In the office at Brandon High, wrestling coach Russ Cozart hung a news article predicting the demise of the Eagles' athletic dominance. The year was 1987. Newcomers Armwood and Bloomingdale were expected to slice Brandon's enrollment and reduce its success.
Clearly, the predictions underestimated Cozart's tenacity.
Not only has Cozart kept the school's 30-year dual-match winning streak intact, but last weekend in Lakeland he guided the Eagles to their 15th state title.
Over Della's Delectables sandwiches in his office, we talked about the streak and the challenge of coaching his son Rocky.
Pull up a chair and join us.
ERNEST: Is this state championship, your 15th, any more special than the others?
RUSS: They're all special. Sometimes the kids and the parents are amazed at the little things I remember from each team. I keep the patches up there to remind me of the years we've won. This was a very exciting state tournament and it's very typical. It can be a roller coaster experience emotionally.
So you have to go from consoling one wrestler to celebrating with another in a matter of minutes.
Exactly. It's almost like when the movies come out like Black Hawk Down. It's not as serious, but when one man goes down, you don't leave him behind. You pick him up and you keep going. To win the state championship in wrestling, you have to have that mentality. When other guys go down, you regroup, you don't let it bother you. The coach is circling the troops together and trying to keep everybody focused.
Obviously you've coached a lot of wrestlers. How does all of that compare to coaching your son Rocky?
Rocky is a very special wrestler. He's had to grow up being used to that: My dad's the coach. My philosophy is: I like to be close to my wrestlers, but when work needs to be done, I'm the guy leading, you're following. The regimen can be pretty tough. A lot of times, I've got to be his coach. A lot of times, I have to be his mentor and then I've got to be his dad. We don't bring it home. At home, it's dad, mom and the two boys. When I come here, there's no dad here. I'm the coach. I want you to make a commitment just like every other kid. Sometimes along the line, maybe we lose a little bit of dad and son and maybe along the line we lose a little bit of coach and athlete. I think our relationship is good and strong and it's stronger and better because of wrestling.
Have your sons played other sports?
Yes. Being the physical educator that I am, I believe physical education and sports can enhance your life. I know a lot of people don't believe that and I don't expect a lot of people to believe that. I know people whose kids don't do sports and they don't make it a big requirement. Even if I had a girl, I would have got her involved in sports. Activity is good for the mind, expressing yourself, feeling pain and letting your emotions out. My wife and I have been all over the recreation fields of the city of Brandon and we've had a lot of fun. We don't regret one moment of it.
Was it difficult to let Rocky play considering he is asthmatic?
Rocky was diagnosed with asthma when he was 21/2. He has to use a nebulizer every morning and take pills every night or he can't function. But I had my own philosophy that he was going to play, and the doctors all said he can play, we just had to be careful. But when I saw Jackie Joyner-Kersee win the Olympic heptathlon, I said: If she can do it, somebody else can do it too.
What if your sons Rocky or Joey had come to you and said, "I'm not going to wrestle, soccer's my game?"
I wouldn't have minded that, but I would have strongly encouraged them to wrestle here in high school because you don't have to be good. I feel students should try to support their school. Back in the old school, you went out for sports to help your school.
Is it sad because we've gotten away from that and the focus is on scholarships?
I think that's great, but we've just lost a little bit. That top-end stuff is great because that's what happened to me, I got the scholarship, I went to college. That's great, but I do not like the kid who has the attitude of: If I'm not going to be a starter, I'm going to quit. That has existed all the way through time, but I think it's a little more prevalent now.
After 24 years at Brandon, what do you remember most?
Brandon is home. I remember all the great wrestlers. I met my wife here. I bought my first house here. Both my kids were born at Brandon hospital. My whole life has grown while I've been teaching here, and it's never really been hard to do here. There's been some years we didn't do as well as we were supposed to, but the streak has always been maintained. I remember almost every kid who stuck with it, worked hard and made a honest commitment to the team.
Are we going to have to call the paramedics for you when the streak ends?
Oh no. A lot of people might not be ready for us to lose, but I'll be ready when we lose. It's gone on long enough. In fact, I want to get beat before I retire so the next guy doesn't have to take care of it.
You want to get beat?
I've been lucky enough to have all the attention of the streak, I deserve to be the burden of the loss instead of some new guy who falls in and things don't happen the way they need to. That's why we created the "Challenge The Streak" tournament. We've gone out of our way to get beat. Eventually we will, if the law of averages work out.
DESSERT: A postscript from Ernest
The streak was such a huge motivator for Cozart, 48, he traveled to Communist-controlled Soviet Union with a Canadian contingent in 1983 to learn from wrestling coaches at the Institute of Sport in Moscow. The native Californian said he might coach for another eight to 10 years so he can guide his younger son Joey, but he laughs that an end to the streak may hasten his exit.
- Ernest Hooper also writes a column for the Tampa & State section of the St. Petersburg Times. Lunch With Ernest is edited for brevity and clarity. To suggest lunch partners, call Ernest at 226-3406 or e-mail hooper@sptimes.com
