$type=ticker$count=12$cols=4$cate=0

Interview: Siegfried Gehrke - 26 Years Of Patience & Persistence

SHARE:

Coach Gehrke is a true definition of a Coach. He spent 26 years with one organization - Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns of Germany, turning the organization into a power house.

Photo: Manfred Löffler

Coach Gehrke is a true definition of a Coach. He spent 26 years with one organization - Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns of Germany, turning the organization into a power house. Coach Gehrke announced his retirement recently, however, we wanted to talk to him about his career, as well as, some of the advice he'd give to young coaches.

Becoming a Coach

I started playing when I was 18 years old. One year later, my club established a youth team and I became their coach, mainly because I played quarterback and therefore knew most about the theoretical part of football. For seven years I played on our senior team and coached the juniors, then I took over the head coaching position of the seniors in 1991.

Until then we had drawn our coaches from the US military base in Schwaebisch Hall, with a high turnover because of redeployment and things of that nature. So in 1991 we decided to go for more stability in coaching by appointing me as the head coach.

Comparing European football in the 90s with today, I would say the technical aspect of the game has improved a lot due to the much better education of coaches that we have nowadays. My first four season at the helm were pretty rough. At that time, the military installation in our town closed down, which deprived us of American players. Within a few seasons, we went down from the second to the fourth league in Germany. But then we started to rethink our approach and got more professional in a number of ways, and that put us back on the success track.

Photo: SportsFotos-MD.de

Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns

When I took over as head coach I was still attending university, and when I graduated I briefly considered becoming a full-time football coach. But I decided against it because of job security concerns, and instead became a high school teacher.

However, I knew I wanted to continue coaching and I also knew the place to build something would be my home town. So starting in 1995 we got things turned around and ascended from fourth to first league (GFL) by 2001.

The first few years in the GFL were moderately successful for us - even though we reached the playoffs every year but once - but things really took off in 2011. We managed to play a perfect season and win a wild German Bowl against the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes, so of course this last-second victory ranks as one of my most memorable moments with the Unicorns.

Through all those years we also had a very successful junior program, and when they won the Junior Bowl in 2016 in our home stadium this was another elating experience, especially because my son was part of the championship team.

Keeping the enthusiasm alive

The good thing about being with the same organization for a long time is that you really get to "run the show", you are able to control a lot of things. After a while people will follow your lead rather easily and you don't have to worry so much whether your ideas will be approved by players and board members. Of course you still have to take their input into account, but it's just not as difficult as it can be for someone new to the program.

Growing as a Coach

The main thing I learned over time is that I am not as clever as I thought I was. Young coaches tend to feel that they have found a secret key to success, and I guess I was no different. But over the course of time you learn that there are many ways to skin the cat and that it is not so much what you do, but how you do it.

The one thing I stayed true to through all my years of coaching was that I tried to put the players first, I always felt it was my main job to serve them and make football a positive experience for them.

Photo: Norbert Böhm

Scouting

I never really scouted German players because we mostly went with the guys that came up through our junior program. If anything, I would try to get players to join us that I had met on the field somewhere and of whose personality I therefore had a pretty good idea. Character was always more important to me than performance, even with imports.

We often went with division 3 Americans, because they were generally just a good fit for us as a small-town, relatively low-budget, but family-oriented club. When looking for imports, statistics did play a role, but we would never take a player without having heard or read things about him that supported his quality of character.

Keeping the team - a Team

If you don't want stars to be an issue on 2your team, you have to make everybody feel that they are "just" a small part of a team, but at the same time everybody is integral to team success, even guys who don't play much. Coaches should avoid giving special treatment to their best players. It's okay to let them know they are the best ones, but that doesn't mean others are less important.

Looking back

Patience and persistence got the Unicorns to where they are today. You cannot achieve sustained success very quickly, and you must keep grinding. This may not seem like a lot of fun, but it actually is!

COMMENTS

{"widgetType": "below grid","widgetLabel": "Pass-Sporting","widgetColor": "#da1010","widgetCount": 5}
{"widgetType": "carousel posts","widgetLabel": "SafeBet","widgetCount": 3}
Name

30+,3,6 Point Athletics,1,Aaron Hernandez,1,Aberdeen Roughnecks,1,AFBO,1,AFDL,4,AFVD,1,AFWB,1,Aix en Provence Argonautes,2,Aki Jones,2,Allan Price,1,Allgau Comets,6,Alphen Eagles,1,American Grit,1,Amsterdam Admirals,1,Andrija Geric Blog,1,Angel Duchesses,3,Angels Torun,5,Antonio Roane,1,Aquile Ferrara,2,Arlanda Jets Women,1,Arnhem Falcons,7,AUC Titans,1,Austria,3,Avala,2,BAFA,2,BAFL,1,Behind the scenes,2,Belfast Trojans,6,Belgrade Blue Dragons,4,Belgrade Vukovi,9,Ben's Diary,1,Berlin Adler,13,Bialystok Lowlanders,2,Big6,2,Birmingham Lions,1,Blog,94,Blue Mountain State,1,BOA,3,Body and Mind,24,Body Sculpting Club,1,BookerASE,1,Bosnia,1,BoxVideos,15,Brazil,2,Brian Casey,5,Budapest Cowbells,2,Bulgaria,1,CAAF,1,Calanda Broncos,3,Camp Trieste,1,Carlstad Crusaders,1,Catania Elephants,2,CEFL,63,CEFL Bowl,2,CEFL Cup,7,CFL,1,Champions League,3,Christopher Griggs,1,Cineplexx Blue Devils,1,Clayton Banner,1,Club'ing EU Style,2,Coaches Corner,6,College Bowl,1,College Football,2,Columbus Givens,1,Comets Life,2,Coventry Jets,1,czechfootball,1,Czechia,1,D'Elancourt Templiers,2,Damnyans Corner,6,Daniel Kelly,8,Daniel Levy,3,Daniels Diary,2,Danube Dragons,1,Demetrius Sumler,1,Denmark,1,Deric's Diary,1,Diary,23,DJ Hernandez,2,Domestic Signings 2014,3,Domzale Tigers,3,Draft,3,Drills and Workouts,6,Dublin Rebels,2,Dundee Hurricanes,2,EAC,2,EAFL,1,East City Giants,2,Edinburgh Wolves,1,EFA,1,EFAF,2,EFLI,2,Egypt,1,Eidsvoll 1814s,1,Einhejrar,1,ELAF,2,ELF,1,Elite,33,Elite Top 10 Domestic 2013,5,Embo's Diary,3,Embo's iPod,1,Endzone TV,1,Enschede Broncos,4,Eurobowl,6,Europe's Elite,2,Evan Harrington,1,Ewa Susmarska,2,Exploring The Off Season,17,Featured,9,FFEC,1,FIDAF,11,Final Four,2,Finland,5,Football vs Football,1,France,2,Gabriel Chambers,2,Gdynia Seahawks,6,German Bowl,1,Germany,8,GFL,11,GFL2,2,Giessen Golden Dragons,1,Golden Bears,1,Graz Giants,1,Greg's Diary,4,Gridiron TV,6,Halifax Harbour Hawks,1,Hall of Fame,74,Hamburg Blue Devils,1,Hassleholm Hurricanes,1,Helsinki 69ers,2,Helsinki Wolverines,2,Helsinski Roosters,2,IAFL,1,IceBucketChallenge,2,Iceland,1,ifaf,10,IFAF Europe,6,In The Trenches,8,India,2,Indjija Indians,2,Instructional,7,International Prospects,3,Interviews,56,Ireland,18,Israel,1,Istanbul Koc Rams,5,Italy,6,itc,1,Ivan Nedeljkovic,1,Jabari Harris,1,Jagodina Black Hornets,3,JCL Graz Giants,4,Jeel Bowl,1,Jeff Scuran,1,Jimmie Russel,1,Johan Stal,1,John Trana,3,Jonesing,1,Joshua Henry,1,Juaquin Iglesias,1,Junior Tigers,1,Kangourous de Pessac,1,Kickers Diary,3,Kiel Baltic Hurricanes,1,Kikinda Mammoths,2,Kragujevac Wild Boars,17,Kraljevo Royal Crowns,5,Kristina Fruza,1,Kuwait,1,Kyle Callahan,1,Ladislav Jensik,1,Lazio Marines,2,Les Gones De Lyon,1,Leszno Hunters,1,LFA,1,Limerick Vikings,2,Ljubisa Preletacevic Beli,1,Ljubljana Silverhawks,7,London Blitz,1,Lubeck Cougars,2,Luka Vujnovic,1,Malaga Corsairs,1,Manchester Titans,1,Matic Pirnat,1,Mic Brown,2,Micd up,3,Micheal's Diary,1,Milos Nestorovic,1,Mind and Health,11,Modling Rangers,1,Moscow Bruins,1,Moscow Dragons,2,Moscow Patriots,2,Moscow Spartans,1,Munich Cowboys,1,National Teams,2,Netherlands,4,New Yorker Lions,1,News,475,NFL,2,NFL 2013,86,NFL 2014,9,NFL Color Rush,1,NFL Combine,3,NFL Draft 2013,41,NFL Europe,4,North Kildare Reapers,5,Norway,3,Novi Sad,1,Novi Sad Dukes,13,Orebro Black Knights,1,Orlando Webb,1,Osijek Cannons,1,Oslo Vikings,3,Osnabruck Tigers,6,Osos Rivas,1,Oxford Saints,1,Pancevo Panthers,5,Pass-Sporting,7,Philippines,1,PLFA,42,Plovdiv Wolves,1,Podrzi,1,Poland,33,Poznan Patriots,1,prague black panthers,1,Prague Lions,1,Pre-Draft Analysis,34,Prejudged,1,Pro Hunt,1,RaiZe,3,Ravensburg Razorbacks,1,Rhein Fire,1,Rise & Grind,1,Romania,1,Russia,3,SAAF,12,SafeBet,4,SAFV,1,SAJL,1,Samo Jako,1,Scam Alert,1,Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns,1,Scotland,2,Scottish Claymores,1,Seahawks Sopot,1,Seamen Milano,1,Sebastian Serrano,1,Serbia,27,Shamrock Bowl,8,Siegfried Gehrke,1,Silverbacks,1,Slovenia,2,Spencer Wood,1,Split Sea Wolves,1,SportsTakeoff,2,Srdjan Stanojev,1,Stirling Clansmen,3,StPetersburg Griffins,1,Swarco Raiders,8,Sweden,3,Switzerland,2,Talib Wise,1,TDEU Approved Signings 2014,7,TDEU Blog,11,TDEU Heroes,13,TDEU101,3,Team Cover Story,19,Team News,5,The Extra Point Podcast,4,The Life Of An Import,1,The Takeover,5,The Water Bottle Challenge,1,Thonon Black Panthers,3,Tim Tebow,1,Tony Touchdown Simmons,2,Top 10 Domestic 2017,8,Top Players 2013,4,Top Plays 2013,9,Top Uniforms,2,TopLiga,3,TouchdownTV,1,Trever Hardin,1,Triangle Razorbacks,2,Trinity College,1,Tristan Solo,1,Tychy Falcons,4,UAE Falcons,1,UK,6,UKRedZone,4,Under Armour Camps,9,Uniform Design,2,UniWatchers,3,USA Football,1,USFAF,1,Valerie Durussel,1,Veteran Imports,3,Video,217,Vila Velha,1,Vojin Milic,2,Warsaw Eagles,2,Warsaw Sharks,1,Wasa Royals,2,Waterford Wolves,5,Webinar,3,Weekly Highlights 2013,16,Why Haven't You Signed Them Yet?,3,Wikingowie Gdansk,1,Wojciech Weekly,12,Wongs Wisdom,1,Wroclaw Devils,1,Wroclaw Outlaws,1,Wroclaw Panthers,11,WWC 2013,27,Xenith,1,Zagreb Patriots,2,Zielona Gora Dragons,1,
ltr
item
Touchdown Europe: Interview: Siegfried Gehrke - 26 Years Of Patience & Persistence
Interview: Siegfried Gehrke - 26 Years Of Patience & Persistence
Coach Gehrke is a true definition of a Coach. He spent 26 years with one organization - Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns of Germany, turning the organization into a power house.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N0WaUihXP3g/WKZcBFAiDXI/AAAAAAAALZU/dOATSMdWcEMliFLGLnsmnTyawMSBAiWUQCLcB/s1600/10985388_10152970340963412_7786505106981315699_n.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N0WaUihXP3g/WKZcBFAiDXI/AAAAAAAALZU/dOATSMdWcEMliFLGLnsmnTyawMSBAiWUQCLcB/s72-c/10985388_10152970340963412_7786505106981315699_n.jpg
Touchdown Europe
https://www.touchdown-europe.net/2017/02/interview-siegfried-gehrke-26-years-of.html
https://www.touchdown-europe.net/
https://www.touchdown-europe.net/
https://www.touchdown-europe.net/2017/02/interview-siegfried-gehrke-26-years-of.html
true
6074077286775598533
UTF-8
Loaded All Posts Not found any posts VIEW ALL Readmore Reply Cancel reply Delete By Home PAGES POSTS View All RECOMMENDED FOR YOU LABEL ARCHIVE SEARCH ALL POSTS Not found any post match with your request Back Home Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat January February March April May June July August September October November December Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec just now 1 minute ago $$1$$ minutes ago 1 hour ago $$1$$ hours ago Yesterday $$1$$ days ago $$1$$ weeks ago more than 5 weeks ago Followers Follow THIS PREMIUM CONTENT IS LOCKED STEP 1: Share to a social network STEP 2: Click the link on your social network Copy All Code Select All Code All codes were copied to your clipboard Can not copy the codes / texts, please press [CTRL]+[C] (or CMD+C with Mac) to copy Table of Content