Coaches Corner

One of the constant mantras that Gordie tried to pass on to coaches in every talk he gave was that it should not be the championships that count most to a coach. At best, a championship should be just icing on the cake. It’s the cake that’s important.

Gordie Gillespie influenced many coaches. Here are some of their stories…

Paul Babcock

Gordie and my St. Francis teammates had a tremendous influence on me, also. We suffered through a lot of low times but I learned how to bounce back from defeat through Gordie’s coaching. I hope that I can pass onto the young men I coach the same type of life-long...

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Bob Miller

Ah! The “Great One.” Well, I’ve been teaching and coaching at Gordon Tech High School in Chicago for lots of years. I try to pattern my practices after Gordie’s. I got the chance to visit with him twice in the last month at St. Francis. He is an amazing man. He still...

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Mike Feminis

Gordie motivated us all on a daily basis. And he motivates me daily even today. Let me give you an example. Gordie hated, and mean hated, to punt – even deep in his own territory which is extremely risky. We would fail to get a first down deep in our own territory and...

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