New Westview High School head football coach Dan Weaver’s football career at the University of Oregon started as a walk-on, he became a four-year starter and was twice a Rimington Trophy nominee.
But it’s not what he did in Eugene, but rather how he got there that he believes will matter most to the kids he’ll be mentoring at the Beaverton school, on and off the field.
“I wasn’t really recruited out of high school, so I just had to put my head down and work in the shadows with my goals in mind,” Weaver said. “So, I think I have an understanding of what it takes to get to a level of success, and I can communicate to kids how to get there. Football ends for everybody at some point, so you have to take those lessons and apply them to the rest of your life.”
Weaver comes to Westview on the heels of former head coach Jamal Jones resigning following a troubling incident at a camp in McMinnville this past June, where the now former coach was accused of shaking and slapping football players to wake them up.
Weaver said that while it’s something he’s addressed with players and their parents, it doesn’t change in any way how he would’ve or will go about his job.
“There’s a lot of questions and unknowns that go along with that, and rightfully so, and you can’t run from that, you’ve got to address it,” Weaver said. “But it doesn’t change how I approach things, which is with the understanding that you have to take discipline and the lessons you learn on a football field, then apply it out in the community.”
The new coach — who lives near the school and is very familiar with the program — said he too has some familiarity with a number of the kids in the program, having worked in the Westview youth program in recent years. Now, it’s about getting to know the rest of a roster that he said is far from talent-deprived.
“We’ve got a great group of kids, and some really talented kids too,” Weaver said. “Heath Thompson is a stud, Peyton Read’s a stud, and there’s a bunch of other guys on there too. I’m really pumped that they decided to stick around and be a part of the program.”
Weaver — who played baseball and basketball in addition to football at Redmond High School — is a staunch proponent of kids playing multiple sports, and believes wholeheartedly in what that, along with the game of football, teaches kids about life and how to best go about it.
He believes in the discipline, accountability and toughness learned on the gridiron, in addition to understanding what to leave on the field when you’re no longer on it.
“Football is a violent game, but they need to have an understanding that the violence only happens on the football field,” the coach said. “But the discipline and the lessons they learn on the football field can be applied out in the community, and help them in life, school, at home, as a future dad, a future husband and future employee or business owner.”
And is that why he took the job? Part of it, but really it came down to an appreciation for the game and the kids he wants to teach to play it.
“I just think the kids deserved better, is what it boils down to,” Weaver said. “I’m not going to throw stones at past coaches, but this has been a long time coming. The kids need to be put first, and the coach is kind of there to support them and be someone that’s there to help build them, the program and a good experience. It’s been a long time coming, and hopefully I can be that guy.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0