Trojan football coach gets national nod

Although it seems like summer is only half over, for local high school football coaches it is winding down as most teams are already in the middle of or preparing for one of their team camps held prior to the start of the official first day of practice in early August. A busy time of the year for head coaches as they consider what approach is needed to fulfill their teams’ highest potential and put plans in motion to achieve it.

It’s a particular busy time for Park Hill’s Greg Reynolds. In addition to the annual preparations he’s making for the Trojan football season, he was recently selected to attend this week’s National Football League Youth Summit in Canton, Ohio. As the delegate from Missouri, he’ll join 50 other coaches from every state along with Washington D.C. in a three day conference where coaches will not only hear from speakers from a wide-range of backgrounds and discuss the top issues affecting the game, but also be recognized for their contribution to the sport.

Reynolds was recommended through a member of the Kansas City Chiefs organization because of his active involvement in the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association as a board member. The strong coaching resume he’s compiled in his ten years at Park Hill where his teams have gone 89-29 almost made him a strong candidate for the selection.

“It’s a great opportunity to talk with and listen to what other coaches from around the country do,” Reynolds said. “And it’s not about X’s and O’s, it’s about learning from others what works in terms of working with kids and what’s been proven to be successful.”

This is nothing new to Reynolds as he’s had a long-held interest in reading about and watching people try different things to achieve their success whether it is learning from other coaches or looking to styles used by leaders in the business world. The curiosity of finding that one thing people do right and applying it to what you do can make a big difference he believes.

While the NFL will have speakers in the likes of All-Pro’s Merril Hodge, Darrin Smith, and Mike Haynes along with others speaking on a variety of important youth issues, Reynolds says there are three which he sees as priorities from the rest including proper practice scheduling during hot August days, the handling of concussions, and the role high school coaches play in the ever-changing college recruiting process.

Even with all of the activities planned for the delegation during the short three day conference; it’ll be hard not to become a simple fan engulfed in the history of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They’ll get the chance to tour the museum and be a part of the atmosphere of Hall of Fame Weekend which is just two weeks away. Reynolds said that is one of the things he’s looking forward to the most.