When asked about this year's football team at last month’s Mid American Conference Media Day, Coach Paul Haynes said, , “We are who were are. We’re a blue collar football team. We grind it out, we work hard. We go out there and we’re a mentality tough football team. So those are the things. Kent will never change, ever since the days that I played. We are who we are. We are blue collar. We are hard workers, we grind it out. The thing that we have to change is the winning and I think that will change this year."
In order to be a blue-collar team, you need to have blue-collar players. So exactly what is a blue-collar player? Bill Parcells, the former head coach who led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories, referred to a blue-collar player as ''a parking-lot player, a street player.'' Even before Paul Haynes played at Kent State, the Flashes were known for their parking-lot player/street player mindset. The best example of this was Jack Lambert, whose blue-collar toughness was undeniably noticed by Art Rooney Jr. when he came to Kent to scout Lambert himself.
In the article, "For Steelers' Fans Who Don't Know Jack," the author describes the moment when Rooney knew that Lambert was every bit the player that he had hoped him to be.
"The practice field was too muddy that afternoon, so the team, without the luxury of major-college facilities, practiced on a parking lot full of cinders and gravel. That meant nothing to Lambert, even wearing shorts. He still pursued with reckless abandon and displayed the same intensity at a practice, on gravel, that he did on game-day. On one play, Lambert ended up face-first in the cinders. He refused treatment as if nothing happened. For the rest of the practice, Lambert calmly picked pieces of gravel from his face, knees and elbows. Mr. Rooney had seen enough."
Today, the player who demonstrates Jack Lambert's blue-collar toughness is Nate Holley, who last year was named to the Academic All-MAC Team for the second time in his career and to the All-MAC First Team. Last season, Holley made 15 or more tackles in six of his last nine games and led the MAC with 141 total tackles. The All-MAC safety made a season-high 16 tackles against Bowling Green and Akron and was named to the Hero Sports Non-Power Five All-America First Team. Holley is just one of 42 defensive backs on the preseason Jim Thorpe Award Watch List and projected by College Sports Madness to be the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Last season, Holley had an incredible 11 tackles in the first half and led the team with 15 tackles against Marshall (see video below).
With Nate Holley, along with his twin brother Nick, Terence Waugh, and Demetrious Monday, I believe Flash fans have seen a sense of toughness and physicality on the field and a general positive attitude from players and coaches alike since the arrival of Coach Haynes.
Last season, Waugh was named to the All-MAC First Team. He led the team with 9.0 sacks and 12.0 tackles for a loss. The All-MAC defensive end is one of 32 players named to the Ted Hendricks Award Watch List. In 2015, Waugh made 57 tackles and was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week after recording career-highs of 3.0 sacks and 11 tackles against Marshall (see video below).
In 2015, Monday earned All-MAC First Team honors. He had six interceptions ranked fifth in the nation and was named National Defensive Player of the Week by College Sports Madness and MAC East Defensive Player of the Week after forcing three turnovers at Minnesota, including an 80-yard return on a fumble recovery for a touchdown (click web address below). The All MAC cornerback scored his second touchdown of the season on 69-yard interception return against Buffalo and intercepted three passes in his first three games at Big Ten opponents.
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=13690829
Establishing a mentally tough football team will not transform a program overnight, but it is something that can lay a foundation to becoming that blue-collar, overachieving type of program that Haynes wants to build at Kent State.
Haynes was hired in December of 2012 and has compiled an overall record of 9-26. Mark Stoops, another blue-collar work ethic coach (see below), was hired at Kentucky in November 2012 and has compiled an overall record of 12-24. Neither record would indicate a program transformation, however that doesn't mean that progress isn't taking place. Winning football games at Kent State and Kentucky have never come easy but I believe Haynes and Stoops will both have success if given enough time.
In order to be a blue-collar team, you need to have blue-collar players. So exactly what is a blue-collar player? Bill Parcells, the former head coach who led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories, referred to a blue-collar player as ''a parking-lot player, a street player.'' Even before Paul Haynes played at Kent State, the Flashes were known for their parking-lot player/street player mindset. The best example of this was Jack Lambert, whose blue-collar toughness was undeniably noticed by Art Rooney Jr. when he came to Kent to scout Lambert himself.
In the article, "For Steelers' Fans Who Don't Know Jack," the author describes the moment when Rooney knew that Lambert was every bit the player that he had hoped him to be.
"The practice field was too muddy that afternoon, so the team, without the luxury of major-college facilities, practiced on a parking lot full of cinders and gravel. That meant nothing to Lambert, even wearing shorts. He still pursued with reckless abandon and displayed the same intensity at a practice, on gravel, that he did on game-day. On one play, Lambert ended up face-first in the cinders. He refused treatment as if nothing happened. For the rest of the practice, Lambert calmly picked pieces of gravel from his face, knees and elbows. Mr. Rooney had seen enough."
Today, the player who demonstrates Jack Lambert's blue-collar toughness is Nate Holley, who last year was named to the Academic All-MAC Team for the second time in his career and to the All-MAC First Team. Last season, Holley made 15 or more tackles in six of his last nine games and led the MAC with 141 total tackles. The All-MAC safety made a season-high 16 tackles against Bowling Green and Akron and was named to the Hero Sports Non-Power Five All-America First Team. Holley is just one of 42 defensive backs on the preseason Jim Thorpe Award Watch List and projected by College Sports Madness to be the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Last season, Holley had an incredible 11 tackles in the first half and led the team with 15 tackles against Marshall (see video below).
With Nate Holley, along with his twin brother Nick, Terence Waugh, and Demetrious Monday, I believe Flash fans have seen a sense of toughness and physicality on the field and a general positive attitude from players and coaches alike since the arrival of Coach Haynes.
Last season, Waugh was named to the All-MAC First Team. He led the team with 9.0 sacks and 12.0 tackles for a loss. The All-MAC defensive end is one of 32 players named to the Ted Hendricks Award Watch List. In 2015, Waugh made 57 tackles and was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week after recording career-highs of 3.0 sacks and 11 tackles against Marshall (see video below).
In 2015, Monday earned All-MAC First Team honors. He had six interceptions ranked fifth in the nation and was named National Defensive Player of the Week by College Sports Madness and MAC East Defensive Player of the Week after forcing three turnovers at Minnesota, including an 80-yard return on a fumble recovery for a touchdown (click web address below). The All MAC cornerback scored his second touchdown of the season on 69-yard interception return against Buffalo and intercepted three passes in his first three games at Big Ten opponents.
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=13690829
Establishing a mentally tough football team will not transform a program overnight, but it is something that can lay a foundation to becoming that blue-collar, overachieving type of program that Haynes wants to build at Kent State.
Haynes was hired in December of 2012 and has compiled an overall record of 9-26. Mark Stoops, another blue-collar work ethic coach (see below), was hired at Kentucky in November 2012 and has compiled an overall record of 12-24. Neither record would indicate a program transformation, however that doesn't mean that progress isn't taking place. Winning football games at Kent State and Kentucky have never come easy but I believe Haynes and Stoops will both have success if given enough time.
Last edited:
