kepdawg
12-20-2007, 11:33 PM
As a leader, Euless Trinity coach is inspired
Lineweaver has a way of bringing out the best in his players, and vice versa
09:34 PM CST on Thursday, December 20, 2007
By RANDY JENNINGS / The Dallas Morning News
rjennings@dallasnews.com
EULESS – The haka needed help.
Word from the Tongan community was that Euless Trinity's football players didn't have the facial expressions quite right in the Polynesian dance they perform before and after games. Their movements lacked proper technique.
Just as he would do if the problem were bad tackling, coach Steve Lineweaver called a practice.
"I listen to my Tongan elders," said Lineweaver, 61. "If we're going to do it, we'll do it right."
So, on a November Saturday, the team spent half an hour perfecting the haka.
Attention to detail and respect for another culture are traits that have helped Lineweaver reach his fifth state championship game in 15 seasons as a head coach. Trinity plays Converse Judson on Saturday in San Antonio's Alamodome.
The haka is one of Lineweaver's many methods of motivation. Others are:
• Inspirational stories.
• Team sing-alongs.
• Thought-provoking signs on the walls of the field house.
"Dad doesn't have a lot of hobbies," said his son, Aaron Lineweaver, 34, an assistant coach at Southlake Carroll, "but he is always looking for ways to motivate, to get the best out of his players."
Euless Trinity head coach Steve Lineweaver (left) congratulates his team after defeating Arlington Bowie on Dec. 8.
Trinity defensive back Leo Tavo, who intercepted two passes in a 30-27 double-overtime win over Plano last week, said Lineweaver addresses the melding of players from varied backgrounds before every practice.
"Coach reminds us how important it is to have unity," Tavo said. "Even though we spend a lot of time together, we don't have conflicts."
Stars don't get preferential treatment at Trinity. For each penalty, the team does push-ups and sit-ups. Players are taught to help opponents to their feet and smile.
From the first day of practice when he runs a mile alongside the players, Lineweaver builds trust.
"As much as Coach Lineweaver likes to compete, he could be .500 or have a 10-0 record, but nothing is as important to him as seeing a kid grow," said Hillcrest principal Marty Crawford, a former Lineweaver assistant at Trinity.
"He is a leader of young men."
Another former assistant coach flatly states Lineweaver is the best leader he has been around.
"He has a goal he wants to reach, and he's great at imparting his will to get everybody, players and coaches, on board," said Joe Spinato, a member of Lineweaver's staff at Commerce and now a middle school assistant principal in Mesquite,
At Trinity, it starts with success class, which has a less clinical ring than its original name, mental training. Lineweaver is the instructor, team members are his pupils and the goal is not wins on the football field but success in life.
"That doesn't mean making a lot of money," Lineweaver said. "The goal is achieving happiness."
Lineweaver's career path changed in 1993. After seven years as baseball coach and football assistant, Lineweaver left Southlake Carroll to become football coach at Commerce.
There, he struggled at first.
"The kids there were a lot more fragile," Lineweaver said. "Because of their background, things I did in Southlake didn't work in Commerce. To reach them, I had to find different ways. I had to win their trust."
The lessons learned have carried over at Trinity, where nearly a third of the enrollment is classified as economically disadvantaged.
"I still think I could have been successful at Trinity," he said, "but Commerce was definitely great preparation time for me."
Aaron Lineweaver said his dad is at his best working with young people who need help.
"Coaching is just like teaching," Crawford said. "In order to see advancement, you have to develop a relationship first. Coach Lineweaver does it from the early moments. His focus is relationships more than X's and O's."
Offensive tackle Josh Ayers said nobody wants to disappoint Lineweaver. "I'd rather see him mad than disappointed," he said.
Lineweaver often uses music to set the mood.
"I've been in our locker room before a game, and it is really amazing," said Trinity principal Andy Cargile. "He has the Phil Collins song 'In the Air Tonight' playing, and he speaks over it. When he was finished, I was ready to put on a helmet myself."
Another Lineweaver staple is senior farewell ceremony. Underclassmen and coaches walk along a line of seniors, exchanging handshakes and hugs to express thanks for career contributions. In the background, Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" plays on a speaker.
Under Lineweaver, Trinity has won 14 of its last 16 playoff games. But he deflects credit to his staff and tries to stay in the background.
Cargile said only a couple of people knew that Lineweaver donated the $2,000 he received for a recent Coach of the Week award to a fund for needy students at Trinity.
Lineweaver isn't saying how much longer he'll coach. There were rumors that he might retire after Trinity's state title in 2005.
When the time comes to step away, Aaron Lineweaver is pretty sure what his dad will do next.
"He'll find ways to help kids."
Class 5A Division I state championship: Euless Trinity (14-1) vs. Converse Judson (11-4), 2 p.m. Saturday, Alamodome, San Antonio (FSNSW, KDKR-FM 91.3)
LINEWEAVER'S RECORD
COMMERCE
1993 8-5
1994 12-1
1995 13-2-1**
1996 8-3-1
1997 15-1**
1998 11-2
1999 16-0*
Total 83-14-2
TRINITY
2000 8-3
2001 13-2
2002 9-2
2003 9-2
2004 10-4
2005 14-1*
2006 11-1
2007 14-1
Total 88-16
15-season total: 171-30-2.
* State champion. ** State runner-up
STEVE LINEWEAVER
Age: 61
Occupation: Euless Trinity football coach.
Family: Wife Melinda; four grown children. (Two daughters and a son have weddings planned in the next three months.)
Hometown: Abilene.
Hero: Oscar Cripps, retired Houston Stratford coach. "He had a way of not letting the love of winning get in the way of doing what was best for the kids."
Hobby: Gardening. (Two bags of fertilizer are stacked on Lineweaver's sidewalk for winter planting in the flower bed when the football season ends.)
Honors: 1999 Coach of the Year by Texas Sports Writers Association.
Did you know? One of Lineweaver's daughters, Lindsey Lineweaver, is personal assistant to first lady Laura Bush.
LINK (http://www.hsgametime.com/dfw/sharedcontent/dws/spt/highschools/leaderboard/v3/euless/trinity/stories/122107dnspohslineweaver.20571a2.html)
Lineweaver has a way of bringing out the best in his players, and vice versa
09:34 PM CST on Thursday, December 20, 2007
By RANDY JENNINGS / The Dallas Morning News
rjennings@dallasnews.com
EULESS – The haka needed help.
Word from the Tongan community was that Euless Trinity's football players didn't have the facial expressions quite right in the Polynesian dance they perform before and after games. Their movements lacked proper technique.
Just as he would do if the problem were bad tackling, coach Steve Lineweaver called a practice.
"I listen to my Tongan elders," said Lineweaver, 61. "If we're going to do it, we'll do it right."
So, on a November Saturday, the team spent half an hour perfecting the haka.
Attention to detail and respect for another culture are traits that have helped Lineweaver reach his fifth state championship game in 15 seasons as a head coach. Trinity plays Converse Judson on Saturday in San Antonio's Alamodome.
The haka is one of Lineweaver's many methods of motivation. Others are:
• Inspirational stories.
• Team sing-alongs.
• Thought-provoking signs on the walls of the field house.
"Dad doesn't have a lot of hobbies," said his son, Aaron Lineweaver, 34, an assistant coach at Southlake Carroll, "but he is always looking for ways to motivate, to get the best out of his players."
Euless Trinity head coach Steve Lineweaver (left) congratulates his team after defeating Arlington Bowie on Dec. 8.
Trinity defensive back Leo Tavo, who intercepted two passes in a 30-27 double-overtime win over Plano last week, said Lineweaver addresses the melding of players from varied backgrounds before every practice.
"Coach reminds us how important it is to have unity," Tavo said. "Even though we spend a lot of time together, we don't have conflicts."
Stars don't get preferential treatment at Trinity. For each penalty, the team does push-ups and sit-ups. Players are taught to help opponents to their feet and smile.
From the first day of practice when he runs a mile alongside the players, Lineweaver builds trust.
"As much as Coach Lineweaver likes to compete, he could be .500 or have a 10-0 record, but nothing is as important to him as seeing a kid grow," said Hillcrest principal Marty Crawford, a former Lineweaver assistant at Trinity.
"He is a leader of young men."
Another former assistant coach flatly states Lineweaver is the best leader he has been around.
"He has a goal he wants to reach, and he's great at imparting his will to get everybody, players and coaches, on board," said Joe Spinato, a member of Lineweaver's staff at Commerce and now a middle school assistant principal in Mesquite,
At Trinity, it starts with success class, which has a less clinical ring than its original name, mental training. Lineweaver is the instructor, team members are his pupils and the goal is not wins on the football field but success in life.
"That doesn't mean making a lot of money," Lineweaver said. "The goal is achieving happiness."
Lineweaver's career path changed in 1993. After seven years as baseball coach and football assistant, Lineweaver left Southlake Carroll to become football coach at Commerce.
There, he struggled at first.
"The kids there were a lot more fragile," Lineweaver said. "Because of their background, things I did in Southlake didn't work in Commerce. To reach them, I had to find different ways. I had to win their trust."
The lessons learned have carried over at Trinity, where nearly a third of the enrollment is classified as economically disadvantaged.
"I still think I could have been successful at Trinity," he said, "but Commerce was definitely great preparation time for me."
Aaron Lineweaver said his dad is at his best working with young people who need help.
"Coaching is just like teaching," Crawford said. "In order to see advancement, you have to develop a relationship first. Coach Lineweaver does it from the early moments. His focus is relationships more than X's and O's."
Offensive tackle Josh Ayers said nobody wants to disappoint Lineweaver. "I'd rather see him mad than disappointed," he said.
Lineweaver often uses music to set the mood.
"I've been in our locker room before a game, and it is really amazing," said Trinity principal Andy Cargile. "He has the Phil Collins song 'In the Air Tonight' playing, and he speaks over it. When he was finished, I was ready to put on a helmet myself."
Another Lineweaver staple is senior farewell ceremony. Underclassmen and coaches walk along a line of seniors, exchanging handshakes and hugs to express thanks for career contributions. In the background, Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" plays on a speaker.
Under Lineweaver, Trinity has won 14 of its last 16 playoff games. But he deflects credit to his staff and tries to stay in the background.
Cargile said only a couple of people knew that Lineweaver donated the $2,000 he received for a recent Coach of the Week award to a fund for needy students at Trinity.
Lineweaver isn't saying how much longer he'll coach. There were rumors that he might retire after Trinity's state title in 2005.
When the time comes to step away, Aaron Lineweaver is pretty sure what his dad will do next.
"He'll find ways to help kids."
Class 5A Division I state championship: Euless Trinity (14-1) vs. Converse Judson (11-4), 2 p.m. Saturday, Alamodome, San Antonio (FSNSW, KDKR-FM 91.3)
LINEWEAVER'S RECORD
COMMERCE
1993 8-5
1994 12-1
1995 13-2-1**
1996 8-3-1
1997 15-1**
1998 11-2
1999 16-0*
Total 83-14-2
TRINITY
2000 8-3
2001 13-2
2002 9-2
2003 9-2
2004 10-4
2005 14-1*
2006 11-1
2007 14-1
Total 88-16
15-season total: 171-30-2.
* State champion. ** State runner-up
STEVE LINEWEAVER
Age: 61
Occupation: Euless Trinity football coach.
Family: Wife Melinda; four grown children. (Two daughters and a son have weddings planned in the next three months.)
Hometown: Abilene.
Hero: Oscar Cripps, retired Houston Stratford coach. "He had a way of not letting the love of winning get in the way of doing what was best for the kids."
Hobby: Gardening. (Two bags of fertilizer are stacked on Lineweaver's sidewalk for winter planting in the flower bed when the football season ends.)
Honors: 1999 Coach of the Year by Texas Sports Writers Association.
Did you know? One of Lineweaver's daughters, Lindsey Lineweaver, is personal assistant to first lady Laura Bush.
LINK (http://www.hsgametime.com/dfw/sharedcontent/dws/spt/highschools/leaderboard/v3/euless/trinity/stories/122107dnspohslineweaver.20571a2.html)