Published: August 29, 2006 12:04 pm            

Turner returns to Parker County

For the second time in his life, Springtown’s Brad Turner has moved back to Parker County to coach, but this time, it is to be the head football coach and athletic director for Springtown and the Porcupines as he enters his 18th year as a coach and his 10th as a head varsity coach.

“I was born and raised in Weatherford,” Turner said. “I played football for the Kangaroos and graduated in 1984. I played for Hugh Massey. Everything he ever gave me, I still have. He was probably the best motivator I have ever been around. He was a great man and a great coach. A lot of the things I do, I learned from him.”

After graduating from UT-Arlington, Turner began his coaching career in his hometown.

“I coached two years for David Bourquin at Weatherford,” Turner said. “My first varsity job was with Mel Maxfield, who is probably the most influential guy in my coaching life. He taught me how to treat kids and handle parents and handle all the stuff that you have to outside the X’s and O’s.

“I became a head coach when I was 30 years old at Lone Oak. That was probably one of the best football teams I ever had when we lost to Martin in the quarterfinals. Then I went to Sulpher Springs for five years.”

As the years have rolled by, Turner has seen changes in the little things, but not in the things that matter.

Overall, not a lot [has changed],” Turner said. “My passion for winning has not changed a bit. There is not a worse loser in the world than Brad Turner. I hate losing — at anything. Anybody who knows me will tell you that. How I handle kids and coaching has changed a lot, even in the last 10 years on what you can do and say. It is kind of relative.

“Two of my former players own the cafe down here.I went in to eat and they said, ‘Hey.’ Brian and Philip Vasquez, I would call them Darryl and Darryl. They looked alike and they acted alike so I just called them Darryl and Darryl, and he said, ‘Hey, it is Darryl and my brother Darryl is over there.’ That was 15 years ago. I think I have had a pretty good influence on a lot of kids. Even the goofy stuff, the stuff today that would get you fired.

“I have had a lot of good kids and a lot of my kids that I coached are coaching now,” Turner said. “That is one of the biggest honors. Really, I haven’t changed. [My philosophy} is based on sound fundamentals, playing good defense, and being tougher than anyone you play.”

Heading into this season, Turner has an overall record of 68-34, and has an offensive scheme, which has racked up huge amounts of both yards and points. For the 2006 season, Turner is not too concerned with production on the field as he is on building a program.

“I think for these kids, my number one goal is to be a team,” Turner said. “In the spring, we got T-shirts, “The Band of Brothers.” There are no guarantees about this game. You don’t ever know. We may go 0-10. We may go 10-0, but if we do it together, I will be happy.

“I am smart enough to know if you do things right and you work hard, good things happen to good people. If we do right, and our kids do what we ask them to do, and we work like we need to work, we will be fine.

“Especially for these seniors, we have 25 seniors, I just want them to have a memorable senior year,” Turner said. “I think getting to the playoffs and playing good football is important, but the journey is probably more important and when they look back, them having a good memory is probably the most important. But make no mistake, we want to win every time we step out onto the grass.”

For building toward the future, Turner believes he already has a head start on continuing a hard-nosed tradition.

“I think our younger group is enstilling our expectations,” Turner said. “Letting them know what it means to .. .one of the best high school games I ever saw was Springtown and Commerce. And I coached against that Commerce team. They beat us in the second round when I was at Forney. They ended up beating Springtown in Texas Stadium on penetrations. That was a great football game. When I think of Springtown, I think of tough, country, hard-nosed players.

“So, the burden on these seniors is to uphold the tradition and not be the group that doesn’t get it done,” Turner said. “In talking with our younger players a fear of not letting the tradition go. Once you have that, the fear of letting down, whether it be seniors or the groups ahead of you or your teammates or whatever, then you have something special. I think that is already here. There are people who are excited about what we are doing.

“The most important thing is to teach [our younger kids] to be a tough ... porcupine ... and show their quills.”

        

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