Aug 23, 2018
On this week's episode of Inside the Headset we speak with Jeff McMartin, Head Coach at Central College, and Austin Jones, Assistant Wide Receivers Coach at Pacific University. Coach McMartin shares about becoming the head coach at his alma mater, his experiences as a collegiate track head coach, and taking his team overseas to play in Europe every three years. Coach Jones shares about his time as the head coach of Warsaw Sharks in Poland, adjusting to culture shock, and what it's like coaching in a professional league where players didn't grow up around the game of football.
Jeff McMartin's coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Wake Forest (1990-1991), and his first full-time position was coaching the defensive line at Illinois Wesleyan (1992-1993). After spending a season coaching defensive line at the University of Rochester (1994), he coached the offensive line and special teams for Beloit College for five seasons (1995-1999). Coach McMartin was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at DePauw University for four seasons (2000-2003) prior to being named the Head Coach at Central College in 2004. He is entering his 15th season leading the Dutch.
0:42 - Start of interview
1:01 - Becoming the head coach at his alma mater and having longevity at Central College
5:04 - Serving as a collegiate track coach while also coaching football
8:56 - Crossing over track athletes to football
11:31 - Taking teams overseas to play in Europe
16:31 - Unique cultural experiences for the players
21:19 - Serving on the AFCA's Board of Trustees
You can follow Jeff McMartin on Twitter or reach him via email.
Austin Jones' coaching career began in early 2013 as an assistant with Southern Oregon University, and he spent the 2013 season as a video coordinator and defensive quality control coach for Portland State University. After coaching linebackers at West Albany HS (OR) for two seasons (2014-2015), Coach Jones traveled abroad to join the Green Ducks Radom of the Polish League of American Football as defensive coordinator (2016). He went on to be named the Head Coach of the Warsaw Sharks and led the team for two seasons 92017-2018) prior to returning to the states to join Pacific University's staff as an Assistant Wide Receivers Coach.
28:02 - Start of interview
28:18 - Becoming a football coach in Europe
29:05 - Teaching the game in a different cultural setting
32:04 - Wearing multiple hats on the coaching staff
33:09 - Getting creative with circuits during limited practice time
35:42 - Adjusting to culture shock in Poland
37:45 - Being pragmatic about player behavior
40:57 - Finding rewarding moments and growing as a coach
You can follow Austin Jones on Twitter and Instagram.
Have any questions, comments, or ideas for the show? Send us an email at podcast@afca.com.