Players and staff at the Tyrrell County Recreation Department know him as Coach.
For Milton Council, coaching brought him back to his passion for sports.
He starred in football and basketball as a Camden High School standout and went on to play for Elon College.
It was there he lettered in football during his freshman year and became All-Conference in basketball during his sophomore year.
Looking back, the athlete always had second thoughts about not following through with a career in sports.
However, Council’s wife offered somewhat of a reprieve and one might say he’s back in the game.
It was two years ago that Council’s wife, Casey — a Tyrrell County school teacher — asked if he would be interested in volunteering to coach a soccer team for the county’s recreation department. The rec league was short on volunteers and really needed Council’s help and athletics experience.
“Casey asked me if I wanted to coach soccer since there weren’t enough coaches in Tyrrell County and no parents wanted to volunteer. I volunteered and that became one of the quickest, best decisions I had ever made on the fly,” Council said, laughing.
Currently, it’s on the Tyrell County Recreation field where the coach works to build players with character. Council has been coaching for two years, focusing on t-ball, 8u baseball, soccer and basketball.
Coaching a variety of sports is at times difficult but also offers Council the opportunity to interact with a variety of talented athletes. He looks for one thing in everyone he coaches.
“I look for effort over skill. What I mean by that is I want every young man putting 120 percent effort into what they do in every aspect of the game,” Council said. “Respect and discipline go a long way as well. I feel you get the respect first and foremost, then it will be easier to maintain the discipline as you coach and teach.”
Council said as an assistant coach under Coach Brandon Sykes, he takes to heart a valuable lesson that he’s learned.
“Being a coach should earn respect, not demand it,” Council noted.
Council believes a coach is an educator and a student.
“I try to instill the fact that fun, effort and good sportsmanship are important, no matter what,” said Council, who has also learned from his players.
“I’ve learned from coaching over the years that these young players are not only your player-athletes, but they also become a part of something bigger. They acknowledge you in a public area as ‘coach’ but they also become part of you like an extended family. They all will always be my children as well because I have to be the example at every practice and game,” he said.
At times, Council, who also coaches his son, Colton, faces tougher than expected decisions. This season presented one of those moments when a coach and player conversation turned into a father and son talk.
“I definitely have to make tough decisions, especially this year in 8u baseball. Colton is six years old, and he moved up to play with the older kids with more experience than he has,” Council said. “He had a great season and played catcher for the first time.”
Sykes, whom Council described as a “young and talented head coach with lots of experience,” headed up the ball club.
“We all felt it was best to hold Colton back, including myself. A very tough decision, indeed, but I’ve learned as a coach already that there are going to be tough decisions you don’t want to make, and this was definitely one of them.”
Council said he is guided by his faith and that he believes faith plays an important role on the playing field.
“I think faith plays a huge role in everyday life, not just sports,” Council said.
Council’s coaching philosophy may be considered old school when it comes to awards and trophies.
“I believe every child should earn awards, not have everything handed to them. When they experience real-life situations, they are going to expect things to be handed to them for minimal or no effort,” he said.
Council’s 8u team had the best record in the league. Although the team doesn’t get rewarded after every game, there are occasions when a pizza party is warranted.
“We had a kids versus parents game. We lost 17 to 7. Everyone enjoyed pizza after that game,” Council said.
While a star athlete in his youth, his coaching skills needed a refresher course. Sykes offered tips along the way to help coach the coach.
“It has been great shadowing Brandon and watching how he coaches and his tireless work ethic and mainly how the players respect him,” Council said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better next level coach to show me the right way to coach.”
A highlight at Council’s games is the support he receives from the parents that attend the games and who all care and partake in what the Tyrrell Recreation Department is building.
Council said he believes in the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat but also believes winning and losing both need to be experienced.
“I believe both sides of the coin should be addressed,” Council stressed. “My theory is short and simple: ‘Take a win like a winner and a loss like a winner.’ One of my favorite Brandon lines is ‘Practice is my time and game time is your time.’ The practice the coach gives you prepares you for making the right decisions and having fun. We want to teach and have the absolute best time doing it.”
Council’s future coaching plans are locked on baseball, basketball and, hopefully, he says, football somewhere along the way.
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