I'm older and wiser, I realize the education is the most important part of it," he said. "I wanted to use my love for the game to do that with other kids. To use that passion for football to let them know football is a great thing, but your education is the most important thing.
"Every year as a head coach, we set a team GPA goal, and we had kids offer to help tutor other teammates. Very rarely did we get the goal of a 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, but many times we were at a 3.1 or 3.08, and that to me is what football and sports are all about … it is a path to education."
Closson is a big believer in mixing football and education.
"The game itself can teach you lessons you don't learn in the classroom, but yet, through the game, kids need to value and appreciate an education and go on with life," he said. "Ultimately, most kids will get four years of football and they go into the real world.
"I really want people to know how appreciative I am for the opportunity to have been the coach," Closson said. "It is an honor to be called 'coach,' and I want to let everyone know how appreciative I am for their support and of the efforts within the program."