University of North Carolina Athletics
A Conversation With Gary Tranquill: Part III
January 28, 2001 | Football
By: Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue: When you start spring practice, is everybody going to be at square one, or will you start roughly from last season's depth chart?
Coach Tranquill: "I'm not sure how John operates on that, but I think that basically everybody's going to be at square one.
"Sometimes it doesn't take long to see what you have and what direction you want to go. I'm going to spend a lot of time looking at last year's film, purely from a personnel standpoint and see how guys play."
TarHeelBlue: Is it going to be your offense, or your and John's offense? Do you think you'll have a lot of freedom?
Coach Tranquill: "Yes, I think so, but I don't know if anybody's got an offense any more. Like I said earlier, everybody does very similar things, some people more with one thing than another."
TarHeelBlue: Do you think you guys are just naturally on the same page offensively?
Coach Tranquill: "I think so. He wants to do a lot of different things. You rob a little bit here, you rob a little bit there, you steal something from this guy and that guy. You know, I've been doing that for a long time.
"You try to see what fits in with your people. Whether it's a West Coach offense where you're throwing rhythm passes and letting receivers catch the ball and run, there's nothing wrong with that.
"Then you have Oakland who used to have the vertical game. If you've got a guy who can run and fly out there, you want to take some shots and let him run deep and throw it up for him.
"Then if you've got a great tailback, you're going to try to get him the ball. I don't know how this is going to pan out, but I think we're going to be interesting."
TarHeelBlue: Coaches, like so many of us, have to stay "current" in our profession. How do coaches do this?
Coach Tranquill: "A lot of ways. Studying tapes, seeing how other guys do certain things. Visiting with other coaches. Sometimes you take a whole staff and go and visit somebody. You usually sit down and say I'd like to see how these guys are doing it, how those guys are doing it.
"Most guys in this profession are willing to talk and tell you how they're doing it. There's some who won't, but the majority are willing to do so. They don't feel like they invented the game.
"I also like to get some of my NFL buddies to send me tapes to see how certain guys are doing certain things. Also, during the season when you're studying other team's tapes, you pick up on things.
"It's a never-ending process. There's really nothing new in football, but there's a lot new in football. But remember, it's still blocking and tackling.
"You can be flashy and get beat, or pound the ball and have a great defense like the Baltimore Ravens. I think that's an outstanding coaching job when you play to your strengths like that. I think that's a great job Brian Billick's done. When he was in Minnesota he could do everything with those guys he had, but now he can't. He's smart enough to realize that and let that great defense take command, and look where he is.
"That, to me, is doing what you do best. Ravens' fans may go ho-hum when they have the ball, just waiting for that defense to get on the field.
"The name of the game is to win."
TarHeelBlue: You were head coach at the Naval Academy. Did you enjoy your time in Annapolis?
Coach Tranquill: "Yes I did. The schedule back then was tougher than it is now, they've relaxed it a little. It was hard in a lot of ways, but it was fun because the men wanted to win and they played hard.
"The hard part was you couldn't pick and choose your players. You couldn't go out and recruit like you can other places. It's different. There's a lot of guys you couldn't get involved with because of academics. Then, there were good students who didn't want to come because that wasn't the style of life they preferred."
TarHeelBlue: Speaking of recruiting, do you still enjoy if after all these years?
Coach Tranquill: "Yes. Being around young people is probably the most self-satisfying thing there is. Seeing guys have success is great.
"Kids have changed some over the years. With everything that's going on now with the information process, with the internet and all that stuff, everything is kind of laid out in the open, and maybe they know a little bit more now than they did ten years ago.
"I think you have to be able to change and be flexible and change with them.
"But that's still the greatest part of coaching, the association with the players.
"I really enjoy practice. I love being out on the field with the guys, trying to accomplish a task with everybody being on the same page. When you accomplish something, it's the best feeling in the world. But when you don't, you don't get down too far, you just try to go back and do it again. That's the fun part of this game."
TarHeelBlue: What's your demeanor like on the practice field?
Coach Tranquill: "I can get after you. Most of the time positively. I don't like for guys to go on the practice field and not give 100%. I firmly believe you play like you practice. If you're sloppy and don't give effort in practice, you end up doing the same thing in a game.
"Effort is another thing that takes no ability. It takes no ability to give 100%. We'll try to get 100% effort every time the ball is snapped.
"The hardest things to tolerate are mental errors. Everybody makes physical mistakes from time to time, but the mental mistakes are the hardest to take.
"You can run a play where ten guys do everything perfectly, but one guy blows his assignment, and there goes the play. You know you could have had a home run, but one guy's mental mistake kills you.
"If you give effort, it's easier to tolerate even mental mistakes. If I block the wrong guy and I go block somebody else and go rip him, that's more acceptable than not doing anything."
TarHeelBlue: Do you think having been a defensive coordinator helps you be a better offensive coordinator?
Coach Tranquill: "I don't know about that. It's been a long time since I coached defense, and a lot of things have changed.
"I do think when you're on the other side of the ball it maybe gives you a little more appreciation of what the other guy's trying to do and the problems he's facing. Having coached on both side of the ball does help you some.
"I think one thing that's happened over the years is that coaching has become so specialized. One guy coaches just two guys and that's their little world, and they become highly specialized technicians in that little world, whether it's a receiver coach, a running back coach, a tight ends coach.
"I think sometimes that's sad, because on occasion they lose the overall perspective of the whole ball of wax. Then there's us old coaches that may have coached five or six different positions, or who have coached on both sides of the ball. I'm not saying we're smarter than those guys, but we've been exposed a lot of times to more. I think that's helpful."
TarHeelBlue: Do you like to have a few trick plays up your sleeve?
Coach Tranquill: "Yeah, if you've got any good ones, I'd love to hear about them.
"Yes, I think so, I think there's a time. I think we did a couple of tricks last year against Carolina, two in a row."
TarHeelBlue: I know, they happened right in front of me. They broke my heart.
Coach Tranquill: "We (UVA) couldn't do anything else offensively, we never had the ball. That was really a one-sided game. We only had about four snaps in the first quarter. But, the only important thing was that end result.
"I don't mind trick plays. I like to take shots, too. Throw it deep if you've got the right people to do it."
TarHeelBlue: In all your years of coaching, did you ever think about possibly coaching in Chapel Hill someday?
Coach Tranquill: "Yes, I did. As I said, I've been here a number of times. (Laughing) I've never lost in this stadium."
TarHeelBlue: Let's keep it that way.
Coach Tranquill: "I've always been impressed with this place. It's a great area, a great school. I always thought it was a great place.
"From an institutional point of view, it's got a great reputation. I think it's a great place. It was influential in my decision to come here."
TarHeelBlue: Tell me a little bit about your family.
Coach Tranquill: "I've got two kids. I've got a daughter, Kari, who lives in altimore. She has four boys, from nine to twins at three.
"My son, Christopher, is a graduate of the Naval Academy. He just moved to Portland, Ore. He's got two boys, one three and one about nineteen months. So I've got six grandchildren, all boys.
"My wife Shirley is very involved with gymnastics, she judges and does choreography all over the country. That's good, because she's very independent, which is what a football coach's wife needs to be. She hasn't missed many games in the 39 years we've been married. She's a tremendous fan.
"She always kept the home fires the way they should be, and she did a great job raising our two children.
"She's involved in a lot of things, she's got a lot of energy. She's a great lady."
TarHeelBlue: How do you relax. How do you get away from it all?
Coach Tranquill: "I used to play golf until I hurt the rotator cuff in my left shoulder about 15 years ago. Then I took up fly fishing about ten years ago.
"I tie flies, it's relaxing for me. I don't get to go very often, but when I do it's a great way to get away from it all.
"That's what I like to do. I like to fish."
TarHeelBlue: Do you feel rejuvenated starting here in Chapel Hill? Are you fired up again?
Coach Tranquill: "I don't think I've ever been un-fired up.
"Yes, I'm rejuvenated, if that's the right word. I'm anxious, I'm anxious to get going with the football part of it. First, we've got a lot of recruiting to do.
"I'm anxious to sit with the coaches and start hashing out what we're going to do. I'm anxious to get into spring practice. I'm ready to see Ronald Curry.
"That fires you up, all that stuff. I don't think it's any different for me now than it was 25 years ago.
"Those fires in the belly burn."
