Brentwood Academy

[WarriorFan]

When did he come there?

 

What was his track record before he got there?

 

He started the program in 1970....1 year after the school was founded......the year before that, he was an assistant coach at BGA. I believe Jimmy Gentry was the coach. They were horrible, according to Jimmy's book, An American Life, and Coach Flatt went to BA.....couldn't stand losing, so he started his own team.....then brought Coach Gentry in as offensive line coach.

[WesVLT]

I continue to be astounded at:

 

A) The depth of some people's ignorance;

 

and, /cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="B)" border="0" alt="cool.gif" /> The levels of jealousy and misperception that exist regarding Brentwood Academy -- both its football team and the school as a whole.

[WarriorFan]

I continue to be astounded at:

 

A) The depth of some people's ignorance;

 

and, /cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="B)" border="0" alt="cool.gif" /> The levels of jealousy and misperception that exist regarding Brentwood Academy -- both its football team and the school as a whole.

 

 

/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> I agree.....been hearing the same ole' stuff since the 70's.......except now it is on computer......

[pepvol]

I continue to be astounded at:

 

A) The depth of some people's ignorance;

 

and, /cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="B)" border="0" alt="cool.gif" /> The levels of jealousy and misperception that exist regarding Brentwood Academy -- both its football team and the school as a whole.

 

 

HAHAHA !! Well , I have always had tremendous respect for BA .... Some of your own are trying very hard to change that though . Or are you blind to ignorance when it originates from one of your own ?

[Solomon]

He started the program in 1970....1 year after the school was founded......the year before that, he was an assistant coach at BGA. I believe Jimmy Gentry was the coach. They were horrible, according to Jimmy's book, An American Life, and Coach Flatt went to BA.....couldn't stand losing, so he started his own team.....then brought Coach Gentry in as offensive line coach.

 

 

So an assistant coach with no track record with a horrible team comes in and within 4 years has a state title? At a school that at the time wasn't in the same proximity to the number of people that it is today?

 

How many male students did the school have at this time?

[WarriorFan]

So an assistant coach with no track record with a horrible team comes in and within 4 years has a state title? At a school that at the time wasn't in the same proximity to the number of people that it is today?

 

How many male students did the school have at this time?

 

maybe 50.....I have a photo of the first team BA had.......very gangly kids.....very humble beginning.....the high school team may have even had 8th graders.....they were just trying to field a team......practiced in a cow pasture......their uniforms didn't even match, and you can see some suspension helmets mixed in the row in front of the team....interestingly enough......some of those suspension helmets were still used in 1979 on the jr high team.....the school really had no money.......even in the early 1980's our jerseys were not well made. Numbers were crooked.....holes in the jerseys.....again...the school had a VERY humble beginning. Folks just don't understand.....

 

Coach Flatt was a standout ball player at Cumberland High......he was also Little All American at Austin Peay as a QB.....he is very intelligent....if the coaching gig didn't work (he was also a grad assistant at TN Tech) he was going to the NASA space program.....true story.....

[KWoodroof]

maybe 50.....I have a photo of the first team BA had.......very gangly kids.....very humble beginning.....the high school team may have even had 8th graders.....they were just trying to field a team......practiced in a cow pasture......

 

Coach Flatt was a standout ball player at Cumberland High......he was also Little All American at Austin Peay as a QB.....he is very intelligent....if the coaching gig didn't work (he was also a grad assistant at TN Tech) he was going to the NASA space program.....true story.....

 

You beat me to the Cumberland reference...my dad's alama mater, and where I first saw football. The last interview with him in the Tennessean was pretty interesting. He indicated that he regretted some intemperate acts and words earlier in his career, and chalked it up to growing up in Bordeaux, which is not really the nicest area. His high school coach was Ernest Smallen, who was an extremely good coach, and was probably instrumental in him getting a head coaching job at a pretty young age, with virtually no resume.

 

My dad was a kid's football coach and went to a clinic that Smallen and Flatt held in about '71. Dad talked about it later and indicated that Flatt was very knowlegeable, and would probably build a pretty decent program. Indeed.

 

Once the program established itself, it became self-perpetuating. I've never bought the recruiting allegations because in 30 years of intense searching, nobody has ever taken proof to the TSSAA. I think Flatt's pretty sharp, but even he couldn't recruit illegally for 30 years without once hitting the home of a kid whose family had a strong sense of fair play, who would turn them in. Of course, if you already believe he recruited the whole time, nothing I've written will convince you...but you still don't have any evidence.

 

And I hope his successor has a really bad night tomorrow on the Hill.

[big red big blue]

BA at the time of its inception had no money, no reputation for anything, no facilities, and a young, no-name coach who hadn't accomplished anything...so if they were somehow enticing kids illegally, how were they doing it? By what means? They didn't have any sort of endowment to give financial aid...they probably barely had money to cover their costs.

 

there's another school in D2 that also managed to ascend rapidly to the highest levels of competition. Their story is like BA's, only the exact opposite.

[big red big blue]

And I hope his successor has a really bad night tomorrow on the Hill.

 

 

/roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> you got it! Roll Red!

[Rookie45]

Did he have many talks on remaining humble and representing your school with CLASS ? Just curious .

 

 

 

I just finished reading "Blind Side" the story of Michael Oher from inner city Memphis that was brought into the fold at Briarcrest Christian now Ole Miss and coming soon to the NFL. Was there an advantage gained by Briarcrest...looking the other way regarding grades, etc. certainly the answer would be yes. But in the end I have to think that pulling these kids out of a tough situation and giving them a decent educaon and a chance to succeed is better than leaving them in the projects with little or on hope. Point being...what Briarcrest started doing in 2004 was pioneered by Flatt in the 70's.

[Solomon]

People are well versed here. Why did they have to forfeit basically the entire 72 season?

[WarriorFan]

Ya know what's funny.......In all the years I have posted on CoachT, I have never heard a BA player/alumni trash Coach Flatt. Going thru BA was one of, if not THE hardest thing I ever did in my life, and Coach Flatt was at the helm. This man and his coaches helped more kids that needed toughening up, a break, you name it, than any coach I know. If you really know Coach Flatt, you don't have to like him, but you will respect him. He is a man who has molded many of our business leaders, NFL players and college players from BA, and to be honest just some good all around guys. Many of you may not have known this but last year, BA had more alumni in the SEC than ANY school in the country. It's a fact.....look it up.....it was in the Atlanta newspaper and I have a copy. There have been many success stories out of that school beyond college, and I attribute it plenty to guys toughness of playing for him. He taught us not to be losers, and to go 110% at everything, even if we didn't have the talent. I appreciate Coach Flatt and his coaches.