Dave Lomonico
MDHigh.com Publisher

Coach Q&As 

The Northeast football program is starting over. After years of last place finishes and rouge coaches, new athletic director Kenny Miller has charged Annapolis assistant Ken Fowler with the task of turning the program around.

Fowler, 34, takes over for Kevin Kylus, who in thee years posted a 7-23 record. Last year Kylus' team bottomed out at 1-9, their only victory coming over Chesapeake.

                    

But wins and losses weren't the reason Kylus lost his post. After the season, he was placed on administrative leave stemming from a cocaine-possession charge (police found 1.7 grams of cocaine in his house).

Kylus isn't the only former Northeast coach with legal issues. Before Kylus' tenure, Mike Cotham held the reins for seven years. But in 2007 Cotham was charged with assaulting his 17-year-old nephew, which ultimately led to his dismissal.

Needless to say, Northeast is seeking some stability. Fowler could be the answer. A strict disciplinarian with a no-nonsense attitude, Fowler should at least instill strong leadership.

Fowler, a Northeast alum and Pasadena native, brings five years of coaching experience. After graduating from Frostburg University - he played offensive guard for two seasons, but his career was cut short due to injuries stemming from a car crash -- he spent a year coaching at Allegany before moving on to Annapolis. For the next four years Fowler coached the linemen while learning from head coach Brian Brown. (He was also the wrestling coach at Northeast in 2009.)

When the Northeast job came open this spring, Fowler jumped at it. In fact, he applied for the position once before, in 2007, but the gig went to Kylus. This time, however, no one stood in his way. Now, he'll have his chance to establish a winning tradition at his alma mater.

Earlier this week, MdHigh publisher Dave Lomonico spoke with Fowler about his new position.

So, how does it feel to get your first head coaching gig at your alma mater?

Well, it feels incredible. To get the head-coaching job at the place where you went to school, where you played football, where put in the time at two-a-days and where you made your name ? it feels great. It means a lot to be able to give back to the community that gave me so much.

Now, you applied for the job three years ago when it came open. But Coach Kylus got the job. Were you a little disappointed?

I was a little disappointed, but obviously it wasn't the right time. Things happen for a reason. I went back to Annapolis, I had a really good run as an assistant and I learned a lot. It didn't work out the first time, but now I think I'm more prepared for the job.

You're going to have to be. This is obviously a program that has not had much success and finished 1-9 last year. How do you go about turning that around?

Personally, I'm going to come in and bring discipline and a little fire. Things are going to get shaken up; we're going to demand hard work. The players are going to have to realize things are going to have to change. And if they're not ready for that, then this isn't the right place for them.

I told the players the expectations need to be set higher. There was complacency there; the school fell into a rut and it never worked to get out of it. But just because the kids are coming from a losing program, doesn't mean it always has to be that way. They're the ones that can change it.

What makes you think you're going to be able to get the kids to change?

I have a knowledge of the kids - I was the wrestling coach here last year -- I know what they're like and I know they want to win. They just need somebody like me who knows where they're coming from, who's eager to win and who is going to bring the right attitude.

I hate to toot my own horn, but I think I'm the breath of fresh air the school needs.

When you were at Annapolis, you had a chance to see the Northeast program. What did you see from an outsider's perspective that you would have changed?

I'll tell you a story. I had a family member who was on the team last year and he came up to me one day and said, "We beat Chesapeake, our rivals. We only had one win, but that made our season."

When I heard that, it didn't sit well. When you make your season about beating one team - not that they weren't trying to win the other ones - that just doesn't sound right. You can't have that.

Also, I think -- as an outsider looking in -- there could have been discipline issues. Everybody was just fine with being mediocre. No one was there to kick the kids in their butts and demand better. I mean, if you live your life like that, you won't get anywhere in your life either.

How do you personally instill discipline coach?

I'm a no-nonsense guy. When I came in, I told the guys, 'Look, I know it's a cliche? but it's either my way or the high way. But if this program is going to turn around, you've got to put in the work. Every other good team in this county - Arundel, Broadneck, Old Mill - they've got 60 kids in the weight room every night. If you want to get better as a team, you all need to get on the phone, call your teammates and tell them to get with the program or get gone.'

Then I told them, 'Losing is a sickness. If you're infected with it, then get out. We're going to cut the cancer early before it spreads.'

I think the kids have taken it well. We've had a great turnout in the weight room and for our summer workouts.

Are there any other challenges coach? I know one of the reasons a lot of schools struggle is grade and eligibility issues?

The one thing we're going to have to deal with right away is our school is in the process of remodeling. So not only do I have to change a losing program, but I also have to deal with all this construction. Our practice facilities are limited; I don't even know if we'll be able to practice here. We might have to get out and go somewhere else.

As far grades go, I think we'll be OK with that. The report came out and everything looked good. I would like to install a study hall, though.

Do you see it as a detriment that you were hired so late in the game? Most other schools have been working out for months.

I'll tell you what, the previous coaching staff - the assistants that were here - had these kids in the weight room, they put together a team football camp and they've really been working hard. The assistants are a great group of guys and they've made my transition very easy.

But do you think it will take a couple years for the guys to get adjusted to you and your philosophy?

I'm not going to lie to you - there definitely could be some initial struggles. It might take a while to adjust to the offense and defense.

But as far as work ethic and adjusting to me, the kids seem to be responding well to that. You can see it in the weight room numbers.

What did you learn as an assistant coach at Annapolis?

First, I learned how to coach so many different types of kids. The greatest thing about Annapolis is it's so socioeconomically diverse. You have the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor. There are kids of all races. Dealing with that diversity was a big benefit to me because I learned how to relate to different types of people.

Also, working under Coach Brian Brown helped me a lot. The work ethic of him and his staff is something I'm taking with me to Northeast. From breaking down film, to meeting with the staff, to working together everyday in school was something that really stood out to me.

And Coach Parker, the defensive coordinator there, was incredible, too. He's a disciplinarian, and he instills that in his kids. That's one of the reasons Annapolis' defense is always so tough. I'd like to take some of that philosophy to Northeast.

You've talked about things you'll change from a discipline standpoint. But what do you plan to change from a football standpoint?

We're definitely going to change up the offense. Now, I can tell you, the coaches here before always had good game plans. It's not like they were terrible coaches; you could tell they watched game film. But if there's one thing I'll be critical of, it's that [horrible] spread offense they were running.

This isn't a spread offense school. I always looked at Northeast as being a power school. You line up and you run the football.

What about the defense? Are you OK with that?

I don't see us running a 3-5 anymore like last year. But before I can tell you what we'll be doing I actually want to look at more of the kids first. I have to see what kind of linemen we have so I know how many guys we can play up front. We're still getting that together.

What can you realistically expect out of the team this year coach?

I expect hard work and to hang tough in games. I was surprised when I got here - there are some decent athletes here. Now they have to start believing in themselves again. I'm going to hopefully get them on track with that.

I really think we can surprise some people and win more games than last year.

What's your ultimate vision for the program?

Ultimately, we want to have a winning tradition.

First, though, we want to establish ourselves in our county. ? Then I'd like to get at least seven wins a season in Anne Arundel and be a playoff team year after year.

Will you be successful?

Yes. I can't fail for these kids and their families. Something needs to change here and I'm going to do whatever it takes - watching more film, going to clinics, being here 24/7 - to make sure it's a success. Whatever needs to get done is going to get done.