Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Concord adds academic coach to football team

By Sergio Tovar
stovar@newsofcabarrus.com

Concord High coach Glen Padgett knows there's more to life than football.

That's why the second-year Spiders coach decided to hire an academic coach to help his program excel academically this season.

Padgett said the idea for the position came from years of listening to his athletes talk about wanting to play in college, but feeling helpless watching as talented players were unable to fulfill their dreams because of grades.

"Society in a lot of ways conditions them to think, 'If I'm good enough, things will take care of themselves,'" said Padgett.

"This is a way for our program to reinforce the importance of academic success to our kids."

With college programs providing tutors and other academic support to their athletes, Padgett thought that same principle could also work at the high school level.

"I feel like this is a way we can help them succeed and put themselves in a position that if college is what they want, then not going because they don't qualify won't be a problem," he said.

Padgett said that with an academic coach the team will be able to hold players more accountable for their schoolwork, which could help the program out in the long-run by keeping players eligible.

Padgett hired Howard Boyd, a behavior management technician at Concord High, to fulfill the position.

Boyd, who will also serve as a running back coach for the Spiders, said he was excited about the opportunity to help the players both on and off the field.

"I want to be a positive influence on their lives," said the 30-year-old. "Only good can come out of this."

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