By Jordan Adams
NFL Player Engagement
Coach Larson graduated from Spring Valley High School in 1982 and University Wisconsin River Falls 1987. In the fall of 1987 he began his teaching and coaching career at Somerset High School. He has been in Somerset for the past twenty eight years. Over the years he served one year as the head girls basketball coach, twelve years as the head wrestling coach, five years as the head baseball coach, two years as the head track coach, five years as the head junior high track coach, twelve years as an assistant football coach and sixteen years as the head football coach. In the past sixteen years as the head football coach, Somerset has won nine Middle Border Conference championships, qualified for the playoffs fifteen times, appeared in the state semifinals eight times, appeared in the state finals six times and were State Champions in 2002, 2012, and 2014. Coach Larson has been named the Middle Border Coach of the Year six times, won the A.P. State Coach of the year once, and was named this year’s WFCA Coach of the Year.
When you’re developing talent, what are some of the intangibles that you look for and why?
The biggest thing we look for is kids with a great attitude. The kind of kids who will show up to practice and attend all their classes. Those are the things that drive the program more than anything, it’s the kids who show up and expect something good to happen that make a real difference. It’s tough to work with someone who may or may not be there or have a bad attitude, we’ve had a lot of kids who have had successful college careers and part of their success is linked to always staying positive. There is a lot to be said about being where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there. You can have people with all types of potential but if you can’t count on them it’s not worth it. I want to work with people who are going to be there and expect me to be there as well.
What are the characteristics of a successful high school football student-athlete on and off-the-field?
You have to have kids you can trust and they have to trust and believe in you. Really you are developing a relationship between the coach, the player, and the parents. I’ve learned that great players see a coaching relationship as a win-win, while players that struggle seem to see it as coaches trying to get the maximum out of players while they’re doing the minimum. Successful kids know that we are trying to do something great together or we’ll go down in flames together. The really great kids are the ones who go to class with a great attitude and on time, they don’t cut corners or complain when the job is difficult. There are seven core values that we really try and instill in our players: integrity, honor, loyalty, courage, selfless, service duty, and respect. Those core values have been around forever and the reason for that is because they work. When I talk to kids I compare it to music. There can be a great band or song and two year later no one remembers them. Great things stand the test of time. When you have stuff that stands the test of time it’s because it works. We have had a tremendous amount of success and it’s had an incredibly positive impact on the community and the kids.
How do you and your staff begin developing leadership skills in your student-athletes?
Right through those core values. You can’t be a leader if people don’t respect you and the only way to gain the respect of those around you is to respect them. You can’t be a leader if you are not a person of honor, if you don’t have integrity. Who is going to follow someone who doesn’t do their job? If you understand our seven core values then people will follow you because they know you are going to do things the right way. In order to be a leader people have to look at you and gain confidence, you have to let everyone know that we are on the same side. We have had great kids who have been phenomenal leaders and they continue to be so in their jobs and careers because they understand those core values.
What advice would you give to a parent/guardian who is assisting his/her child with the college search process?
I would be really careful about how they pick the school. Students have to go there for four or five years. You have to really like the people you are around. It’s not about which city the school is in, or how pretty the campus is, but how are the people? On a day-to-day basis you have to enjoy the people you are around because you are going to spend a lot of time with them over the years. The best way to get people to notice you is to just work hard and to play hard. There are people out there whose jobs are to find players. People spend too much time trying to market themselves instead of focusing on just working hard. If you can play then they will find you. There have been guys who have played eight-man football in small towns but people still find them. You have to work hard and play as hard as you can and be honest, be the person you are.
What is something every incoming freshman should know as they transition into high school athletics?
It’s a big step. It’s a huge step. I think if it is done right you are entering into a relationship for the next four years, you are entering into a relationship with me, the coaching staff, and the team. We are a family and you have to understand that families have bad days, they have problems, but they stick together and fight together. You should never be afraid to lean on those around you. They are there to support you and see you succeed so you are not on your own. The older kids are there to help. When practice ends everyone picks things up. We have everyone chip in, I don’t care if you are the best player or the worst player, we are all going to do the same things.
How do you create a healthy culture within your locker room?
One of the best things we try to teach our kids is do you want results or do you want sympathy? If they feel like things aren’t going their way they want to complain. If you have problem with a coach it’s easy to sit next to a guy in the locker room and say man I can’t deal with so and so. You know if you have a problem with someone you have to go see them because only they can help solve it. If you have an issue and want results you have to address it. If you have a problem with me come see me. If I can’t explain why we are doing what we are doing then we as a team have a problem. We want to crate complete honesty in the locker room. Kids need to be honest with coaches and coaches with kids. If I trust you and believe that you are honest with me I’ll give you everything I have. That’s what makes great teams.
How have you seen the student-athlete experience evolve over the years?
Well we are in the me generation and it seems like social media is about self-promotion. Its tough because we are trying to build a team and when you are focused on yourself that is the opposite of a team. It’s not about me it’s we, about what our team is trying to accomplish, and it’s hard to get kids to see that. On our team we don’t keep any individual stats. We don’t care as long we play hard. For us it isn’t about who made the tackle. We are more concerned with were we able to stop the ball when we needed to. What you want people to do is care about the people around you and it’s not easy to do anymore. That has changed more than anything.