This week on Inside the Headset – Presented by CoachComm, we sit down with Joe Gillespie, the Head Coach at Midway High School in Waco, Texas. In this conversation, Coach Gillespie shares why he chose to pursue coaching, some of the behind-the-scenes conversations that take place when making career decisions, and his passion for high school football in the state of Texas. Coach Gillespie was hired at Midway in January after stints as the Defensive Coordinator at Tulsa and TCU.

Follow Coach Gillespie and Midway HS Football on social media here:

@joe_gillespi3 & @MidwayFB

1:04 Fulfilling the dream of being a football coach, getting on staff at Stephenville HS, challenges that come with leading a successful high school program.

26:49 The impact that player health has on success, getting the opportunity to move to coaching in college, determining if a job is the right fit.

46:00 Learning curves that came with being a first-time coordinator, behind the scenes conversations that happen in job transitions.

1:01:28 Coaching at a place with no previous connections to the staff, similarities in successful teams at the high school level and the college level, returning to high school football.

This week on Inside the Headset – Presented by CoachComm, we sit down with Mike Bloomgren, the Head Coach at Rice University. In this conversation, Coach Bloomgren takes us through his career that has taken him to schools across the country, explains the value of coaching at different levels of football, and talks through how he took the lessons others taught him and applied it to his coaching. Coach Bloomgren, who led the Owls to a bowl game last season, was recently selected as a member of the AFCA Board of Trustees.

Follow Coach Bloomgren and Rice Football on social media here:

@mbloom11 & @RiceFootball

Show Notes:

1:05 Starting out as a football coach, playing football vs. coaching football, including your significant other in career decisions.

17:23 Sharpening your tools as a young coach and experience coaching in the NFL.

28:15 Opportunity to coach at Stanford, interviewing and hiring coaches, making the jump to being a head coach.

43:42 Turning down head coaching jobs in order to find the right fit, creating a culture, being named to the AFCA Board of Trustees.