Run and Shoot Guru Coach Mickens episode 1: The Butler Football Culture
8 min readBuilding an Amazing Football Culture and The Run and Shoot with Coach Mickens
Episode 1: The Butler Football Culture
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Another week we got a great podcast Ahead today we're going to talk with Eight time state champ should have been Nine time state champ if uh uh a team Team In I had a start with I'm sorry Derek I Have sorry I had bro it uh uh uh we're Gonna talk a lot of run and shoot Because um last week we had coach Nas on This week we have coach miggins on and And uh um coach NY has talked about how He went over to Butler to really Originally learn some of that Stuff um and so we're going to talk About that uh before I do that uh we we Want to make everyone that's recruit Understand you can go to my football Camps.com D1 promo if you want to get me And Mike farell helping you out with Recruiting um you have to qualify for us To bring you on uh but make sure you can DM us you can DM me at coach schan and Um we can we can go from there or at M Sports without further Ado we're going To bring in uh and I'm excited to really Talk about this and for those of you out There we'll get into it a lot but it's Also personable personal for for Coach D Because this was one of his his coaches As well well welcome coach mickens how You doing I'm doing great guys thanks Thanks for having me on thanks coach Appreciate you buddy yes sir we're we're Excited to talk uh with you give
Everyone your background of football Obviously you've been been at Butler for A long time but let let let's talk about That first so everybody knows then we'll Dive right into it yeah I I just Finished last year as my 42nd year uh Coach in high school football um almost All exclusively at Butler I did have a Fiveyear uh run and shoot run up in West Milford with my good friend Sean Poppy I Was his offensive coordinator for H five Years in the mid 2000s and uh we did Some good things there too we had you Know a lot of great athletes uh on on Those teams uh a lot of guys went on and Played uh some solid college football But you know listen I I played a butler Uh was a captain at Butler like Derek And uh there's no there's no place like Like Butler um I still coached um High School softball at West Milford High School um campus is a half mile from my House and uh been coaching High School Softball for a real long time now and uh I love both schools but but you know but Is my home it's where I grew up um grew Up a half a mile from the stadium uh Grew up wanting to be a butler football Player like most of us did and I think I Hope kids still do but uh yeah just uh Lot of exciting things going on with our Program now and uh as always uh and uh You know real proud that I've been able To hang in for 42 years and still relate
To kids and um you know I think it's and It's it's it's a challenge you know to Uh make sure that you stay in touch and Know how your players tick and how how Much the game has changed um sure the Game's changed a lot I think we've Gotten a lot smarter as coaches um on How to how to treat our athletes and and Relate to our athletes and uh so it's Been a really good thing in the last Four or five years of um The Changing Times with social media and things like That have been uh pretty eye opening but It's also been fun I I love my players So you know if you love your players you Figure it out You well you look great I mean you you You look like you're not not a day over 35 it's it's amazing Butler keeps you Young I guess Butler Butler absolutely Absolutely You Gotta Wear a lot he wears A lot of hats over there keeps him you Know running on the blue Turf makes you Look faster anyway so yes there there's No what what makes Butler and and and Dereck's talked about Li but I want to Hear from you um who's been played there Coached there for 40 42 years Um what makes Butler a unique place it's A it's a for those of you don't know Know out there it's it's a small group One program that's had you know in as in The title obviously coaches won eight State championships um probably been in
In numerous other opportunities many Semi-finals probably beyond that right So um uh talk about what makes a small School like Butler such a special place That period you know um you know when I Grew up in Butler and dererk will tell You you know it's a miltown you know I Mean if you you know I hate to throw Like a Pennsylvania reference in there But it it it really it was you know it's Like growing up and you know you watch That movie All the Right Moves you we Were ampipe uh when we were kids it's It's all we had uh none of us grew up You know uh with any kind of you know Wealth or anything like that and and Really all we had was the school the you Know the basketball courts the field you Know and uh you know and and it just has A gritty flavor to it still you know Hasn't really changed very much um you Know demographically it's changed Slightly you know um it's a little bit Different than when I was a kid or even When Dereck was growing up there but you Know not too much uh you know and and Just I think you know the through lines To some of our players you know there's There's a huge Tradition at the school Um the one thing I could tell you I've Worked for six head coaches at baller High school right now and uh you know no No more finer um you know custodian of The tradition and Butler Football than
Jason Luc Annie um who grew up in Pompton Lakes played for Pompton Lakes His dad was a head coach at Pompton Lakes so it's no different Butler and Pompton Lakes are mirror towns when it Comes to that and I just think our our Embracing of the past and keeping the Traditions alive uh we have alumni days We honor our great teams uh we bring People back every year and um I just Think that it's a special place too Because we try to make it that way um You know a a Friday night at Butler High School with all the traditional pump and Circumstance that go along with it you Know the pregame March you know if we Win we go to the rock that hasn't Changed in in in in years you know the Marching band the team you know we play At the middle school we walk for the High school if we win we give out you Know it's a game ball give out you know And the whole Community goes there and You know if you're a young football Player you know we invite our our our Junior program to every single Friday Night game you know they're all on the Sideline um they create a tunnel for our Kids to come out into so if you're one Of those kids who the hell wouldn't want To play for us right that that you know I mean that's how I look at it so um you Know we've always been conscious no Matter who the head coach has been there
Uh we always been conscious of the People that you know what's been going On in the past right and uh You know you don't win eight state Championships in the time that I've been There if if you're not if you're not Doing stuff like that um and another Thing I'll I'll tell you what what's What's going on at Butler right now There's you know other than coach lucani Who was from Pompton Lakes and my son Who played at West Milford he might as Well be a butler guy because he grew up Around it his whole life there's not a Guy on the coaching staff that didn't Play for us so that's really important Too uh you know we have a good young Coaching staff and the through line to All of them is that they all played for Us and that makes a big difference you Know that that it makes a big difference I think that makes a huge difference I Think also uh having been up there it's In a unique spot where you can really Kind Of continue continue a lot of your Traditions um it's not quote unquote an Easy place to get to if you you know so The people who grew up there um there's A lot of input that's going to continue To be involved there you're not going to Like people AR going to drive through And and make that that turn and go and Go up 20 23 and say this is where I'm
Gonna necessarily move right now so but I'm not saying as a negative I'm saying As a positive meaning that you're able To build a community over a long period Of time which I think is very unique in New Jersey very very unique in New Jersey because Obviously I live in one of those I grew Up in one of those towns that you got Every Highway running through it right So Saddlebrook where you know you have People from the town but the town's Turning over every 20 years right so um People moving out they're going to it Where it's located that's just gonna Happen right and you're going up and Down the parkway or to Turnpike that's Naturally going to happen up and up and Down those major roadways but 23 is one Of those older roadways it's been around For a long time but but is not Necessarily near the major roadways and I think it creates a unique and you got To go up the hill you know it's unique Unique Atmosphere that um and it's still by the Way close enough to everything too so You're still you're still you're still Right over there pay by pay County You're right near all the city areas It's a very very unique Place uh am I am I right on that as an outsider looking At it and we're trying to make it even More
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