Remembering 16 mm Film and Those Gold Helmets
Of all the coaches who have influenced me in my lifetime, without a doubt the coach that had the biggest impact was never my coach, but he is my dad. My dad is John Buchanan and I continue to look…
The Godfather of the Royals Offense
Roger Gruneisen seemed different from any football coach that I had grown up with. He had long hair and was an expert on rock and roll — the first coach I ever saw play the air guitar or reference ‘The…
Shedding Light on a Frequent Visitor
“Who is that guy?” I’ve been getting that question on Friday nights for 20 years. A lot of Friday nights while we are warming up, Coach Steele Harmon will come out on the field to visit with me. It is…
Incorporating Lessons From One’s Own High School Coach
“Did you feel the earth start shaking under your feet?” Coach Larry French asked me. “No, sir,” I responded. Coach French continued, “Then, I don’t want you to run the ball.” My high school football coach was Larry French….
Defensive Guru Smith Still Has Impact on Royals
It was a morning practice in the summer of 1986. The Mercer County football team had just finished a 10-minute period of throwing pass patterns on air — no defense. Not a single completion. The night before we had scrimmaged…
Arnsparger a Master at Deflecting Attention and Praise
How would you feel if the person at the very top of your profession watched you do the job that he was the number-one expert of in the world? That happened to me one day. Bill Arnsparger was the defensive…
Learning from Old Coaches: An Introduction to this Blog
By David Buchanan, Head Coach Mason County High School (KY) It was 24 years ago, but a day I will always remember. In the morning, I was going to interview for a coaching position with Tom Duffy at Highlands….