With your team's success under your tenure, how do you keep your players humbled and prepared for each game?
Humble is a good word and brings things into perspective pretty clearly. The key for us has been to keep the focus on us (MSU), our style of play and standard. Our goal is quite simply to give our all and our best. With doing that, we are going to "win" some days and "come up short" on some days. With a victory, we celebrate and hopefully learn and improve moving forward to take on the new challenge. When we come up short, we lick our wounds and hopefully learn and improve moving forward to the new challenge. God put our eyes in front of our head for a reason – so we can learn and grow and move forward through life's challenges!
Tell us about a favorite charity that you support.
That's pretty easy really. It's the foundation named after my only child/son Matthew who passed away after a traffic accident in July of 2005. He was a 21-year-old senior at MSU. We hold events and raise money for two different scholarship funds. One fund is at the local high school and one here at the university that goes toward helping young people pay for their education. We have granted 26 scholarships thus far. The Matthew K. Ballard Memorial Scholarship is an endowed scholarship at MSU. Besides that, probably the two that I have learned the most and enjoyed the most are Special Olympics and with various chapters around the state dealing with child abuse.
Do you require your football players to volunteer in the community? If yes, what are the requirements?
No, I do not require them to volunteer. Our athletic department organizes a volunteer effort each semester that the whole department does together as part of the Champs Life Skills program. I do however encourage them to get involved as part of their college experience and try to make a difference on campus and in the community. We post many opportunities on our bulletin board and make several announcements and ask for volunteers throughout the year. We always have an overwhelming response. I believe when a person is moved by their heart, they'll choose to serve. Then it becomes a life long service to volunteering.
What coach did you most admire growing up and why?
Wow. There were a lot of coaches that made a major impact. I was so blessed in youth league with gentlemen like Ronnie Hager and Charlie Conner. When I wasn't practicing or playing, I hung out and worked out on the campus of Davidson College. I was a constant fixture at football and basketball practices. Everyone thought I was a coach's kid. It was fascinating watching and listening to Lefty Driesell and Terry Holland. Then in football, great teachers and coaches that cared about their players in Homer Smith and Dave Fagg. Their whole staff always treated me as one of their own. Coach Will Campagna in high school had such fire and enthusiasm for the game! While in college I was fortunate to learn from a great offensive mind in Oval Jaynes and then one of the greatest persons ever in Billy Kinard. But the coach that taught and meant the most was Coach Ken Roberts in junior high school. More than a coach – father, friend, mentor in so many ways. He had this passion and such a great teacher and this burning desire to win. But more than that, he really cared about "me," not just how many touchdowns I could throw. I named my only son after him.
What values and principles are your players learning through football?
Football is just life with headgear on! Someone who learns how to prepare himself sufficiently to give his all in this highly competitive sport will learn much in terms of group unity, discipline, courage and application of hard work. You find out in this sport that your blood is about the same color as a stranger's and that your sweat smells about the same. When you put that same color jersey on, you do find yourself becoming family and brothers. You learn to respect and care for one another. You find out pretty quickly that teamwork is a lot more fun and a whole lot easier than trying to do it by yourself. Helping someone else to achieve and gain is far more satisfying than self. Your determination and will power is tested and developed and helps you in everyday life to never quit nor give up. To be successful at this game you must learn to do things the correct and right way. This game teaches and shows you that rules are ok, important and do count. There are no shortcuts, and it is important how you achieve and go about your way. This great game does humble us and shows that we do need some gratitude in our attitude showing great respect for others and this game no matter what. I have seen young men grow into real men and gentlemen every year and I hope that all those lessons they have learned and I see in their actions will not be left hanging in the locker-room yet carried out into life with something more important in their heart than headgear on their head.
How do you define your responsibility as a football coach?
As a coach, one should strive to do his small part in playing a role in simply trying to make a difference. You should teach and care for the total person. A good coach is a good teacher, kind of like a caddie that helps with everything a player needs to grow.
What is your favorite junk or guilty pleasure food?
Fruit and popcorn. I could eat a truckload!
What TV shows would we find stored on you TiVo?
Mostly sport movies like Rudy, Radio, We Are Marshall and Remember the Titans with a Forrest Gump, Patches and a Michael W. Smith concert thrown in.
Outside of Jayne Stadium, what is the most electric atmosphere you've played in?
Marshall and Appalachian State come close, but Raymond James Stadium vs. USF (University of South Florida) was probably the best.
Name one team that you have never played that you would like to face in the future. Why?
University of Hawaii... should I have to explain?
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