Sir Issac Newton (no relation to Cam) was a famous mathematician and physicist from the late 1600's who developed three laws of motion. The first of these, roughly translated, states that objects continue to do what they are currently doing unless acted upon by an outside force. This not only applies to objects, but teams as well. Take a look around the State of Texas in all classifications and you will see the same teams at the top of the district rankings and state football polls year after year. Even in Central Texas, you see teams like Copperas Cove, Rogers, Troy and Cameron, in the playoffs year after year. Conversely, you can look around the area and State and find teams that perennially find themselves at the bottom of the standings. Why?....Newton's First Law.
To turn a program from one to the other takes time. A great example of a successful transition is Jack Welch's Copperas Cove program. For many younger fans, Cove has always been a powerhouse. Those of us that are a little older remember the days when they would see six homecoming queens crowned every year! It didn't happen overnight, but Welch eventually got it done and is now reaping the rewards outlined by Mr. Newton.
On the flip side of this, there is the Temple Wildcat program. At one time, the Wildcats were one of the premiere programs in the country. Simply put, Temple was a football town. From coaches like Rusty Russell, Jay Fikes and Bob McQueen to players like Ki Aldrich, Brad Dusek, and Kenneth Davis, you could always count on the Wildcats to make a deep playoff run. However, following McQueen's retirement and a series of coaching changes, Temple now finds themselves in the unenviable position of trying to stop the fall and start the climb. This may seem unbelievable to some, but today's Temple ISD students were not even alive when the program was thriving. To them, Temple has always been an also ran.
Authoring a turnaround is the task that new coach Mike Spradlin has before him with the Wildcats. He has certainly shown an ability to do this at some of his other stops, including Abilene Cooper, and it is easy to see why. Spradlin has brought a high powered offense, a sense of discipline and pride, an infectious personality and an outstanding staff with him to Temple. Although the Cats have yet to win a game this year, they have looked a lot better. While it may be next week, next month, or next year before the Cats get that first win on the field that they are craving, it looks like they are close to getting their biggest win in a long time....over Mr. Newton's Law. When this happens, the good times will roll again at Wildcat Stadium.
