Jeff Griffith
Vermilion youth football coach
Age: 40
Lives: Berlin Heights

What’s your day job?

I’m in sales for Breckenridge Paper and Packaging.

You’re a football coach — which team and what age group?

I coach the Vermilion Cowboys, third- and fourth-graders, which would be 8- and 9-year-olds.

Purchase a print.

It’s full contact, tackle?

Absolutely, yes.

You’ve had a good season this year, right?

Absolutely, we finished 7-0, undefeated. We played in the championship games last Saturday against the Vermilion Browns, which is another team in our league — and defeated them 14-6.

What do you do as the head coach to get the most out of each individual?

With the kids — kids are really resilient — but out biggest thing is that we have a lot of discipline. It doesn’t turn into a baby-sitting session for moms and dads for an hour and a half. Our league is four days a week. With kids, if you get their attention and sell them on what you’re trying to achieve and you’re interesting, they’ll do what you ask them to do. Our 15 kids on our team this year did everything I asked them to do. Football is a sport that’s not about one guy. There’s 11 on the field at a time for each team. They did everything I wanted them to do, and I’m really proud of them for that.

Fifteen is kind of low.

Yes, but in the Vermilion League we take every boy that signs up, and based on how many kids we have we split the teams up evenly … Our team — the Cowboys — has been fortunate to have a lot of success over the years in winning it. It’s all due to the kids. We have great kids and great parents that allow you to coach.

Did they dump the Gatorade on you after the championship win?

You know, it was raining that day — they dumped a lot of rain on me that day. It was kind of cold … they have in the past, though.

How do you relate to a coach on TV?

I relate in the manner — obviously with third- and fourth-graders, X’s and O’s have to be a lot different so they understand it. One thing about football that doesn’t change —at any level — is if you have discipline and teamwork — it’s all about execution. That doesn’t change at any level. You still have to do those things no matter if you’re coaching third and fourth grade, a freshman team, a high school team, college team or professional — it’s still all about execution. Those are the things we work on in practice every single day. We continuously run our plays over and over and over. It becomes second nature them.

What happens to the game between the pee-wee leagues, high school, college to pro, that changes the game?

I still believe that high school kids are still kids and they have emotions and feelings. I think, obviously, as they grow they get faster, but if you still have discipline and get on them — and yet in the same breathe show them that you really care about them, too — those are the fine balances that make great coaches and the coaches that are not successful.

Do you have any tips for Browns head coach Eric Mangini?

He probably needs to turn over the roster. He needs better players. Mangini’s going to be a good coach, but the NFL is all about player development and player personnel. I think the player personnel is a little suspect.

What’s your family team like?

My wife’s named Shannon, this is my 14th year of coaching little league between third and fourth and fifth and sixth. Shannon always allowed me to coach back when we didn’t have kids. Now, this first year with my own son Jaret, 9, was last year, his second year with the league and he was the quarterback. I have a daughter in the eighth grade, Allison, 13.

When you’re not coaching on the sidelines, do you have any hobbies?

I’m into farming. I have a cattle farm.

Is there anything about football I didn’t ask you?

It’s just a great sport. I always ask my kids one question at the end of each year and I think it’s the most important question regardless of our success, even though we had a lot of success: Will they play again, sign up again next year? Fortunately, every year I’ve always had every kid say “yes.” Most important at this level is that they want to come out and play again.

Chronicle photographer Chuck Humel shines the spotlight on the people of Lorain County each week in “15 minutes.” Know someone worthy of 15 Minutes? E-mail chumel@chroniclet.com.

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