Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: Welcome to 1810, a podcast produced by the Lawrenceville School. In 18 minutes and 10 seconds, we will explore the future of education with insights from bright minded individuals, inspiring new ways of thinking.
I'm Napoleon Sykes. I'm the head football coach at the Lawrenceville School. You might know me as Coach POE. I have 30 years of experience in the football world. 10, 10 as a player, 20 as a coach.
And this is my fifth year here at Lawrenceville School.
I'm here today with CJ Nawadi, who's a junior here at the Lawrenceville School, also a Baltimore native. And we'll just talk a little bit today about our football program.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: So, Coach Powell, I know you're in your fifth year of coaching at this program. What in general do you like the most about being here?
[00:00:50] Speaker A: I get this question a lot in admissions process, and I'd say it's the kids. I think, you know, all places have benefits, right? We've got a really nice campus, we have great facilities, all those things. But the people are what makes it special. And I'd say that throughout my career, I think the coolest part about being a coach is the impact that you have on kids, their families, but also the impact that those kids and families have on your family and your coaching staff. So for me, it's always been about those relationships that you get to build. You're in year three, right? Year three of the program. So I mean, I think maybe ask you, like, how do you see that part of our football program?
[00:01:31] Speaker B: I think that the football program is more of like a family. I feel like I got brought in ever since I was a freshman. A lot of the seniors took me under their wing and made me feel very comfortable in the school. So that when school actually started, I felt like I already knew what I was doing on campus. And it made it a lot easier to understand everything that was going on here. Cause Lawrenceville is a lot. There's a lot of amazing opportunities here. But knowing how to navigate everything and being able to go through and access everything that the school provides is a big deal being here.
[00:01:57] Speaker A: And I think it, it goes a little bit with some of the stuff that we already have set up here. With the house system, we sort of have built like a smaller model of the Lawrenceville community, but within our community. Right. So like you have, I mean, you came in as a freshman, right? And some older guys had reached out to you knowing that you were coming in, and now you're an old guy and you did the same thing on, you know, this summer you know, reaching out to guys on WhatsApp, trying to welcome. Welcome guys into campus. But I think we've kind of tried to take the model that we have here at Lawrenceville as a whole and, like, you know, shrink it down into our little world, too.
[00:02:31] Speaker B: What brought you to Lawrenceville? Like, how did you get here?
[00:02:35] Speaker A: I'd coached.
I was actually coaching in the xfl, right? So I'd coached college football for a while, was of kind in the NFL for a little bit. And then after. After I left Navy, I was coaching in the xfl. And then Covid hit, right? And so, like, XFL shut down.
I was. I was helping a buddy out in Baltimore at Concordia Prep, one of my. One of my closest friends.
And then I actually got a call from Danny o', Day, who used to be the Hayden football coach here, and he's like, well, I know the job opened up, and I told the head of school that you. That you wanted the job. I was like, hold on, buddy. Like.
Like, I don't even know anything about this place.
So that was really how I got introduced to the school. I mean, I. Lawrenceville had crossed my path over the years and in recruiting, just because I. We'd recruited kids from Lawrenceville Petty Hun. When I was at the Naval Academy. And then obviously, I've been really close friends with Danny o' Day that used to be the head coach here since probably, like, 2007, right? So that was really my intro to this place. And, you know, for me and my family, when your kids grow up in college football, you know what I mean? Like, you got kids from all over the country, every different socioeconomic spectrum, got every single kind of kid, every kind of background, every kind of story. And so for us, it was really important that our kids, wherever we were gonna go next, still got that, right? So, like, you know, we had some opportunities to interview at other schools in between that time, and they just weren't the right place. And so when we really did look at the community here, you know, one where the location is, but then, like, the makeup of the student body, it felt right for us, right? It felt like a place where, you know, we wanted our kids to be right? And so that. That was huge for us. You know, the football piece is big, but when you coach as a profession, you want to make sure that. That it is a really good spot for everybody that is. Is in the profession, right? So, like, not just me, but my wife, my kids. So this. This was a spot where, you know, I felt like we'd. We Would have our kids around kids like you, you know, and. And have an opportunity to. To do that.
[00:04:50] Speaker B: I feel like a big thing that comes up on campus is everyone asks us, what's that thing on your sweatshirt? What does TCB mean? So could you talk a little bit about that and where that came from?
[00:04:58] Speaker A: Yeah, so. So TCB is really, take care of business, take care of your brothers, right? So I started using TCB when I got into coaching. So this is 2006, first year coaching. And.
And it is kind of something that I've always to that family aspect. You know, the.
Where I started in the football program, like going back to Gilman or Gilman days. When I got into football started at Gilman in Baltimore in seventh grade, I was not a football player. I was a soccer kid and started playing football because the soccer team wasn't great, you know, and kind of just I had outside soccer and that was where I did my thing.
And then I kind of picked up football as a hobby. And they.
The culture at the school was, you know, building men for others. And so, you know, the first day of football, when you come out there in seventh grade, the high school coaches, Biff Poggy and Joe Ehrman, they come down and they say, you know, what's our job as coaches? And it's to love. Love you. And then what's your job as players? Is to love each other, right? And so that. That was my introduction to football, which was very different than most people's introduction to football. So TCB kind of came out of that, right, which was we wanted to make sure that we were doing the things that we needed to do in our position. You know, I started off as a position coach and we wanted to create what we've now created for this football program, but just in our position, media room. So TCB came from that, right? We wanted to take care of each other in the room. I think it's been something that like I've used every year. And so like now we're here at Lawrenceville and it's now a program thing, but we just want to take care of each other. And I think you. You spoke to that a little bit of how, you know, when you get here, it's almost like you know each other already, you know, like that. One of the things that is really cool for me is when we get to upper in the summer, right, and the parents are dropping off new guys, whether they're PGs, juniors, freshmen, whatever it is, you guys like kind of know each other already. And some of you guys have never met in person before, you know, but, like, you guys have done a really good job of embracing that culture. And it's like a part of who you are. You know, you guys eat dinner all the time throughout the year, not just during football season. You guys are connecting in the summer. It has nothing to do with football, but you guys are together, right? And so, um, I think that's really neat. The other part for me that you guys don't always get to see is, you know, those guys that have been breaking it down on TCB for years and years and years are connected to this program. You know, like, you get to be a part of it, right? So, like, what, what is it like, you know, I guess on the inside of it? What is it from a player's perspective, being on the inside of that?
[00:07:49] Speaker B: I think that my old school, obviously I went to Calvert, we went to.
[00:07:52] Speaker A: The same middle school, but shout out beast, mighty Bs.
[00:07:55] Speaker B: But yeah, Calvert was an interesting place because it's a lot of kids who are very smart.
It's a different demographic. But the football team, there was just a bunch of kids who went to the school, hopped on the team and they would just like, go out and play. But getting here, it was a very different experience.
Like, I genuinely had brothers from the start. Like, there was no, oh, I don't know you, so you have to stay over there while I'm doing this. But it was just a big thing where I started to realize when school started, there were kids who would go out of their way to help you with schoolwork if you didn't understand what was going on. Keep in mind they also were taking a bunch of honors classes and didn't have time to do that, but still made time for you. Every single time you're on the field, you get tackled, it's five guys helping you up. Every single time that something happens, people are always going to be there for you, checking up on you. I look sad. One day I get five text messages after practice. So it's really just like the fact that everyone's really looking out for each other and they're there for each other, and especially with the managers as well. Like, I feel like that's a big thing. I mean, like, I'm best friends with one of them that's like my sister at this point. And I just feel like everyone on the team really cares about each other. And no matter who you are or where you are, position wise on the team or status wise on the team, you matter just as much I was.
[00:09:01] Speaker A: In an interview the other day, and I was talking to a family, and I was like, the friendships here are funny because they're like, they're different because you guys, you get tired of each other. You know what I mean? You, like, it's different when you get tired of, like, your buddy out of day school because you got to go home here. You get tired of your friends. Like, you get tired of your sibling because you guys live together. So, like, it is pretty neat where you guys have these relationships grow over the years and how you guys operate. And one of the coolest things is when you guys get the videos in the summer, right? It's guys from the 20, 21 class and 22 class. And like, you know, Liza is at UVA and doing her deal in New York City, and she's still taking time to, like, send a video. Cause she wants you guys to do well and wish you luck for the season. So I think we've been able to build something pretty cool. And I think it's even cooler because it has trickled out outside of the football program. I think that's why people join the football program. I think that's why kids that have never played the sport you would never think are football guys. They feel like they want to be a part of the program because of the kind of culture that we've created in there.
[00:10:06] Speaker B: And I feel like a big part of the culture that we created is that it's more than ball. Like, it's not just about football. So we hear you say it all the time, after practice, before practice.
[00:10:14] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, for me, football wasn't this thing that I was, like, in love with and I had to do it. And all my life I was going to be a football guy, right? It was something that I picked up as a hobby and then ended up being good at it. And it helped me go to college and then met my wife and, you know, all those things. So I tell it to you guys. So we, you know, we get in games and football is right, wrong, or different is. Is. I think it's one of the. The ultimate team sports, right? Because you can't get the one guy like Kobe Bryant. You can't bring in Kobe Bryant, and he's going to make your football team better. You got to have. You got to have a quarterback, you got to have a lineman, you got to have a running back. You got to have all of the pieces.
And then even when you have all the pieces, everybody's got to be marching at the same pace, right? So it takes everybody, and we say that all the time. Like, you might be a guy that just holds the bag and you're not going to play a lot, but that job is really important for us, right? Because you gotta help these guys get ready. Those things are teaching you football lessons, but it is teaching you how to be a man or woman of service. That's what we're trying to get out of all this stuff, right? Football is a game that has ebbs and flows, right? There's gonna be highs in the game, there's gonna be lows in the game, right? And so, like, our job as coaches and as players is to be able to, like, manage the waves of a game, but it's having fun, you know? You know, and sometimes things don't go our way, right? And so, like, the highs are never that high and the lows are never that low. Football, to me, is a great game because it allows you to teach all those things, right? It's very much like life. Like, it's not always going to go your way. And most of it is pretty hard. You know, like, football's hard to do, it's physically hard to do, it's mentally hard to do, but, like, growing up and being an adult at some point is going to be really hard to do. And then even as a teenager, you guys are going through a interesting part of life where, you know, you're having, you know, as a teenager in your high school year, your first disappointments, your first heartbreak. You're like, all. All the things that you go through and you're trying to figure out who you are sort of as a teenager, like, that's hard. It's really hard to do. And it's an emotional time. It's mentally draining time. There's a lot of good and there's a lot of bad, right? And so, like, if we can help you learn how to kind of stay as even keel, as close to the, you know, stay in the fairway, right, during those four years. It's gonna help you out down the road.
[00:12:36] Speaker B: I feel like football, the biggest thing about it is just discipline. You have to be disciplined to play the game. Everyone needs to be doing their job for you to even have a chance at getting one yard. And I feel like it applies to life very easily because it's like, before I got here, I had a problem with organization. I had a problem with getting my stuff done on time. I would be late to everything.
But then you go to football practice, and if you're late, that's a Rep off. If you miss one block, then start someone else is getting hit. And it shows you how other people are depending on you. And when other people are depending on you, you typically have to rise to the standard, otherwise you will get left behind.
I feel like football definitely helps you realize that there's other people who are going to be depending on you in life. And to be a man and to be a good person, you want to be able to be someone that people can depend on. But I feel like that's a big thing that the coaches help us with, understanding that we're going to depend on you and other people are gonna depend on you, but we're also gonna give you the time to get to where you need to be as a person. No one's going to rush you, but we're going to keep helping you to develop and to get there at some point.
[00:13:36] Speaker A: We have a really good coaching staff. You know, I think we've got one of the best coaches. I think they're great. I mean, they're just phenomenal teachers, you know, And I think that part is huge for us because they end up being more than just coaches for you guys, which is great. Having Coach Jill, like our DB's coach is a female coach and so like her perspective of one being a female in a male dominated sport and just how we talk to women, how we treat women.
[00:14:06] Speaker B: Well, I feel like you can't try to categorize Coach Joe. I mean, she pretty much does everything for us on the team. I mean, if you wanted someone to give it to you straight, she's going to. I mean, she's very strict with what she does, but that's the main reason why our DB group is very disciplined. As you can see throughout the years, she's a great coach overall. She's always caring about all the teammates. If you need anything, you can go and talk to her. But at the same time, it's like when we're at practice, it's go, go, go.
And I feel like that's the same thing with all the coaches on the team. I feel like she helps to set a standard that you also have set. And coming in it was pretty easy to follow because all the coaches before set and even when new coaches would come in, they would rise to the same standard and perform at the same level.
[00:14:43] Speaker A: Yeah, and I think you guys, I mean, I don't know if you even see it as much as, you know, the coaches do a lot, but you guys do a lot of it too, you know what I mean? So I think, like, I tell our coaches, we want to model the things that we see, right? So, like, you got to be a good dude. You got to be a. You know, like, you got to be a good coach. You got to be a teacher.
You know, you got to use all the. You know, all of those things. But I think you guys end up doing that, right?
[00:15:08] Speaker B: So, like, yeah, I definitely agree with that. I feel like a big thing this year especially is the captains like Joey, Dane, Zane, and Cup. Like, those guys have been phenomenal, communicating, bringing everyone together when we need to have a serious conversation, sitting everyone down saying, hey, we're here as a family. We're all here to work together. It's never singling anybody out. And even when it comes to, like, my classes, the junior class, like, Simon's really been starting to pick it up as quarterback. Colt's been doing his thing. Obviously, I've been trying to do what I can here and there. Jax also been doing his thing, but, you know, Jack shows more than he talks. But, yeah, I feel like it's a big deal when everyone is really coming together to show that we're all trying to accomplish one goal.
[00:15:46] Speaker A: Where you see it a lot is, like, when you get new students here, right? So, like, you guys obviously bring them into the fold from a football standpoint, but, like, you know, you guys sitting in, sitting in the office during consultation or something like that, and you're helping somebody out.
[00:15:59] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like getting involved in the community is a big thing that you've helped us to understand. From preseason, it's, hey, this is a whole community. So when it comes to getting out to JV soccer games all the way to when people come and show up for our games, people dance, people sing, people go and they do art. I mean, the team is just involved in a lot. And I feel like that's one really cool thing, because at a lot of high schools, I feel like when you're on the football team, you're defined as a football player. But I feel like the biggest thing here is that no one is a football player. It's just a bunch of kids who play football.
[00:16:29] Speaker A: Yeah. How do you know? I always tell you guys that, like, who you are as a person makes you special. Right? So, like, they, you know, when. When somebody talks about you as the football player, cool. But, like, who's cj? Who's Colt? Who's Simon? Who's, you know, who's Jabrailin? Who's those guys? You know what I mean? And, like, when you get a chance to see behind the big guy, right? So we talk about that all the time, right? Like on campus, everybody knows who you are because you're bigger. You're physically bigger than a lot of people.
So the, the, the natural instinct is to, to judge you off of that, right? You're a big guy. You play football. That's who you are, right? And so, you know, you, you think about some of the guys that have been like, think about some of our, like, football dudes, right? So you talk about, like, Sam and Raph and Adam over the last couple of years, Brendan Delaney, you know, Nolan, and all those guys are like, yeah, they, they're big dudes, physically big and strong and all that stuff, but they're also in the dance concert in the spring as like, the headliners. You know what I mean? So, like, I think that's. That part is really neat for us to create this culture where you're, you are more than just football.
[00:17:42] Speaker B: Sa.
