Phantom Stang
08-18-2008, 12:46 PM
Ritchey excited about first head coaching job
Written by Ron Howell
Saturday, 16 August 2008
Tom Ritchey made a name for himself during a highly successful 26-year career as a head football coach. He racked up 208 victories, most of them coming at his final stop in Sweetwater, where Ritchey compiled a 120-24-2 record from 1986 through 1997 to become the winningest football coach in the school's long history.
Now, more than a decade after Ritchey retired from the sidelines, his son is following in his footsteps.
In May, David Ritchey accepted the head coaching job at Rotan after serving as an assistant coach at Clyde for the past seven years. Before that, he coached in Abilene, first at Franklin Middle School and then at Wylie and Abilene High School.
David said his father is the reason he got into coaching. "I just wanted to be around him," he said, recalling a childhood where he not only was a fixture at the games but around the coach's office as well. "It's all I've ever known. I never even looked into anything else."
When his dad was coaching at Idalou in the early-to-mid 1980s, David remembers getting up with him at 6 a.m. every Saturday during football season to travel to Lubbock in order to pick up film reels for recording the previous night's game. That helped to spark an interest in movie directing, but David said he eventually chose coaching because it seemed like an "easier" career.
The decision was clinched after the family's move to Sweetwater in 1986. "The first thing my dad did was take me to the (Mustang) Bowl," he said. "That's when (coaching) went to a no doubt decision that this is what I wanted to do."
In Sweetwater, David pursued his other interest by putting together highlight films at the end of each football season. It's something he has continued to do since he became a coach.
There were some big highlights during his high school football career, one of the biggest coming in his final game in December 1991 when Sweetwater played in the Class 4A state semifinals against Carthage at Texas Stadium. David was the team's starting quarterback that year and guided the Mustangs to a 12-2 record, one of Sweetwater's best records in Tom Ritchey's 12-year tenure. David also remembers his final game at Mustang Bowl, a 35-7 win over Everman in the regional playoffs two weeks earlier.
David is optimistic that there will be plenty of game highlights to record this season, although Rotan hasn't made the Class A playoffs since 2000 and has had only one winning record since then. He said he made it a point after taking the job to meet with all of the players and "get to know them as well as I could."
State-ranked Roscoe is in the Yellowhammers' district (11-A), but Ritchey thinks Rotan can compete for one of the other two playoff spots with Stamford, Haskell, Hamlin and Roby. He said the team's numbers are up a bit from recent years and that he likes what he has seen from the players so far. Rotan also has several returning starters from last year's team, which finished with a 5-5 record.
"These are great young men," Ritchey said. "Roscoe is really good, but I think we've got the ability and the enthusiasm to to compete for one of those other two (playoff) spots."
The 1991 season at Sweetwaer was the last of two years when David played for his father. David said Tom made sure his son didn't receive special treatment, but was still "really cool" to play for.
In fact, David has high praise for the entire coaching staff of that era, which also included Hank Dowell, Arlon Barnes, Ken Chandler, Joe Paty, Rex Whitfield, David Mayes and Vic Ivy as well as head trainer Rick "Blades" Davis. Mayes, Ivy and Davis are still on the staff.
"I think I've played for people that are as good as it gets as far as teaching kids and doing it right," he said. "I still visit with a lot of them. I feel like I've got a really good support group around here."
At the top of that list is his father, who still lives in Sweetwater and who Ritchey said has already been to a couple of practices.
"He's so knowledgeable and has such a mind for the game," David said. "I quiz him daily. I'll ask his advice and throw stuff off him to see what he thinks."
At that point, David couldn't resist making a movie reference. "I kind of consider him the godfather (Marlon Brando) and I'm like Al Pacino," he said.
Ritchey actually coached against Sweetwater the past four years when he was at Clyde, which played in the Mustangs' district until dropping down to Class 2A this year. He cited Clyde's head coach Craig Slaughter as another major influence on his coaching philosophy.
"Dad never used a curse word and expected the kids to be classy," he said. "Coach Slaugh-ter is the same way, and he's very enthusiastic. I consider myself to be the same way. We talk to our kids every day about how to act and to respect their school. We want to make the playoffs, but if the kids turn out to be good productive members of society, I think we as coaches are doing our jobs right."
In David's seven years at Clyde, the Bulldogs went from a 1-9 record his first year to consecutive playoff appearances the past two seasons. In 2007, Clyde helped to gain a playoff spot by beating Sweetwater 15-8, which Ritchey considers one of the school's biggest wins ever. But despite being in a great situation at Clyde, he decided it was time to take a shot at being a head coach and he applied for the opening at Rotan.
"I just put my name in the hat. When they called, I didn't hesitate," he said. "When you get a chance, you've got to take it."
Ritchey said he has no desire to eventually be a head coach at a Class 4A or 5A school in a metropolitan area of the state becaue he's perfectly happy being in West Texas and close to family on both sides.
His wife Christa’s family lives in Clyde. David and his wife have a four-month-old son, Hayden.
"I'm definitely going to stay in this area," he said.
http://www.sweetwaterreporter.com/content/view/105923/122/
Written by Ron Howell
Saturday, 16 August 2008
Tom Ritchey made a name for himself during a highly successful 26-year career as a head football coach. He racked up 208 victories, most of them coming at his final stop in Sweetwater, where Ritchey compiled a 120-24-2 record from 1986 through 1997 to become the winningest football coach in the school's long history.
Now, more than a decade after Ritchey retired from the sidelines, his son is following in his footsteps.
In May, David Ritchey accepted the head coaching job at Rotan after serving as an assistant coach at Clyde for the past seven years. Before that, he coached in Abilene, first at Franklin Middle School and then at Wylie and Abilene High School.
David said his father is the reason he got into coaching. "I just wanted to be around him," he said, recalling a childhood where he not only was a fixture at the games but around the coach's office as well. "It's all I've ever known. I never even looked into anything else."
When his dad was coaching at Idalou in the early-to-mid 1980s, David remembers getting up with him at 6 a.m. every Saturday during football season to travel to Lubbock in order to pick up film reels for recording the previous night's game. That helped to spark an interest in movie directing, but David said he eventually chose coaching because it seemed like an "easier" career.
The decision was clinched after the family's move to Sweetwater in 1986. "The first thing my dad did was take me to the (Mustang) Bowl," he said. "That's when (coaching) went to a no doubt decision that this is what I wanted to do."
In Sweetwater, David pursued his other interest by putting together highlight films at the end of each football season. It's something he has continued to do since he became a coach.
There were some big highlights during his high school football career, one of the biggest coming in his final game in December 1991 when Sweetwater played in the Class 4A state semifinals against Carthage at Texas Stadium. David was the team's starting quarterback that year and guided the Mustangs to a 12-2 record, one of Sweetwater's best records in Tom Ritchey's 12-year tenure. David also remembers his final game at Mustang Bowl, a 35-7 win over Everman in the regional playoffs two weeks earlier.
David is optimistic that there will be plenty of game highlights to record this season, although Rotan hasn't made the Class A playoffs since 2000 and has had only one winning record since then. He said he made it a point after taking the job to meet with all of the players and "get to know them as well as I could."
State-ranked Roscoe is in the Yellowhammers' district (11-A), but Ritchey thinks Rotan can compete for one of the other two playoff spots with Stamford, Haskell, Hamlin and Roby. He said the team's numbers are up a bit from recent years and that he likes what he has seen from the players so far. Rotan also has several returning starters from last year's team, which finished with a 5-5 record.
"These are great young men," Ritchey said. "Roscoe is really good, but I think we've got the ability and the enthusiasm to to compete for one of those other two (playoff) spots."
The 1991 season at Sweetwaer was the last of two years when David played for his father. David said Tom made sure his son didn't receive special treatment, but was still "really cool" to play for.
In fact, David has high praise for the entire coaching staff of that era, which also included Hank Dowell, Arlon Barnes, Ken Chandler, Joe Paty, Rex Whitfield, David Mayes and Vic Ivy as well as head trainer Rick "Blades" Davis. Mayes, Ivy and Davis are still on the staff.
"I think I've played for people that are as good as it gets as far as teaching kids and doing it right," he said. "I still visit with a lot of them. I feel like I've got a really good support group around here."
At the top of that list is his father, who still lives in Sweetwater and who Ritchey said has already been to a couple of practices.
"He's so knowledgeable and has such a mind for the game," David said. "I quiz him daily. I'll ask his advice and throw stuff off him to see what he thinks."
At that point, David couldn't resist making a movie reference. "I kind of consider him the godfather (Marlon Brando) and I'm like Al Pacino," he said.
Ritchey actually coached against Sweetwater the past four years when he was at Clyde, which played in the Mustangs' district until dropping down to Class 2A this year. He cited Clyde's head coach Craig Slaughter as another major influence on his coaching philosophy.
"Dad never used a curse word and expected the kids to be classy," he said. "Coach Slaugh-ter is the same way, and he's very enthusiastic. I consider myself to be the same way. We talk to our kids every day about how to act and to respect their school. We want to make the playoffs, but if the kids turn out to be good productive members of society, I think we as coaches are doing our jobs right."
In David's seven years at Clyde, the Bulldogs went from a 1-9 record his first year to consecutive playoff appearances the past two seasons. In 2007, Clyde helped to gain a playoff spot by beating Sweetwater 15-8, which Ritchey considers one of the school's biggest wins ever. But despite being in a great situation at Clyde, he decided it was time to take a shot at being a head coach and he applied for the opening at Rotan.
"I just put my name in the hat. When they called, I didn't hesitate," he said. "When you get a chance, you've got to take it."
Ritchey said he has no desire to eventually be a head coach at a Class 4A or 5A school in a metropolitan area of the state becaue he's perfectly happy being in West Texas and close to family on both sides.
His wife Christa’s family lives in Clyde. David and his wife have a four-month-old son, Hayden.
"I'm definitely going to stay in this area," he said.
http://www.sweetwaterreporter.com/content/view/105923/122/