North’s head football coach Graham helping to build leaders
North Fort Myers football coach Earnest Graham’s job is not just to win football games, but to build young men into leaders.
Graham and a few of the leaders he has helped create were guests Thursday at the second annual Sustainability Summit at the Hyatt Regency in Bonita Springs, where the theme was “Healthy People, Healthy Place, Healthy Profit.”
Graham spoke about the healthy people he has created, leaders who have a hand in enforcing the rules and expectations Graham and the school have set for them, also doling out discipline for those who don’t live up to that standard.
They are the Red Knight Unity Council, a forum headed by the leaders of the football team where concerns about the team and students can be discussed.
This is no kangaroo court, rather an outside-the-box idea that brings the team closer together by having their peers enforce the expectations.
“They are responsible for representing the football program that sheds a positive light on the school,” Graham said. “So they have to meet our school standards first in order to be part of the council.”
The council was formed three months ago to make sure the players are fulfilling their community service requirements and monitors their behavior in and out of school, organizing team events, even doling out punishment when players don’t meet those expectations.
Bad behavior, such as a referral, being late or skipping class, means points against you. Accumulated points means having to pay penance, usually through physical labor.
There is no gray area. It’s cut and dry. Sometimes they have to be the bad guy, but the reward is developing good character, Graham said.
“If things want to be done, they have to be taken care of in a proper manner in order for people to grow,” Graham said. “I’m doing my small part in bringing that together.”
Mike Chase, Fa’Nique Gotay, Luis Alfonso and Colton McMullen comprise the council. All take the job seriously, even if it means having to make a good friend and teammate run “gassers” for being tardy.
“Being in the council is an honor. You have to have good grades. It’s a tough spot sometimes having to make decisions on giving your friends disciplinary actions,” Alfonso said.
Such a council would have come in handy last season when members of the football team were suspended for their role in a brawl during the Kickoff Classic against South Fort Myers.
“We would have had a meeting to discuss what we would do and what was best for the team. We may have had the person who started the fight apologize and accept disciplinary action,” Alfonso said.
“We would have spoken with those at South Fort Myers and discussed what we would do with the problem,” said McMullen. “We’re coming together as a team and explaining what we can do for the betterment of the team.”
Graham, who was born and raised in the area and was a standout football player at Mariner High, also discussed his upbringing in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Dunbar. How his mother raised him, constantly moving from one place to another while only seeing his father a handful of times.
He also discussed the lessons he learned through his 10-year NFL career and through becoming a high school coach, which he learned was much tougher then he thought it would be.
The main idea was to discuss his role in sustaining a football tradition by building leaders and men, no matter how tough it can be.
“It’s challenging and a big responsibility. Even some of the teammates who respect you, it’s hard getting the rep of handing out points and making them do this stuff,” Chase said. “We try to set an example by getting the best grades and behaving. That’s how you lead on the field.”