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By Brad Durham
Left to right: State Representative Bo Mitchell, Steve Earle and Mayor Freddie O’Connell
A Personal Reflection
My connection to the Grand Ole Opry is a story woven with irony, chance, and profound influence.
The Grand Ole Opry was a place my uncle Hal Durham dedicated four decades of his life to — first as an Emcee at the historic Ryman Auditorium downtown, as Program Director at WSM Radio, and ultimately as General Manager when the new Opry House opened in 1974.
Through my uncle, I was inadvertently introduced to Steve Earle by T-Bone Burnett, an encounter that significantly altered the course of my life. That chance connection opened doors I never anticipated, reaffirming how moments of irony and chance can shape our futures in unexpected and meaningful ways.
The Beginning of a Quest
The idea to organize a benefit concert first took shape in 1986, during my time working at the Multi-Service Center for the Homeless with the Cambridge Department of Human Services. My role was to help place homeless families into permanent housing. At that time, Philip Mangano, the director of the center, had brokered a deal with Harvard University to host a benefit concert at Harvard Stadium.
Around the same period, T-Bone Burnett had just released a new country album, which gave me an idea. Eager to bring high-profile artists to the event, I mentioned this to my uncle, Hal Durham, encouraging him to invite Burnett to the Grand Ole Opry. My ultimate plan was to surprise Burnett at his appearance with a request for him to reach out to Pete Townshend of The Who and other renowned artists, to perform at the benefit concert and help make a difference.
The Irony Unfolds
On September 17, 2025, I was in the audience as Steve Earle was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry — a moment that felt almost surreal. It was on that very stage in 1986 that I first became aware of Steve Earle.
After weeks of persuading my uncle to book T-Bone Burnett, he unexpectedly called one day. He asked if I wanted T-Bone Burnett to appear at the Opry. He said, “If you want him to play, he will. If you don’t, he won’t.” I was stunned by such an offer and quickly said yes, hoping Burnett’s appearance might help us gain access to major acts.
Fast forward to Burnett’s performance at the Opry in 1986. My uncle introduced us backstage. I vividly remember: T-Bone Burnett had asked my uncle why he hadn’t asked Steve Earle to perform at the Opry. At that time, I had no idea who Earle was, but I made a mental note to check out Steve Earle’s music.
That’s Show Business
That night at the Opry, my uncle pointed to Dolly Parton’s sister and said, “See that woman over there? That’s Stella Parton. She’s been asking me to put her on the Opry for six weeks. She asked if Burnett was my nephew.” Clearly, T-Bone Burnett wasn’t as well-known in 1986 as he is today.
Afterward, T-Bone and I went out to eat, and he promised to speak with Pete Townshend and get back to me. Unfortunately, he never returned my calls. That’s show business — you win some, you lose some.
The Dream Became Reality
A few weeks later, I was back in Boston, and to my surprise, Steve Earle was performing at the Paradise Club. I attended his show and was blown away by his performance. He had just released Exit 0, the follow-up to Guitar Town. My curiosity about Steve Earle grew even more after witnessing his live set. I shared my plan to organize a benefit concert for the homeless with him. Without hesitation, he agreed to participate. That moment created a great positive visitation of energy in my life.
Steve Earle profoundly influenced my life. His generosity in performing benefit concerts inspired me to start Fearless Hearts for Homeless Children in Boston. His support turned my dream of using music to help the homeless into reality. Steve’s active participation helped me find my path as an advocate for the homeless.
Left: Steve Earle; Right Hal Durham
Irony and Influence
My Uncle Hal had a major impact on my life. I had the honor of delivering his eulogy, during which I stated he was always the smartest person in the room—though he never needed to prove it. His intelligence shone through naturally, with grace and dignity. He was a steady, rational voice during some of my traumatic early years.
Steve Earle is a passionate and determined man. He has composed many outstanding songs, and on September 17, 2025, the Grand Ole Opry became even better by inducting him as a member.
Last night, two men—Hal Durham and Steve Earle—occupied my thoughts at the Grand Ole Opry. That, truly, is irony.
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By Brad Durham
I started the BD NEWSLETTER to try and stay connected to McMinnville. When I went away to high school, college and lived in Los Angeles and Boston, McMinnville was always my hometown. Writing about sports for the local newspaper for two years during COVID (2020-2021) helped me see another side of our small town. Covering high school sports is where I met Sable Winfree and some members of her family.
Sable Winfree stood out as a freshman basketball player the same year that C.J. Taylor stood out during his senior year in football and basketball. It was fun to watch them play sports and write about them. I wrote a profile on the Winfree family playing basketball in January of 2021 (ARTICLE). I have written about Sable a few times in my newsletter.
On November 17, Sable was dismissed from the WCHS Lady Pioneer basketball team. My response was to call for an investigation and suspension of the head coach.
What has made the past few weeks challenging are some of the statements people have made to me. People have told me that writing about Sable is “none of my business,” “Dangerous.” “I am spreading venom and don’t know the whole story.” “Kids think you are a creeper.” “If the truth comes out, Sable will never play basketball again.” “You are going to destroy her future.”
I do not believe that I am in danger, spreading venom, or destroying Sable Winfree’s basketball career. Could I have been persistent and obnoxious in my attempts to get interviews with students and coaches? Yes. But any other “creepy” innuendos, appear to tarnish and distract from my work. I have worked with high school coaches and students for the past 24 years in my fundraising business. My reputation with coaches and students is important to me.
The last time I was on a school campus in McMinnville covering local sports was two years ago. Therefore, I am not sure why those “creeper” comments have recently been circulated.
Oh, wait a minute. I questioned the decision-making of the high school administration and central office of the Warren County school system. Maybe that is why certain people are repeating those things about me now. I am flawed and imperfect. Sable Winfree deserves a better advocate, and I am confident there are many good people who are supporting her. This is something I chose to write about because I believe Sable has been treated unjustly without mercy.
I am doing my best to write about what I know. I refuse to be motivated by fear or to be intimidated. I cannot control the outcome or what people say about me, but I wish I could control what people are saying about Sable.
Members of the administration and central office have made innuendos and comments about Sable Winfree. Sable is off the team, but she did not commit any crime. There was not a good reason to dismiss the best player from the team. I believe that I know the entire story, and none of it makes any sense.
The past few weeks have made me reflect and go to my major influences. One major belief is that connection is very important. Brene Brown helped me understand this concept when I first watched her TED talk, and then in her books that I read. Her TED talk is worth 20 minutes of your time.
Brene Brown says that connection is why we are here. We are neurobiologically wired for connection. She says vulnerability is the gateway to connection. She says shame is the fear of disconnection – if other people know or see the real me, then I will not be worthy of connection. Shame unravels connection.
Sable was told that she was not good enough to be on the team. She was made to feel shame, to be disconnected. No one in authority has helped keep Sable on the team, which is something that gave Sable a connection, a sense of worthiness.
I will never understand why no one interceded on Sable’s behalf before November 17, and offered her alternatives to staying on the team. That is why I am writing about something that may not be my business. Writing about it in my newsletter may cost me some local business, but that is a small price to pay when one considers what Jesus said about helping someone.
John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
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PREFACE: A head coach has the authority to dismiss a player from a team. Too many parts of what happened to Sable Winfree do not make sense. Shouldn’t Warren County citizens ask questions?
I am asking each board member (via email) to follow the Roberts Rules of Order and make a motion to learn why Sable Winfree has been dismissed from the team during her senior year after being a starter on the high school team since her freshman year. Sable Winfree had played on Warren County School System’s teams since the fourth grade and had never been dismissed from a team until recently. Furthermore, why did the head coach play Sable in the fourth quarter of the first game after Sable was suspended by a principal on the day of the game? Was Sable put into the game to burn her high school eligibility and prevent Sable from playing at another TSSAA school?
Roberts Rules of Order:
1. Motion: To introduce a new piece of business or propose a decision or action, a motion must be made by a group member (“I move that……”) A second motion must then also be made (raise your hand and say, “I second it.”) After limited discussion the group then votes on the motion. A majority vote is required for the motion to pass (or quorum as specified in your bylaws.)
Please support Sable Winfree and ask a school board member to make a motion as new business — to learn why Sable Winfree was dismissed from the team — and put into a game on the same day Sable was suspended by a principal at Warren County High School. If you know a school board member personally, please ask him/her to make the motion.
These are the Warren County School Board Members:
Left to right, top to bottom: Chris Cope, Tanya Bess, James Bennett, Tommy Culwell, Larry Judkins, Bill Zechman. Chris Cope email: copec@warrenschools.com
Tanya Bess email: besst@warrenschools.com
James Bennett email: bennettj@warrenschools.com
Tommy Culwell email: culwellt@warrenschools.com
Larry Judkins email: judkinsl1@warrenschools.com
Bill Zechman email: zechmanb@warrenschools.com
Previous letters from the BD Newsletter about Sable Winfree:
Sable Winfree in her own words. A must read. I question why the administration allowed Sable Winfree to be dismissed from the team. I released this letter calling for an investigation and suspension of the head coach, Mendy Stotts. -
By Brad Durham
Below is an interview conducted after Sable Winfree’s work shift Thursday night, November 30, at Gondola Restaurant in McMinnville, Tennessee.
These are previous letters that I have written about Sable Winfree being dismissed from the team.
My Thursday night interview with Sable Winfree…
BD NEWSLETTER: What has basketball meant to you?
Sable Winfree: It means everything. I have played it since I was in the fourth grade. I put in work up to my senior year. It cost us a lot of money. I have been on travel teams in the summer. I dropped all the other sports. I played soccer and track, and I focused only on basketball.
BD NEWSLETTER: Are there highlights in the past three years of high school basketball that stand out to you?
Sable Winfree: The first thing was getting Freshman of the Year. I was up against a lot of other good freshmen like Celeste Reed from White County. That showed me that my work was showing up. My sophomore year, I was named All-District, and that helped a lot. Junior year, I was All-District again. Last year playing with all those girls…Kyra, Shelby, Mia, and Savannah. It was great getting to play with my sister, Savannah. We did as well as we could, and went as far as we could in the postseason tournament. I think we made a big impact for Warren County.
BD NEWSLETTER: Where do you live now?
Sable Winfree: I live with my grandparents – my dad’s parents.
BD NEWSLETTER: Why do you live there?
Sable Winfree: My mom moved to White County this summer. (Sable’s parents are divorced.) I still get to see my dad and all of my family…my mom and siblings. I did not want to move to White County. I wanted to finish my senior year here. I had played here since elementary and middle school. My sisters graduated from Warren County. I wanted to achieve a 1,000 points over my high school career at Warren County.
BD NEWSLETTER: When did you know that you were dismissed from the team?
Sable Winfree: I knew that day she kicked me out of practice that I was going to be off the team. I could tell just by the way she said it.
BD NEWSLETTER: Have you snapchatted with a sixth-grade boy in the past three to four weeks?
Sable Winfree: No. Absolutely not! (Sable turned 18 this past summer.)
BD NEWSLETTER: What is your dream for the future?
Sable Winfree: I want to get a good education. I did see basketball in my future. I did want to play it, and I also wanted to coach it. I like being around it too much to just go away from it. I referee at the Civic Center. I don’t call everything the way the parents want me to call it, and they get mad. I see the referee’s point of view now. Laughs.
I have not decided what I want to major in yet. I have options.
But I did want to stay here. I wanted to live here, and have my kids go to school here one day. My perspective on everything has kind of changed though.
BD NEWSLETTER: Is there anything else you want to share about what you are going through right now?
Sable Winfree: I feel like I put in three years at the high school under a different coach. I put in three years at the middle school. I played at Eastside. I have played on AAU teams. I was never told on any of those teams that I was not coachable.
That is how some people look at me now, “she is not coachable, she got kicked off the team and she has all these allegations on her.”
It just doesn’t make sense that I have played on all of these teams all these years and now…it hurts because I have spent my whole life focusing on one sport. One person made all that go away for me.
It has made me mad. I am the only one getting punished for something that there is no proof of and that never happened. There are plenty of people who will sit there and tell you it never happened. But because of one person, it has all been taken away from me.
Really, I trusted so many people who work at the high school. I have no trust in them anymore. They let me down. I trusted Warren County High School. I would tell anybody that I was from Warren County High School. Now it is embarrassing how much I put into them, and in return, nothing.
We got plaques for them. Trophies. They told us how proud they were. Then they go and support someone in her first year (of coaching at a high school level) with no proof. They have her back.
I was right behind their back. If anyone ever said anything about Coach Lippe, I would go to bat for him. I loved the principals. Not one of them had my back. It really does hurt. I don’t understand it.
It is hard to keep your head up. Everybody says, “Keep your head up, keep on going.” It is hard to do that when you feel like it is the place that you wanted your whole family to go to. I wanted to keep the Winfree and Simpson legacy going at Warren County. (Sable’s grandmother played on the Lady Pioneers team in the 1970s.)
I feel like I broke that legacy because of one person. It wasn’t my choice.
I am used to the 24/7 schedule of going to practice, playing, school and working. Now it has all changed. I have to figure everything else out now. I never thought that I would lose basketball.
BD NEWSLETTER: Did you think that you would get more exposure your senior year and receive more looks from colleges?
Sable Winfree: My goal this year was to try and get D1 looks. Tech or MTSU for example. I had talked to MTSU and I know that they were looking at me. My focus was to get a Tech or MTSU look. Now I don’t think that will happen even if I get on another team. You cannot miss three games and expect to get all those points. I needed the whole season. That was taken away from me.
BD NEWSLETTER: Did Mendy Stotts call you into her office in the spring and ask you to not move to Sparta?
Sable Winfree: I told her that I was between moving to Sparta with my mother and staying here. My family was moving to White County, and the team there was going to be young with a good coach.
She said, “Stay here. I promise that we will build the team around you, and we will have a good team. We have some middle schoolers who are coming in who are fast, and you have Lexi and Bri and all of them. We will have a good team if you stay.”
I decided to stay. These are the girls I have played with since I was in fourth grade. My sisters, aunts and uncles had graduated from Warren County. I felt like it was the place for me to be.
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By Brad Durham
I am grateful for people allowing me to interview them and share some of their views and stories. The McMinnville Introspection series taught me a lot about the town I was born and raised in during my early youth. There are many things to like about McMinnville. There are a lot of good people in McMinnville.
The most viewed letter that I posted this year was the story about Sable Winfree’s dismissal from the Warren County High School Lady Pioneer basketball team. The story has received 11,400 views on my website. Apparently, many people in McMinnville are interested in what happened to Sable Winfree last week. This letter has received over 10 times as many views as my previous most-viewed letter.
How does a coach and principal suspend Sable Winfree on a Monday afternoon, and then the coach plays her in the fourth quarter of a game that night? Every coach knows that when you play a player in a game that you effectively burn that player’s eligibility. Was that something that was done intentionally — to burn Winfree’s eligibility so that she could not transfer and finish her senior year of basketball elsewhere?
When I was in high school (Middlesex School, Concord, MA) , the Dean, Brad Kingman, told me in November of my senior year that I should get off campus. He told me that he had been doing his job for a long time, and that if I stayed on campus the next semester, I would get in trouble and expelled. He said that I would destroy my chances of getting into the college I wanted to attend. He told me to do an independent study somewhere else, and graduate in May.
Me and a fellow page with Senator Howard Baker, 1975. 
Me and Congressman Joe L. Evins, 1975. I respected the Dean. He was my math teacher, assistant football coach, and I had babysat his kids. I went to D.C. the next semester and was a page for Congressman Joe L. Evins and an intern for Senator Howard Baker. Although it was tough to leave friends and not play sports, I had great experiences in D.C. I am still grateful to this day that the Dean cared enough about me to push me to make a change. He also wanted to get me out of his hair, but he cared about me and my future. He had a heart-to-heart talk with me.
Why didn’t someone at Warren County High School care enough about Sable Winfree to intercede and give her positive alternatives? And why would a coach play a player while she was suspended? Were there sufficient grounds to kick Sable Winfree off the team? I do not believe so…
I am grateful for the mentors, friends and experiences I have had in my life. I am grateful to live in McMinnville, Tennessee. I am also grateful that I got to watch Sable Winfree play basketball the past three years, and I hope that I get to see her play again in the near future.
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By Brad Durham
Preface: Mendy Stotts, Chris Hobbs, and Director of Schools Dr. Grant Swallows were asked for a response to this letter in a group text. Dr. Swallows texted: “This was a meeting between the administration, coaches and family. There’s nothing that can be commented on for the public.”
3-Time ALL District Sable Winfree Sable Winfree was informed by text from the Warren County High School girls head basketball coach Mendy Stotts on Thursday to not attend practice. Furthermore, Winfree was directed to attend a meeting on Friday about the future of playing with WC Lady Pioneers Basketball.
On Friday, November 17, 2023, Sable Winfree was dismissed from the Warren County High School Lady Pioneer basketball team by the head coach, Mendy Stotts. Four people present in the meeting reported the following conversation:
WCHS principal Chris Hobbs said, “We are not going to argue about this. You’ve already made your decision. What is your decision?” Mendy Stotts replied, “I’m done.”
A distraught Sable Winfree shared her response to the meeting and being dismissed from the team. Sable said, “I’m mad. Sad. And Mendy Stotts lied about me using the f-word in practice and snapchatting with a sixth-grade boy in an inappropriate way.”
First and foremost, I am an advocate for Sable Winfree. Sable Winfree has been an All-District player during her first three years at WCHS. Information from other sources have provided some disturbing stories and first-hand accounts of misconduct by the Lady Pioneers head coach.
I do not think Mendy Stotts should have the authority to dismiss or reprimand any more players on the team until she is investigated. Therefore, I believe she should be suspended.
The scope of the investigation should include and go beyond what is mentioned below:
- Why was Sable Winfree dismissed from the team? Given at least one extreme accusation by the head coach, the veracity of the head coach’s statements must be proven or disproven by a professional investigator.
- Did head coach Stotts tell several other players that she was going to run them off the team, one by one?
- According to players and parents, the Lady Pioneer head coach has yelled and screamed in girls faces, intimidating and shaming them without just cause. Was this a breach of the contract the head coach made with the team?
- Several parents met with coach Stotts this past Sunday about their concerns of the head coach’s behavior, none of which involved playing time. Some parents left thinking Stotts was on drugs or high. Why did the parents leave the meeting with such doubts about the head coach’s well-being?
- A few of the same parents went to WCHS on Wednesday asking for a meeting with the administration. They met separately with AD and assistant principal, Phillip King. What is the WCHS administration doing about what was shared? Is there a coverup talking place to protect the head coach?
- Sable was forced to sit three quarters in the first game this past Monday and scored 12 points in the 4th quarter. Coach Stotts told Sable afterwards that Sable lost the game. Is this acceptable coaching behavior? Does this behavior fit a pattern of bullying?
- Several players and parents feel as though their kids are being targeted by Stotts because they played for the previous coach, Anthony Lippe. Has this been investigated?
- Many players and parents feel as though the trust has been broken between the players and present head coach, in addition to members of the coaching staff. What is the administration doing to restore that trust?
- Mendy Stotts has been accused of telling players and parents that she is conducting therapy with other players. Given the fact that Stotts is a school counselor, if true, this is a breach.
- A middle school student allegedly heard Stotts’s middle school son say that Sable Winfree was going to end up pregnant or in jail before the school year is over. The son allegedly stated that his mother made those comments about Sable Winfree. If true, a head coach talking about a player in this fashion to her family at home is a breach and potentially grounds for dismissal.
There are sufficient grounds to believe that Sable Winfree confronting the head coach about what her son said motivated the head coach to dismiss Winfree from the team.
- Several of the present members of the WCHS Lady Pioneers played for Coach Lippe for three years and never had trust issues with him. Their parents never requested a meeting with Lippe to discuss his inappropriate behavior. Why are there problems now with the head coach, Mendy Stotts?
- Ironically, Lippe is an AD and administrator who was Sable Winfree’s head coach for the past three years. Lippe knows many of the present players on the team and their parents better than any administrator in the building. Lippe dismissed Stotts as an assistant coach years ago when he became head coach at WCHS. Because of his complicated history with Stotts, Lippe has not been involved in the conflict between Stotts and Sable — and the other players’ parents. Shouldn’t Lippe have been involved to help resolve the conflict between Mendy Stotts Sable Winfree?
Sable Winfree and the other players deserve to have a positive mentor, teacher and head coach. There are sufficient grounds to investigate Mendy Stotts for unprofessional and inappropriate conduct.
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WARREN COUNTY PIONEER PHOTO GALLERY
Junior Creed Adams, No. 2 
Senior Aiden Miller, No. 70 
Senior Alex van Vuuren, No. 9 
Head Coach Matt Turner 
Junior Gage Harris 
Junior Zander McCormick No. 71 
Sophomore Adrian Harris The 2023 Warren County High School Pioneers football team’s season (1-9) came to an end at Father Ryan High School Friday night in Nashville. Father Ryan (4-6) extends their season next week in the Division II Class AAA State Playoffs. For the Pioneers, it was not the season the team had envisioned back in August, but even when the scoreboard was not in their favor, they refused to quit. The final score was 49-16.
All 16 of Warren County’s points came in the second half, and both touchdowns were setup by turnovers created by the Pioneer defense. Gage Harris made an interception that led to a 10-play, 89-yard drive. Senior Alex van Vuuren completed a 34-yard pass to sophomore Adrian Harris on that drive. Junior Creed Adams rushed for 36 yards over six plays to finish the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.
The second Pioneer score was setup by senior Aiden Miller’s fumble recovery. The Pioneers offense went on a 79-yard drive in three plays that ended on a 67-yard touchdown run by Adrian Harris. Warren County converted 2-point conversions after both touchdowns to create the total of 16 points. The Pioneers were outscored in the first half by six Father Ryan touchdowns — 42 points.
Father Ryan’s offense benefited from generous field position and turnovers in the opening half. Father Ryan started their first drive for a touchdown from Warren County’s 35-yard line. The Irish blocked a Warren County field goal, and returned it 80-yards for their second touchdown. Father Ryan intercepted a pass and then mounted a drive for their third touchdown. Father Ryan blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown for their fourth touchdown. Warren County faked a punt on fourth down from its own 34-yard line, and failed to make the first down. Father Ryan took possession, and six plays later on a reverse run, the Irish went up 35-0. Next, a bad Warren County punt of 15-yards gave Father Ryan the ball on Warren County’s 33-yard line. The Irish scored three plays later to go up 42-0. Father Ryan’s final score came on the opening drive of the second half. Their second-string put together an 8-play, 67-yard drive that resulted in a 49-0 lead.
After a devastating first half and an opening score in the second half, a major let down by the Pioneers would not have been unexpected. Yet, to the team and coaching staff’s credit, the Pioneers bounced back. After the game, head coach Matt Turner thanked the team for responding to his challenge at halftime to finish strong in the final two quarters. The Pioneers showed determination, which provided a positive response to a blistering first half.
Before leaving the field at the end of the game, defensive coordinator Camron Bond challenged the team to hit the weight room after taking a break from the season. Bond said, “I encourage you to play other sports, but you still need to hit the weight room. If you do not commit to the weight room in the offseason, you have to question your commitment to this program.”
PLAYER COMMENTS
Junior Creed Adams had a gutsy game on both offense and defense. Adams showed some power as a running back. After the game Adams said, “We obviously have to go to work in the offseason. That is my main focus right now. I like playing running back. I asked them if I could, and they let me play there. That touchdown run and drive felt great.”
Junior lineman Xander McCormick has started since his freshman year. He has been a force on defense and has made stops in opponents’ backfields all season. After the game, McCormick said, “That was a strong team. We have to get better and hit the weight room. I have visited some colleges….Kentucky, EKU (Eastern Kentucky), MTSU, and I go to Louisville this weekend.”
FINAL COMMENTS
Father Ryan was what head coach Matt Turner called a “higher caliber” private school team. They did not make mistakes, and Warren County hurt themselves by committing penalties and turning the ball over in the first half. The Pioneers were down by 14 points very quickly in the game.
There are juniors and sophomores who showed grit against Father Ryan and throughout Warren County’s season. Some injured players will heal and be back for next season. The Pioneer faithful owe this year’s seniors a lot of gratitude for continuing to show up and keeping the Pioneer football program alive.
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COACH VINCE LOMBARDI By Brad Durham
Late one night, I was scratching my head, searching for what defines a team, what value does a team have for its team members, coaches, administrators, student body and community. I was watching a video of the legendary coach Vince Lombardi, and he walked right out of the video into my office. The following is what transpired.
VINCE LOMBARDI: What the hell is going on here? (Laughs) I know why I am here!
BD NEWSLETTER: Coach Lombardi. Wow! I was watching you on the video and wishing that I could ask you some questions about a football team. Can you answer some questions?
VINCE LOMBARDI: I am here to answer your questions.
BD NEWSLETTER: What makes a team valuable to everyone?
VINCE LOMBARDI: So, you want to know why a football team is valuable to everyone? I am not sure it is valuable to everyone, but I will tell you why I think a team, any team is important.
BD NEWSLETTER: Thank you! Is it okay if I write all this down as you speak?
VINCE LOMBARDI: Sure, why not. A football team, or any team, is a collection of individuals, and they may be from different places, different races and different backgrounds. They have come together as a team by some design to work together to achieve a common goal. Each member of that team, regardless of their role, must be dedicated and committed to excellence. If the team is to reach its goal, the team must work together. Each team member must fulfill his or her individual assignment. A team is led by a coach who shares and teaches his or her philosophy and principles. A coach is a teacher first and foremost.
Does that answer your question?
BD NEWSLETTER: Yes, that is a great answer! You once stated that winning is not everything, it is the only thing. What if the team is not winning?
VINCE LOMBARDI: Okay, I said that, but that statement has been used in the wrong fashion. There is a context to that statement, that philosophy. What I wish I had said more clearly is that winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing worth striving for, or winning isn’t everything, but making the effort to win is.
David Maraniss wrote a book about me, WHEN PRIDE STILL MATTERED, and he cleaned up that quote well. Ha! In fact, I just quoted his rewrites of that statement because I see how people have abused my statement and philosophy over the years.
BD NEWSLETTER: Coach Lombardi, I get what you are saying. Winning is a philosophy and a discipline. The reason I am searching for answers about the meaning and value of a team is because my hometown high school football team has experienced only two (2) winning seasons in the past 33 years. And it gets worse. The team has achieved only 11 winning seasons out of 55 seasons since the school started in 1969. 80% of the teams have experienced losing seasons.
What would you tell a team, coaches, administrators, students and a community to do about a team that has experienced such an extraordinary amount of losing?
VINCE LOMBARDI: First thing I would say is what I said in that video you just played of me. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AROUND HERE?
Do you want to win or lose — at anything you do?
Since it takes place in a high school, I would ask everyone, “what would you do if 80% of your students in math classes were failing? What if 80% of the students in English classes were failing?”
How long would the community accept that type of losing in the classroom? And when I say “accept,” I mean accept losing as a “standard” and not making the pursuit of excellence the standard.
Tell me about your football coach. How long has he been the head coach?
BD NEWSLETTER: The head coach is Matt Turner. He grew up here and played football in high school. Never had a winning season as a high school student in football. Walked onto UTC in college, and he earned a scholarship. Came back home to help his father take care of his mother who was ill and eventually died. He started as an assistant coach. He has been a head coach for five years.
Matt Turner led the 2020 Pioneer team that broke the 29-year losing streak in his second year as a head coach. The school’s previous winning season was in 1990. He kept a team together and persuaded more athletes in the school to join the team. The previous head coach predicted that unless something changed, Warren County may not have a team. He resigned because he saw the team dropping to 40 players, possibly as few as 24 players.
I would say that Matt Turner not only broke the losing streak, he saved the team.
VINCE LOMBARDI: How many head coaches have there been in the past 33 years?
BD NEWSLETTER: By my count there have been nine (9) head coaches. I may be missing one or two.
VINCE LOMBARDI: That is about a new coach every four years, roughly speaking. Only two of those coaches had a winning season, and they were 29-30 years apart. That is a lot of losing. Seven (7) coaches before Turner had losing seasons, right?
BD NEWSLETTER: That is my count…
VINCE LOMBARDI: Turner won in his second season, and then has won only one (1) game per season in the following three years, right?
BD NEWSLETTER: Correct.
VINCE LOMBARDI: What is a reason you hear most often from the community about why the team is losing?
BD NEWSLETTER: We are a small town but we are the 26th-largest high school in the state. Therefore, we have to play against large school teams. Therefore, a lot of people say we should be playing smaller schools, but when we play the smaller schools, we often lose…
VINCE LOMBARDI: That is a bunch of hogwash! When I went to Green Bay, it was the smallest town in the NFL, and it still is. It was my first job as a head coach, and I inherited a losing team.
I know the NFL has revenue-sharing and a draft to help create parity. But if the people of Green Bay had not supported the team and gone way out of the ordinary, there would not have been a team in Green Bay. Do you know that Green Bay is not privately-owned? It is a publicly held nonprofit corporation that was established in 1923.
On a scale of 1-10, with one (1) being no commitment and 10 being the highest commitment, how would you rate the Warren County community’s commitment to high school football?
BD NEWSLETTER: That is a tough one. The team was 10-0 in the regular season of 1973, but the school “board of commissioners” tried to fire the head coach before the 1973 season started. The two captains on the team met with members of the school board and said they would not play if their head coach was fired.
Photo from a 1973 SOUTHERN STANDARD publication. The school board made a deal with the coach which allowed him to coach the 1973 season with the stipulation that he had to resign at the end of the season.
I would say over the past 50 years the community’s commitment has wavered from a 1 to a 10. Right now, I would say it may be a seven (7).
VINCE LOMBARDI: Politics. Parents. Administrators. I would say they are what have changed the most over the years, not the players, not the kids.
There are lots of high school teams in Tennessee with winning records, right?
BD NEWSLETTER: Of course!
VINCE LOMBARDI: I know the game is different now. Better conditioned athletes. Stronger. Faster. But not to toot my own horn, but did you hear John Madden say that I could have coached 50 years before my time and 50 years after my time? I would make changes, but the will to win has to be there. And the community has to maintain and project a standard of excellence.
Accepting losing is like having a disease and never going to the doctor. There are cures, but not everyone wants to take the medicine.
I saw where you called Matt Turner the antidote to losing a few years ago. Good one. I like how you said that during COVID. Don’t get me started on how America crumbled under the pressure of the pandemic. Let’s stay focused on Warren County High School football.
Does Matt Turner have the administrative support from his principal and Director of Schools?
BD NEWSLETTER: I asked for an interview with both men. The principal, Chris Hobbs, declined via email: “Unfortunately, no I do not have time right now. Thanks.”
The Director of Schools met recently for an interview on Friday morning of the last game of the season.
VINCE LOMBARDI: What did he say?
BD NEWSLETTER: Dr. Grant Swallows said, “It is easy to say that Matt Turner has my support, and I can speak for Chris Hobbs. Both Mr. Hobbs and myself last winter said to Coach Turner, “go find some assistant coaches, and we will do whatever we need to do to try and bring them in.”
Swallows continued, “Not that anything was wrong with the assistant coaches that we had…in today’s game there are coaches on one side of the ball (offense or defense), one position group. When I first started coaching, we were coaching both sides of the ball, and that was 20 years ago. It doesn’t have to be that everyone only coaches one side of the ball, but you are seeing big programs have freshmen, JV and varsity teams. That is where assistant coaches come into play.”
“The support has been there. I think you are asking the question does Matt have support going forward. That’s a question that is simply answered at the end of the season. I would say that about any coach of any sport. At the end of the season, the ADs, the principals need to be sitting down and saying – here is what happened last year and here is what needs to happen next year.”
“I anticipate that happening between Mr. Hobbs and coach Turner. I try to not get too involved in those situations. I certainly got myself more involved in Warren County football this season, but I felt as though I brought a unique skill set that could help the team. I promised the school board that it would not interfere with my responsibilities as Director, and I do not believe it has been a problem. However, I hope someone will work me out of being a coach next year.”
“I think to answer your original question, if coach Turner did not have support, we would not be doing whatever we could to try and help the kids. To finish that question for me, it is not just about the coaches. How many coaches have we had in the past 33 years? That could be as much of the problem as anything else. With the turnover of coaches, you are starting over every time. Every person brings their own stamp on the program.”
“The thing that has been pressing on me as a leader this year is that we are such a product-oriented society. We are asking for winning seasons. Championships. The process is the most important thing. When the process is right, it will lead to those things you want in the product.”
“It is just as important to me that the players are being good young men and good students.”
“One thing that I appreciate that coach Turner has done over the years is helping make our players the best men they can be. And in turn, when that process takes hold, we are going to get better at what we do in football. Youth football and middle school football are all working together at this point. That will only benefit us.”
“There is another part that the public does not see. That is something Mr. Hobbs has to be involved in. Are we having discipline problems with football players? They just don’t wear Pioneers across their jerseys simply on the football field. They also wear them (figuratively) in the halls of the school. Is Mr. Hobbs saying that some players are out of control? That is something that reflects on the head coach as well.”
“There are several things that go into the decision. I don’t know if Matt Turner wants to come back next year. We have not had that conversation. I suspect anyone who works as hard as he does wants to come back. He has given his life to this program.”
“We have not had any conversations about next year yet.”
VINCE LOMBARDI: Those were very thoughtful comments from Grant Swallows. He has been a head coach, and understands the coaching profession well. But it is premature to speculate about what the administration is going to decide about the head coach. Let’s think positively and assume Matt Turner is going to be the head coach next season. He’s earned a longterm contract in my opinion, but I am not part of the decision-making process, am I? (Laughs)
VINCE LOMBARDI: Is the community supporting Matt Turner?
BD NEWSLETTER: I am assuming the answer is yes. There were 70 players on the middle school team this year, and that is the most in memory. Ben Matheney is the head coach, and in many ways a right-hand man of Matt Turner’s.
Matt Turner recruited Tony Solomon and others to relaunch the youth program, and this year there were over 200 kids playing in three youth divisions.
VINCE LOMBARDI: I am assuming that it is tough to create enthusiasm for football when there have been only two (2) winning seasons in 33 years. I tip my hat to Matt Turner for keeping the community involved.
BD NEWSLETTER: What would you do to turnaround this high school team?
VINCE LOMBARDI: Based on what you have told me about the current head coach, Matt Turner, he appears to be doing the right things. He did something that the other seven (7) coaches who preceded him did not accomplish – a winning season. I know that the Jimmys and Joes make a big difference, but come on! We’re talking about winning 6 out of 10 games in a season.
You told me the number of kids playing football in Warren County are up this year. That is a positive.
The first thing I would do is check on the commitment level of the players. Are they dedicated to being their best?
I had to trade some players. Cut several off the team. I was my own GM. Some of the historians say that I was a workaholic, that I was so immersed in football that other parts of my life suffered. I can agree with some of that analysis, but I loved working in football.
So, I am not suggesting that a head coach do all the things I did. Language is different today. I would not say to high school students what I said to professional football players.
But football is a collision sport. It is tough. The head coach has to do the things to make his players fearless, to play the game with reckless abandon. And at the same time, a coach has to be a teacher first and foremost. The fundamentals cannot be overlooked. Players have to be taught how to perform their assignments, and they have to practice it until they reach their best level of execution.
Everyone knew our plays. I laugh about people getting all hyped up about Jim Harbaugh stealing signs at Michigan. I like what Deion Sanders said. You still have to stop them!
It is about execution. We became champions at Green Bay with essentially the same players that had been losing there. You want to tell me Paul Hornung was not a Hall of Fame football player! But Hornung was not getting into that Hall before we got there. He obviously had the talent, but he was not performing at his highest level.
I am not patting myself on the back, but I am making the point that the head coach has to be a leader. He has to teach his philosophy, his principles. The team has to learn those principles and execute them.
BD NEWSLETTER: You know Jerry Kramer helped make you an American icon with his book, INSTANT REPLAY. He said in this video that your philosophy, your principles, your beliefs, your concepts were relevant 4,000 years ago and will be relevant 4,000 years from now.
Watch this video, Coach!
Jerry Kramer, Green Bay Packer and NFL Football Hall of Fame member. VINCE LOMBARDI: Jerry might have gone a little overboard there, but he did an excellent job of documenting in his books what we accomplished in Green Bay.
I hope that the administration, students, and community will support your head coach. I hope that Matt Turner will stick to his guns, stay true to his beliefs and lead his team to more victories.
It is not all about winning, but a team has to make the effort to win. That is the real accomplishment – individuals sacrificing to achieve a common goal. And that goal must be excellence. There is no substitute for that vision, that commitment.
BD NEWSLETTER: Coach Lombardi, thank you for dropping by and spending time talking about Warren County High School football.
VINCE LOMBARDI: You’re very welcome, and I encourage you and any of your readers to support Matt Turner. There has to be faith in the team’s philosophy. If everyone works together for the greatest good, there will be positive outcomes. My Jesuit teachers at Fordham really drilled those ideals into me during college. Those lessons changed my life.
And the lessons football players learn at every level of competition can change their lives. We all should be learning and growing every day.
May the Lord be with you and all of Warren County!
POSTSCRIPT: Darrin Donnelly has created Sports for the Soul and written books that motivate, inspire and empower. Donnelly uses the greatest minds in sports to offer life advice. His books inspired this interview with Vince Lombardi. The following is Donnelly’s definition of a team:
I view a team as a group of people working towards a common goal, one that cannot be achieved individually and one that usually requires individual sacrifices made for the good of the team. That is, it often requires an individual to do something he/she may not personally want to do, but it is for the good of the team that he/she must do it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There have been up and down years in the history of Warren County Football. The decades of losing and turnover of coaches can make one dazed and confused.
One man cannot do it all by himself, but head coach Matt Turner has done way more than his share. This past season (2023) alone, he mowed the middle and high school football fields — and the high school soccer field. Not only did he mow them, he also painted the lines for those fields. After an away game on a Friday night, he came back to McMinnville and repainted the field at Nunley Stadium at midnight for a band competition on Saturday. He washes the team’s uniforms after games. He attends as many football games on all levels in Warren County as possible. Following football, Turner transitions into wrestling as head coach.
Faith can move mountains, and faith in Matt Turner as head coach can move the football program forward. Everyone can do something. The coaches and team need the community’s support to produce winning teams.
Schools have football teams to teach valuable lessons and help young students work together to accomplish a common goal. The purpose may not be to win games, but putting forth the effort to win is. Faith without actions is dead. Everyone can do something to help support Pioneer football.
Head Coach Matt Turner speaking to the Pioneer team after the game at Green Hill. 9-29-23. -
WARREN COUNTY PIONEER LAUREN SLATTON, 2023 TSSAA STATE CHAMPION.
By Brad Durham
Anyone following Lauren Slatton’s recent golf activity, knows that she has experienced a series of accomplishments during the past couple of months. She has played in different tournaments, inside and outside of the TSSAA. In addition to playing for Warren County High School, Lauren has been very active in the Junior Pro Golf circuit. She keeps climbing to the top, and on Tuesday, she climbed to the top of the TSSAA Class AA State Championship Tournament in Sevierville. Lauren Slatton became the second state champion golfer for Warren County High School.
Lauren Slatton won the state championship by seven strokes and tied the record for the eighth-best championship total in TSSAA history. For the record, Lauren Slatton shot 137, 3 under par. She shot 68 during Monday’s first round, and 69 in the final round on Tuesday. Slatton was the only golfer out of the state’s top 45 female high school golfers to shoot under par on either day. This happened a week after she won the region by 10 strokes.
Warren County High School girls’ golf teams won the state championship in 1990 and 1992. Scott Haile won the boys individual state championship in 1981, and his banner hangs in the WCHS gym. Lauren Slatton told a friend one day in the gym a couple of years ago, “I am going to get a banner up there too.” She mentioned that Haile has provided inspiration and motivation for her golf game.
Scott Haile, a friend of Lauren Slatton’s mother and father, Jay and Elbia Slatton, conveyed by text, “I am so excited for Lauren and her family. They made the commitment many years ago to be best they can be, and today was testament of that journey. I know how bad she wanted to win this title, and had been close last year. This is one of many big wins in Lauren’s path to be her best. The sky is the limit for this golfer. She has all the attributes of a true Champion!!!”
WCHS GOLF COACH, J.W. HOLT AND JUNION LAUREN SLATTON PROGRESSION WITH POSITIVE THINKING
There is no questioning Lauren Slatton’s progression as a golfer. This was the fourth year in-a-row that she has competed in the TSSAA tournament. Four years ago, she was in the top 11 or 12. Three years ago, Lauren was in the top six. Last year, as Scott Haile alluded to, Lauren was second in the championship tournament. This year she finished in first place. It is the type of progress that gets a banner raised in a high school gym.
Her father, Jay Slatton commented on how her progression has been the result of excellent coaching and many hours of competition. As Lauren was playing during the second round, Jay said, “I told her to remember what your coaches have told you. Relax. You know how to play.”
Lauren Slatton said, “I am a very positive person. I do not let anything get me down or distract me during a tournament. If a negative thought about a shot comes into my head, I immediately think about something else outside of golf. I do not focus on what anyone I play with is doing. All of my coaches have told me to do that – do not pay attention to how your competitors are playing.”
Obviously, Lauren Slatton has had several coaches over the years, and she has applied what she has been taught. Knowledge is useless if it cannot be executed. Lauren was recently a MVP for the East in the Junior Cup tournament. She has won many awards and benefited from hours of private coaching and practicing as well. She did not have a golf shot in the TSSAA Championship tournament this week that she hadn’t experienced previously. She is a very confident golfer – for good reason.
Another part of Lauren Slatton’s golfing development has been the love of the game her grandmother, Flo Slatton has passed onto her. Flo Slatton has won the Ladies Championship at the McMinnville Country Club at least twice, and she was considered one of the best, if not the best female golfer in Warren County for decades.
FLO SLATTON AND A YOUNGER LAUREN SLATTON (FROM FLO SLATTON’S FACEBOOK PAGE) LAUREN SLATTON’S FUTURE
When asked about her future plans, Lauren said, “I am definitely going to play golf in college. Academics is number one, and I am presently taking three AP courses and two Dual Enrollment courses. I will be working hard preparing for my ACT and SAT tests. We are looking at a small college in Florida this week, and I am confident that I will make a commitment to a college by the beginning of the next school year.”
Lauren Slatton is a junior, and played four years of high school golf which included a gap year (a homeschool year). She has made sacrifices and decisions to excel at both golf and her academics. She plans on a major in engineering or math. And who knows, if she keeps climbing to the top in college competition, maybe there will be more golf in her future after college.
It has been 42 years since Warren County High School has had an individual golf champion. It was worth the wait to have another one. There is not a more deserving and better example of a dedicated athlete and student than Lauren Slatton. .
OTHER TSSAA CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Lauren Slatton played her final round with two competitors. McKenzie Hauk of Dobyns Bennett, who was tied for second with a final score of 144 (+4) and Brooke Bennett of Page who was fourth with a final score of 146 (+6). Sophie Christopher of Houston, pictured below, was 4 over and tied for second.
LEFT TO RIGHT, MCKENZIE HULK, LAUREN SLATTON, SOPHIE CHRISTOPHER AND BROOKE BENNET Dobyns Bennett was the first-place girls team. Page was second.
In the boys individual tournament, Parker Elkins of Clarksville was champion with a total score of 137 (-7).
Brentwood was the first-place boys team. Clarksville was second.
INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN SLATTON AT THE TSSAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
The BD Newsletter interviewed Lauren Slatton after she won the state championship on Tuesday.
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Lauren Slatton is officially the TSSAA Division 1 – AA State Champion! More information soon.
STATE CHAMPION LAUREN SLATTON -
Lauren Slatton is in FIRST PLACE at the end of Day One of the TSSAA State Championships.
https://golf.tssaa.org/individuals.cfm?id=20231302
I will be providing live updates tomorrow from the course during the final round of the championship.
My updates during the round will be on X. Brad Durham @BDMan. I will also make occasional posts on my personal Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/brad412
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