SUPER MONDAY

A motivational and informational morning message from Superintendent Willis

Week 33 ~ April 8th, 2024

Super Monday Message

Welcome back! The Super Bowl trophy is named the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Vince Lombardi was the coach of the Green Bay Packers when they won the first two Super Bowls. He never had a losing season as an NFL coach and was beloved by the sport. Despite his many years of success as a football coach, his first head coaching job was with a high school basketball team.

Lombardi wanted to try coaching football, but the assistant football coaching job he was offered also required him to be a teacher and coach the basketball team. This was in the fall of 1939. Lombardi was 26 years old and had never played basketball. He was asked to teach Latin, Chemistry, and Physics. He took books from the library to study the game of Basketball and started asking questions to those around him who knew the game well.

In his first season Coach Lombardi decided it would be easier to teach his boys how to play a zone defense. A zone defense might have been viewed then the same way that we view lots of really long three point shots now; even if it seems to work sometimes, it’s not the style of basketball we’re accustomed to. At that time some of the old time coaches didn’t like this new young coach running a zone defense.

On February 29th, 1940 Coach Lombardi faced the Bogota High School Bucs. The Bucs had a better record and much more potential in the state tournament that was about to start. Lombardi told his boys to hold tight under the basket in their zone. The opposing coach wasn’t impressed with the zone and decided to do something that hadn’t been done in New Jersey high school basketball, he told his players to hold the ball.

The Bucs held the ball for nearly all of the first three quarters of the game. The half-time score was 0-0 and the score at the end of the third was 1-0. In those days high school gyms were typically smaller and more crowded. The longer the game went without action, the more angry the crowd became. The fans were roaring at Coach Lombardi to get out a play defense, the fans were heckling the Bucs coach to play ball. Coach Lombardi broke first shortly into the fourth quarter. He sent his boys out into a man to man defense. The Bucs passed the ball around continuing to stall. Not until two minutes left did the Bucs attempt a field goal, they missed. The game ended with Coach Lombardi winning 6-1.

Newspapers across New Jersey mocked the game and the “freeze” strategy. Coach Lombardi finished his first season as a basketball coach with a winning record. Four years later he won a state championship in basketball. State championships in basketball and football inspired him to take his coaching skills to colleges and then the pros. The shot clock wasn’t introduced to professional basketball until 1956, college in 1985, and Utah high schools in 2022.

Shortly after accepting my first teaching job at North Sanpete High School, I received a call from the head football coach asking me to be an assistant football coach. I wasted no time in informing him Piute High School had no football team and I had never even watched a game. He assured me that if I liked sports, I would like football. He was right, and it was a great experience.

One of the great lessons from Vince Lombardi is that anyone that starts with fundamentals can learn and enjoy. That is as true for any academic subject as for any sport. Vince Lombardi was a legendary football coach, but he learned to love teaching high school and love coaching basketball. Start with the basics and try something new, have a great week 33.

Super High Fives

Just a couple of the awesome recent accomplishments that need a big thank you. 

• A super high five to Mrs. Gwen Morgan and Principal Lee for hosting the Migrant Education Night. There was great participation and we’re grateful for all the great work being done in that program. 
• A super high five to the softball team on getting three wins the week before the break. They’re above .500 and playing well.

Other Super Information

• Spring Sports Calendar 2024
• 2024-2025 School District Calendar

Super Weekly Schedule