One of the finest high school football coaches in the Pacific Northwest is apparently going to accept an assistant football coaching position at Washington.
Steve Gervais, 54, has won six state championships, three with Eatonville (1985, '90 and '92) and two with Skyline (2002, 2005, and 2007). In 31 seasons as a head coach at four schools, the past 10 at Skyline of Sammamish, he has 244 wins — third all-time among active coaches — against 87 losses.
Many consider Gervais a coaching genius.
"He is the best high-school football coach in the state," according to Inglemoor's Frank Naish "and that's not a compliment I give out to be nice. I just believe it. He's won at all levels and he's won everywhere he's been and he wins with his own [district] kids."
Gervais, who played at Puyallup High School and Oregon State University, began his winning ways at Eatonville, where he was head coach for 16 years. After guiding the Crusaders to their third Class 1A state title in 1992, ultimately scrapping a run-oriented offense for an innovative spread scheme, he decided it was time for a new challenge. He spent two years at Gig Harbor and three at Rogers of Puyallup before coming to Skyline in 1998, the year after the school opened.
Gervais will reportedly coach running backs at Washington, but I could see Lappano taking over the RB's and Gervais working with the QB's. Whatever position he ends up coaching I think it is a fantastic addition to the Washington staff. It also doesn't hurt that he currently coaches Jake Heaps at Skyline who may just be the top QB in the country when the rankings come out for the 2010 recruiting class.
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5 comments:
Sounds like a great hire. I am all for the hiring of high school coaches to fill assistant vacancies. My only concern is his age. He is 54(?) and I would have liked to bring some youth to the coaching ranks...but he is a proven winner and that was the only downfall I could come up with.
As a side note...you had mentioned that he coached one of the biggest QB recruits in 2010 and my question is, do you think that football is becoming like college basketball in the fact that they hire high school coaches to get an upper hand on a recruit?? That was an interesting tid bit you threw in there and it got me wondering...
They hired Gervais on his own strenght's, not his ties to a couple of recruits from his former HS that are in the pipeline. Heaps was probably a lock to go to UW anyway.
Gervais is the real deal, an excellent coach who is probably better than anyone else they could have found from a teaching perspective.
As far as being 54, he is a very young 54. I don't think that it matters. The only gap though is recruiting experience, and staff ties to the LA area which I talked about today.
Steve should have little problem relating to kids, and he should develop into a fine recruiter.
I always have a wee chuckle when the age factor is brought up.
If you want to be President of the United States, being in your mid 50's is not old at all. Many who hold that job are typically always at the age -- if not in their 60s.
McCain is 71 and yet he looks and feels fit enough to run. At 46, Obama is being attacked by Hillary as too inexperienced -- too young -- for the rigors of that job.
As important as I see the RB coach at the UW, I have a hard time seeing this position as demanding as the leader of the free world.
We want Gervais's mind...not his body.
As long as we don't use him to run the ball -- something the NCAA would frown upon -- his age won't be a factor. If the guy's good, he could be 65 in my book!
I agree age is not a factor, finding someone that can recruit in Los Angeles is. Hopefully they have that part of the puzzle figured out.
Like I said...it was the only thing I could find. But being president and being a runningbacks coach are two totally different jobs, so please do not compare the two...even if it was to make a point. There are very energic 54+ year old men out there (Pete Carroll)...but I would love to have seen some young blood brought to the table given Willinghams low key personality.
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