Legendary Coaching Tips From DJ Nimphius and Tony Demeo Part 2
Legendary Coaching Tips From DJ Nimphius and Tony Demeo Part 2
For DJ I was an assistant with him and Was his ability to not just um uh teach The game but also teach the coaches and Like I learned more from him and he Would throw you in a fire like there was We we talked about it last time but There was nobody nobody better like I Was coaching I I came in coaching with Him I think I started with um as an Assistant I was a special teams guy but I was doing like maybe running backs and I can't remember the other POS maybe Linebackers the next time I came around With him he threw me right into the Offensive line defensive line I never Coached it before but he had no mercy on Me when the next period was being blown And I was on the far end with the Offensive lineman I had to Sprint my B Ass all the way up and get there as he'd Be yelling at me why are you late that's 30 seconds into the drill already you Know so I'd be sprinted up there with With my linan by the way which were in Great shape those guys they were all Like basketball players so so they they Were running faster than I was so that's A little bit about Coach coach is a Fantastic um uh head football coach but You know positionally like I've seen him Coach QBs receivers DBS I've learned so Much from him you know from that Standpoint and schematically there There's in in my opinion in high school
There is nobody better uh uh than coach Nyus so you're talking about me yeah Yeah I was talking about okay yeah know Yes now you know so now now you know Know we were three and eight last year Right well first time in how long a long Time yeah even great chef even great Chefs break break an egg every once in a While yeah Yeah we okay go ahead coach coach de Mayo so coach de mayo and and I'll let Co coach uh dep pasal chime in a little Bit after too but coach Deo obviously Was a a football coach at the college Level for for many many years I won't Say the years but one of the things I Really know him really well for is is The uh the spread triple option really The the gun triple option and um you Know I read his book many years ago he Has a new book out which I'll definitely Let him talk about I I think coach dep Pasco went and got that book um but as Far as the option the expansion of the Option the ability run to put points on The board I can't remember who we had on Uh coach to Pas but they were talking About when they played against him was It Matt mitsakis yeah I think it was Jimmy yeah so how when he was on staff With his brother yep yep it was a lot of Points on the board not a lot not a lot Of defense that 4050 points on the board And you know between the triple option
Versus the uh versus the run and shoot So um but coach is is a a phenomenal Teacher uh of the game especially you Know the option and the legendary head Coach um and and by the way uh had us Laughing so much that I think me me and Derek we're we're taking your quotes and Your stuff about Jimmy valano and and Iona and and we we couldn't stop Laughing about it but well welcome back To the podcast coach D yeah it's great To be here and as I said I'm great it's An honor to be on with DJ who's One n State titles I mean coaching High School Football is a lot more difficult than Coaching College football by far Because uh I can go get the players that I want DJ has to coach the players that He has and to win n nine title the state Championships is an unbelievable task And an unbelievable honor so you know I'm I'm always uh I love great High School coaches and I've been around a Lot of them uh Philip Hayward in Kentucky for example at belfrey has won So many state titles I mean at a small School and play like uh in Louisville Louisville Male and beat them I mean He's just a great coach or Tony dematio At uh up in New York who's great Football coach Tony uh I I like him for Two reasons number one he's Italian Number two I'm Italian so I figure That's a pretty good mix but I've known
Tony forever and when I was at Iona he Was one of the key guys he's anybody who Didn't get signed he sent to me and uh So I half my starting lineup was from Him and they were and they were already Coached that's what I mean about being a High school coach I benefited from his Coaching ability and I'm sure a lot of College coaches have benefited from DJ's Coaching ability so coaching High School Football I have great respect for them Because they do a better job quite Frankly I mean uh they don't have to Recruit they if they could they'd be Even better but um they make they really Make the best use of their players much More than college Coaches that's my Opinion I think yeah Dave I think I Think in that case you know because you Know I know Tony's background and I I've Been in the room when he spoke and Because I'm from New York I I I uh I Know Iona you know my mother's a Graduate of Nur shell my dad's a Graduate of pelum and uh you know even Though I grew up on Long Island I'm very Well aware of it and an interesting Thing for Coach Deo when you I listened To your podcast with these guys and you Spoke about coach valano now I was a Little young yet I think it was only Like a freshman in high school but all Those kids he brought from were from you
Know jeffin the vicker's brothers you Know uh Kevin Hamilton Kevin Hamilton Yeah you know uh Middleton you he was in The program too but all those guys were Were Long Island guys when uh you know When I was a freshman high school and Basketball is really a big thing so yeah I I mean I always wondered why those Guys weren't getting recruited as much But once I think he had to get Glenn Vickers first that was the big one yeah Glenn he was a great player yeah and Glenn Glenn and briyan were both very Good high school football players and And then he got Jeff Rand and then the Whole world changed when he got Jeff so Jeff was one of the great guys too I Mean he was a always hung around with The football players was a great guy it Was interesting uh Valano uh when Uh he he W he went after Ruland he knew Ruland was going to be the difference And he went after him you know tooth and Now but his philosophy of recruiting DJ Was it's like putting stones in a in a Jar get the Big Stone and put them in First and then the little Stones then The Pebbles then the sand and then You'll fill up the jar but if you put The little pebbles in first you might Not get the big one in there so he went After Vickers first because he he told Me Vickers will help me get ruler VI
Vickers will get you any that's the way Work yeah here's an interesting thing About Val he was a high school Quarterback at seford high school yeah So we were recruiting and he had the Cubicle next to Mine and uh he would spend more time in My cubicle than he in his and every once In a while I got a word in you know but So anyway he brings in the this old film And he says hey here's a quarterback you Got to recruit this kid he's phenomenal So as soon as he put it on I knew it was Him you know it just had it just the way He was moving around and he was wearing Number 12 and had white Shoes and I said God come on Jimmy I Said this guy has no athletic ability at All I said he looks like A and he was getting matter and matter He goes look at him throw look at him Throw I come on there's a wobble in it He doesn't even throw a good spiral he Horrible where'd you get this thing and Then I couldn't stop I could I had to Quit because he was getting so upset but He was he was a character I mean I had So much fun with the guy and he taught Me a ton I was four years younger than Him pardon me he I said I could imagine Just sitting just sitting there just Being a sponge he was uh he was four Years older than me and and he talked About the the secrets of winning and he
Said every game has a formula To win and your job as a head coach is To find that formula so sometimes it Might be to put your foot on the gas and Run fast break a high highspeed Tempo And sometimes it might be to put it down To a crawl so like Tempo wasn't an Ideology for him it was a tool right and One of his favorite sayings was he who Controls the pace wins the race and lo And behold when he won the National Championship they only scored 52 points Right they slowed down win and the other Thing that was interesting that he Always told me was the only lead that Matters is the one at the end of the Game yes sir said you don't have to get The lead in the first quarter or the Second as long as you're close enough That you can win at the end of the game And sure enough Lorenzo Charles stuffed It on the last play of that that game But he was great to me and and he kept We kept in tou I left IA a year before He did I left in after the 79 78th Season I went to Penn and he left after The 1980 season and went to North Carolina State but we stayed close and Uh till you know he passed and he was Just a great mentor and a great friend And uh like when we when I was at Mercy Hurst and we beat Widner at Widner Widner was Bill manl is one of the Greatest coaches that ever walked the
Sidelines and and uh we beat them
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