Coach Jones came to a football program that lacked in several key areas my freshmen year, one of which was character. Over the next four years, would witness him fight an uphill battle with a town that didn’t understand why young men needed to be taught character to play football games. This was evident by previous administrations’ players offering less than acceptable performance when adversity would present itself. Selfishness, disrespect, and childlike attitudes would plague the team that my Coach was constructing. Character traits like these, that had previously been allowed if you were big, fast, or knew someone, were suddenly unwelcome in Coach Jones’s football program. New requirements were implemented in “Themes of the Week,” where players learned what it took and meant to be a Pirate. He would persist in teaching his core values to these athletes to better their future selves, so that when the last Friday night game was played, these young men would continue to be great men of character in society.
Coach Jones taught the young men of this town how to work hard and serve members of the community by creating programs like “Hire a Pirate.” In this program, locals engaged with the Pirates that they cheered on during a Friday night game and players gave back to the fans that supported them. Skills were developed, work ethic was taught, and bonds were built by the players who participated. These funds raised by “Hire a Pirate” were used to provide needed equipment and supplies to benefit the athletes in the Football program.
Coach Jones implemented additional programs like “Unity Council,” where certain teammates would be placed in leadership roles to both teach them how to become leaders and to handle situations that would never be brought to a Coach’s attention. This created an even stronger bond between players by having someone else to talk to in times of need and by providing comfort knowing that someone always had your back. Every grade would have multiple members in the council, leading by example and teaching or reminding what it takes to be a Pirate.
Coach Jones built a program that placed these young men in every Church the wonderful town of Bristow has to offer, providing a well-rounded experience with each denomination. This introduced the values of faith and built a relationship with God without one even realizing it. The young men in the BHS Football Program would begin to develop relationships with various caring church members who would provide nourishment before games so that no one ever played hungry. We ate as a Team-- something we had only thought we had been before. We ate as a Family-- something some of my classmates never had.
Writing this is not a discussion or a debate. It is not to explain losses or make excuses, nor is it to explain how desperately Bristow needs men like Coach Jones. This is a thank you. This is recognition.
This is an acknowledgment for what a man has done for a town that he had never called home before he moved here. Coach Brett Jones built a culture for the young men at BHS surrounded by Faith and Family.
Character, Honor, and Toughness are traits that he introduced to athletes who knew little meaning of the words. Protect the Family.