By ALLI SCHIEBER
Editor-in-Chief
NWOSU has recently hired a former NFL head coach as the new defensive coordinator.
Head coach Ronnie Jones hired Coach Jerry Glanville as the new defensive coordinator.
Glanville is a successful coach having coached as a head coach for the Houston Oilers (1985-1989) and Atlanta Falcons (1990-1993.)
Glanville has never quit coaching, though some of the news outlets make it sound like he has. Glanville said two years ago he was coaching 41-year-olds and last year he was coaching 15-year-olds and he said that he likes to coach because coaches are teachers not just coaches.
“If you are a coach you have to be a teacher and you have to teach things correctly,” Glanville said. “The thrill for the coach is to see a player improve. A player that three weeks ago could not do it and now he excels at it.”
Glanville has coached some Pro Football Hall of Fame athletes, Deion Sanders, Warren Moon and Bruce Matthews to name a few. Glanville said that all of them would have made the Hall of Fame whether he coached them or someone else did.
Glanville said one of his all-time favorite players was Scott Case who was from Waynoka Oklahoma and went to high school in Alva his freshman and sophomore year before transferring to Edmond high school. He also played safety for Glanville with the Falcons.
Glanville has also coached with some all-time great coaches including the recently retired Nick Saben, he said at the time he coached with him he knew he was a great coach and Glanville even helped Saben get his first college head football coach job with Toledo, but had no idea he would be as successful as he was in his career.
While coaching, Glanville was notorious for leaving tickets for Elvis at the gate. He said that this started when he was at the Houston Oilers getting ready for a pre-season game against the New England Patriots in Memphis. As they were driving to Memphis someone said they spotted Elvis working at a Burger King in Michigan. So, his coach ing friend suggested they leave him two tickets at the box officebecause the whole halftime was dedicated to Elvis. All types of Elvis impersonators came to pick them up.
Glanville said the reason he came to Alva was the coach and he would not be here without Jones because of Jones to introduce to the athletic director and the president. So, he had three people that had the same vision. Which was not to participate but to be the best.
“We don’t want the best defense in the conference,” said Glanville. “We want the best defense in the world.”
Coach Jones said that when the position came open, he knew he wanted someone who had experience as a defense coordinator, not necessarily someone who was younger because he has a young staff and wanted someone to teach them. A friend of Jones who worked for Glanville at three different places saw the position was available and told him to call Glanville.
“Every place he has been he has always taken a defense from worst to first,” Jones said.
Jones said that there is no doubt about it after being around him for a couple of weeks that Glanville is all football.
“I asked him before I brought him up, do you fish, do you hunt, do you golf and he almost stopped me short and said I coach football,” Jones said. “And that’s what he does from daylight to dark he is thinking and teaching football.”
Coach Jones said that is not about what formation or schemes you run that it’s about changing people’s lives.
“If we are better playing man to man we will play man, I’ve coached everything so, if their zone players will play zone,” Glanville said. “If we have more linebackers than down lineman will play 3-4 if we have more down lineman, then linebackers will play 4-3. Our scheme will depend on the strength of our players.”
Glanville is not just known for football though, he also raced in NASCAR for 15 years. He said that he visualizes himself racing in NASCAR every day.
When he watches races, he is working his foot like it is on the brake and the right rear tire how you turn the car all while watching the race he said. His whole family also raced in NASCAR.
