Bob Ladouceur

[Ponymon]

There is something that can be learned from the success of this coach! Investor's Business Daily profiles Coach Ladouceur in today's paper and what he has achieved is, indeed, impressive. Ladouceur is head coach of the De La Salle High School football team, a private Catholic school located 29 miles east of San Francisco in Concord, California. His Spartans have won 151 STRAIGHT games the last 12 years, the longest streak of any high school, college, or pro team! His average margin of victory is 49-7. Michigan's Hudson high School wons the next longest streak with 77 wins from 1968 to 1975. In college, UCLA's basketball team won 88 straight games from 1970 to 1974. Ladouceur's overall record is 287-14-1 and he has been USA Today's national Coach of the Year in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. His wins haven't been, necessarily, over easier opponents. They beat Evangel Christian School out of Shreveport, La. last year 27-10, for instance. "Considering the fact that De La Salle has played the best competition and has sustained their undefeated record, their accomplishments are truly amazing," said Bill Walsh, former coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

The keys to success:
1. He watches up to 11 hours of football in a single day (His opponent). From this he prepares about 30 pages of notes, which he uses to prep assistant coaches and players about upcoming games.
2. Conditioning is another reason why the Spartans win even when some players are 50 pounds lighter than their opponents. The school starts player workouts in January.
3. The players execute plays with a machinelike precision. "The way that they get off the ball is what allows them to overcome the disadvantages in size," Neil Hayes writes in his book about Ladouceur and the Spartans entitled "When the Game Stands Tall".
4. The coach works out with the players and sets goals for them to meet.

According to Ladouceur, "We are not counting wins, we're countin on the players improving every week, and that's how we have always approached it. You have to give them another way of doing it or a blueprint as to how it's done," he said, "That's where the motivation is: If you teach an athlete a skill that he previously couldn't do, he becomes motivated."

This is a great story and well worth reading.

<small>[ 01-14-2004, 07:00 AM: Message edited by: Ponymon ]</small>

[Southland]

Met Bob several times when I did HS Football games (hobby - not pro) as a younger guy. He is a former probation officer, and has done a fabulous job.

Having said that, you need to realize the variables at play...

De La Salle's biggest key to success is that they are a Catholic school that can draw players from anywhere in the Bay Area; where as the public competition (which makes up most the section) is limited to drawing from the local school district.

Also, is the lack of quality competition on a week-to-week basis in Northern California. The 7 sections in Northern California combined have 100 less schools than the Southern Section alone, so the Divisions aren't that deep. De La Salle doesn't have to run through a four week gauntlet in the playoffs like the schools in southern California do and other schools across the country do.

If they had to play schools the caliber of Santa Margarita, Mater Dei, Loyola and Long Beach Poly in four consecutive playoff games every year, they wouldn't have the win streak.

Unfortunately, California doesn't have State playoffs... only sectional.

[Ponymon]

You do have to admit, however, not losing even ONE game in 12 years is pretty amazing. Also, they have played some quality schools. Even I have heard of Evangel Christian in Louisiana.