In 2003, Plant High School won all of one football game. The once-proud Panthers had fallen on the hardest of times; they were now Friday Night Lightweights. Dad’s Stadium orphans.
Enter new head coach Robert J. Weiner, who seemed almost oblivious to the riches-to-rags challenge. The whispers had grown deafening that the iconic, 82-year-old South Tampa institution, synonymous with affluence and academic achievement, had grown too soft to excel at a tough, non-country club sport.
But the long-time Jesuit High assistant had seemingly been preparing for this opportunity his whole career. His philosophy of old-school work ethic, zealot-like motivation, unwavering loyalty and community commitment — plus a fun, high-octane spread offense – may have found the perfect fit in high-profile, under-performing Plant High. He also realized that South Tampa was unique: a de facto small town within a major city and would likely rally around a revived football program.
When he arrived in ’04, Weiner quickly divined grid reality at Plant. “It wasn’t cool anymore to be on the football team,” remembers Weiner. “And that had to change. But we did see talent.”
Just not enough. Depth was a major concern.
“First thing,” recalls Weiner, “is to recruit your own school.” That he did.
“And start with character.”
To that end, he was fortunate to have inherited several core players, including defensive lineman Kevin McCarthy and quarterback Robert Marve, who readily bought in to Weiner’s organization-preparation-discipline-camaraderie mantra. Such “meaningful players” would have a program-wide ripple effect. (McCarthy would later become a National Scholar-Athlete and Marve the state’s “Mr. Football,” who now plays for the University of Miami.)
It also helped that Weiner was an English teacher. He wasn’t just preaching academic priorities. He embodied them. He’d sooner quote Rudyard Kipling than Knute Rockne. Players who took any of his classes soon spread the word that he meant business outside the white lines too.
Result: The team grade point average went from 2.48 in ’04 to a county-leading 3.28 last year.
Weiner also surrounded himself with a staff of 21 on-field coaches — including volunteers, some with professional experience — and two academic coaches.
In Weiner’s third season, 2006, Plant ran a 15-0 table and won the 4-A state championship, the first in the school’s history – and the first for any Tampa team since Richard Nixon was a rookie president. Last season Plant was merely very good – an 11-2, 4-A quarterfinalist. It is now a recognized state power.
Moreover, Plant is also on the national interscholastic stage. ESPNU will televise its Sept. 5 home game against cross-county archrival Armwood. The ESPNRISE.Com Fab 50 preseason national rankings have Plant at number 20. And to no one’s surprise, Plant’s reinvigorated reputation now has the attention of student-athletes who want to move into the Plant zone.
Weiner knows that score: Good begets better. “Kids will want to come because of what our kids have created,” he notes matter-of-factly.
As impressive as such success has been, the ’08 version of the Panthers could be something extra special, says Weiner, who doesn’t retreat into the cautious cocoon of coach-speak when assessing this season’s prospects.
He has a number of key players back led by All Everything quarterback Aaron Murray. Tight end Orson Charles is a big time blue-chipper. Wide receiver Allen Sampson could lead the state in total receiving yardage, projects Weiner. And more — including linebacker Mike Mirabella, receiver Nathan Marvel, defensive lineman Austin Clark, and defensive backs Hunter Baldwin and Javonte Martin.
“I’m very excited,” says Weiner. “We are very, very talented. We are getting better exponentially every day.”
Weiner’s ample confidence received a boost over the summer when Plant won back-to-back “7 on 7” titles. For teams with potent passing attacks, these are prestigious, off-season, proving grounds. Plant topped a statewide field of 46 teams to win the USF Sling & Shoot and then traveled to Beaverton, Ore., to capture the inaugural Nike “7 On” Football Tournament.
“The sky’s the limit,” underscores Weiner, who unabashedly calls Murray “the best player in the country,” one who is as inspiring as he is talented.
Could this be a deja preview — reminiscent of ’06?
“I think we’re more together (than in ’06), and we understand better what we’re all about,” adds Weiner.
In Weiner-speak having a better understanding moves on multiple levels. Players’ knowledge of and comfort with the extensive Weiner playbook is more advanced than two years ago. But no less important is familiarity with the Weiner modus operandi and value system.
Start with his definition of “success” as it applies to the Plant football program.
“The years will tell more than the short term, because football is a vehicle to teach kids how to be real men in the real world,” explains Weiner. “To be outstanding fathers and contributing members of the community.”
Along the way, points out Weiner, players will learn to care about each other as a byproduct of team play. “Teams are more than the sum of their parts,” he emphasizes.
Players also learn to put their experiences – and successes – into perspective. “We want our players to walk around with their heads up,” notes Weiner, “but not with their chests out.”
Weiner also teaches that helping the less fortunate is more than a nice gesture; it’s a societal imperative.
That’s why more than two dozen Plant players joined Weiner earlier this summer at the Muscular Dystrophy camp where he works as a counselor each year.
That’s why on Saturday mornings – after those Friday night games – players report to Dad’s Stadium for “Panther Pride Challenger Football.” Those who may have shone on the field of play the night before now help disabled kids – some in wheel chairs – feel special in their own “adaptive” games. There’s an announcer; the kids wear sponsor jerseys; and the fog machine is cranked.
“I want our players to know what a privilege it is to run through those goal posts in front of thousands of people,” says Weiner. “There are less fortunate kids who would give anything to be able to do that – or, in some cases, to do just one push-up.”
Inevitably, the term “father figure” is affixed to coaches like Weiner. The bond with impressionable youth is unique – and often life-lasting.
“Maybe call it ‘brother figure,'” chuckles Weiner, 43. “I don’t want to age myself too much. And I’m not there to replace a father. But a coach has a unique perspective. We see them at their best and their worst. I’ve been to funerals and weddings; to jail houses and hospitals. Whichever it is, we’re there.”
And in January it was reciprocated. While Weiner was in California for a coaches’ convention, a number of players and parents took it upon themselves to give him some Panther payback. They gave his South Tampa house a customized Extreme Home Makeover: Paint, sod, a power-washed driveway and some designer touches for favorite photos.
“It was pretty amazing,” says Weiner. “It was an outpouring of love. It was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
Then there’s the take of a parent whose two sons have played for Coach Weiner at Plant. One was in on the Makeover.
“The boys always know where they stand,” asserts Gayle Sierens, the mother of Cam and Luke Martin. “They may be the star, or they may be low man on the depth chart, but they know Coach is there for them no matter their stature on the team. When you get that many kids buying into a program