Written by Michael Jorgenson
The rewriting of a 58-year old record book isn't something that happens on accident.
When the SBCC football team went on its magical run of 10 straight wins to end the 2022 season, it was able to do so because it had a roster of more than 90 student-athletes and a nine-man coaching staff filled top-to-bottom with dedicated hard-workers ready for the task at hand.
Former Mississippi Valley State cornerback and current SBCC defensive backs coach Zach Brooks is one of the figures who has played a key role in SBCC's 17 wins over the past two seasons – a two-year win total that comes second only to Bob Dinaberg's back-to-back nine-win teams from 1971-72.
With Brooks coaching the secondary, the Vaquero defense has been stacked with playmaking tendencies, boasting 16 interceptions in each of the last two seasons which are tied for the program's highest single-season totals over the past two decades.
Like Dinaberg, Brooks and the rest of the current staff are examples of how great coaching can breed success. If there's one thing a great football coach can teach you though, it's that success is not always about what happens on the field. In a recent conversation with Brooks, he shared some of his insights and motivations as a coach coming off of SBCC's record-breaking 2022 campaign.
When it comes to coaching young student-athletes, what kind of mentality do you approach it with?
"You try to steer them in the right direction. We let them know it's bigger than football. You're only young and in college once, so we just try to lead and guide them to try and not make the mistakes that we made in order to become better not only as an athlete, but as a a student on-and-off the field."
Where does your inspiration come from?
"Most importantly, my father. He grew up in a family of seven and he was the youngest, and he's always been there for me. He's the reason I love sports today. He started me at a very young age. It was more than sports because it was a father-son connection that we created with that bond through sports. Once one sport ended, it was on to the next. We would be out there every day, all day. We brought in other kids and they started connecting with their parents because they had to bring them to practice. Sometimes they'd stay and watch, they'd come to the games, so it just created a big family and a strong bond."
Would you say that sports is one of the most powerful forces in terms of bringing people together?
"Yeah, because sports are competitive, but they teach you to depend and lean on your brother. Through blood sweat and tears, day in, day out, early mornings, late nights, studying together, living together, going to class together, it's like you're together all year round so it just creates that bond and that brotherhood. You're like one big family."
What motivates you every day to be the best football coach you can be?
"What really motivates me is I look back and understand what my dad put into it and the time he spent with me. I wouldn't trade it for anything. So I like giving back to the kids and being a teaching tool, and it definitely comes from my dad who motivates me."
Photos by Zoe Neumer
