Up Close: Charlie Stubbs

It hasn’t taken Nicholls State football coach Charlie Stubbs long to make his mark on Colonel athletics.

In just 19 months on the job, Stubbs has transfused the culture of the Nicholls football program and has the team in position to chase his goal, a championship.

He’s also won the support of the school’s administration, earning the first multi-year contract extension in the history of the school.

With his second season around the corner, Stubbs sat down with SportsNet editor Casey Gisclair to share his thoughts on the 2011-12 season, as well as other topics in the world of sports.

SportsNet: It’s the middle of July. The season is a month and a half away. What does a college coach do this time of the year?

Charlie Stubbs: “In June, a lot of us had some vacation time and some of us worked various camps and did those things. We also did some facility work as a coaching staff during that month just to improve some of the areas, the locker rooms and some other areas just to make them a little bit better. In July, what happens now after the Manning Camp has been completed, in which a lot of our coaches were involved with, now, things get a little more revved up. In June, we had about 50 to 55 guys here lifting and running and also some are in summer school. Now, after July 7th, we have around 80 to 85 guys right now lifting and running. So that’s going very good. As coaches, what we’re doing now is we’re getting everything ready for the season. We’ve already way back in May, we broke down our first few opponents’ film and we already have a preliminary scouting report on the first two opponents. The third opponent is Louisiana-Lafayette and they have a new coaching staff, so we’ll have to go off some of their more recent games to really see what they’re going to do. We have all of that ready and we’re finalizing all of our updated playbooks and practice plans for fall camp and all of that. We’re just trying to do everything to get ready for the season.”

SN: So many guys have come back to campus early. Does that make you feel good as a coach?

CS: “It does. You know, one thing I really tried to preach is that to be great at anything, you’ve really got to sacrifice. And I’m really pleased that we have a lot more kids staying here in Thibodaux. We have a lot of guys who are outside throwing and catching and doing different drill work. They do that on their own because we can’t be involved with that, but it’s good to see them around here. Because I told them that all of the championship teams that I’ve been blessed to be with, the players all understood commitment and the players understood that it was going to take some extra on their part. I commend them for doing that. We’re not perfect yet, but we’ve taken a major stride in what it was when I first came.”

SN: The difference between year one and year two for you: what are you expecting to see changed on the football field for your team?

CS: “The biggest thing is I really believe that now we’ve got some leaders at every position. We’ve got some guys who have had some success who know what I expect and know how it’s going to be. I really believe that now they can set the tempo and help the young guys coming along. That’s a breath of fresh air, because last year, it was just the coaches. We had to lead everything. Now, we have that going better. We’re a lot stronger football team than we were last year. We’re a lot faster football team than we were last year, so those are big pluses right there. All-in-all, I really believe that when I came in, I laid down the foundation for what this program is going to be all about, which is about academics and being good athletes, too, but also preaching character and all of those things, too. Along the road, you have a little bump here or there, but I really believe all of the kids returning know what I expect.”

SN: Shifting gears a little, have you kept up with the NFL Lockout and if so, what are your thoughts and/or what are you hearing about it?

CS: “I was able to spend time with Peyton and those guys and also Jon Gruden, because me and Jon both coached with Mike Holmgren at one time … so we have a circle of things that are very similar. But the biggest thing I get from it is that I think cooler heads will prevail and they’ll get it going because the game’s really at its peak right now with interest and fan support and all of that. I think it will work out real quick. I think a lot of times when people have these things, they kind of let them drag along, but now it’s crunch time, so I really believe in the next week or two, something will come along and that’s what Jon told me he believed, as well.”

SN: Dip into the memory bank for a bit. What’s your most vivid memory as a coach?

CS: “It was in 1999 when I was in Alabama. We were playing Florida and it was in the Swamp. It was a shootout. When I got to Alabama, I was hired to spice up the offense and to score more points. That year, we won the SEC, but to make a long story short, we played Florida with Coach Spurrier and we had a shootout. We beat them 40-39 in the Swamp and that was a memorable game, because so many big plays had to be made and it was just an exciting time. In those times, that’s when Florida was really rolling and they had a powerful team and we were able to go in there and outscore them. I enjoyed really seeing Coach Spurrier, because all I know is he threw his visor a few times, which is always a good thing for the opponent.”

SN: What’s your favorite Cajun dish?

CS: “I used to love fish, but I had an allergic reaction one time, so they kind of backed me off on that. But every time I see shrimp and those things, it makes me want to partake. But I kind of think I’d rather not be going to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center anytime soon, so again, I know it’s an exciting thing to the area and I know these kids eat it up whenever the people are nice enough to cook it up for them, you know, the jambalaya and all the things like that. It’s fun.”

SN: At what age did you realize you wanted to coach?

CS: “I would say when you realize you weren’t going to play anymore. Everyone thinks they’re good enough to keep going, but once you see, ‘I think I’m going to be a step slow for this or that,’ then you kind of get into it. But I’ve always been a guy, even since I’ve been young, that’s liked strategy and all that, so naturally, I just kind of took charge sometimes even when we’d play in the backyard. So I got into it and I really liked it.”

SN: So lastly, I know the athletic department is making a strong push to get people to the stadium next year. What would you tell people on the fence about buying into the Colonels next year?

CS: “What we want to do is put a very good product out there. I know I’ve stuck to everything I could philosophically in recruiting and I’ve really got a lot of great number of Louisiana kids who will be on the football field making plays and we even added a bunch more this year to our squad. I really feel like if someone comes out to watch us play, they may find some familiar names out there on the field that maybe they’ve seen play in high school. The next thing is we’re opening up on a Thursday night and I did that on purpose because I really felt like it wouldn’t conflict with some of the other games going around. So we’ll play on a Thursday night, keep the students here where it’s on their schedule good and show a good product out there with some good enthusiasm. I feel like we can show the community, too, that this is a fun atmosphere to watch us play and it’s also an economic thing, too, because you can bring a whole family to our games and it doesn’t break the bank like it could at other places. So, I’ve been out in the community talking to people and our players have and … I just believe it’s headed in a very, very good direction. We’ve got a long ways to go before we’re a championship team, but you never know. That’s why you play this game. The goal right now is to just put ourselves in a position to win a lot of games. From there, you never know.”

Nicholls State football coach Charlie Stubbs gives his team a pep talk following a game last season. Stubbs said he’s ready for 2011 after building a foundation last season. CASEY GISCLAIR