Football: Preston pushes for victory on and off the field
By JOE HETTLER
Assistant Sports Editor
When talking about football, Notre Dame running backs and special teams coach Buzz Preston sounds a lot like head coach Tyrone Willingham.
Both expect the same things out of their players and have similar philosophies on football — they want their players to win in every aspect of life. These similar beliefs may explain why Preston fits so well on Willingham's staff.
"I expect them to give their best every time and try to not only be good football players but good people," Preston said. "Hopefully, try to reach for everything they want, try to be everything they can in life."
What if his players do not give their best?
"That's not an option," Preston said. "I don't give up on kids. I don't ever think you should give up anyone unless they give up on themselves, that's the only way it's not going to happen. In coaching you're here to help young men grow in every phase of their life and that's what I feel very strongly about."
Preston started his coaching career at his alma mater, Hawaii, as a graduate assistant for three years. He then headed to Southern Illinois in 1984 to become the wide receivers and defensive backs coach. From there, Preston went back to Hawaii as the special teams, wide receivers, defensive backs coach and strength and conditioning coordinator. During his time there, Preston helped lead the Rainbows to their first two bowl games in the history of the school's football program. He also was part of the 1992 Hawaii team that went 11-2.
After five seasons at Washington State and a year at UNLV, Preston was hired by Willingham in 1999 to be the running backs coach at Stanford. During his tenure there, Preston helped build a running game that led the PAC-10 in rushing for the first time in its history by notching 201 yards per game. In the first season after taking over, Stanford's running backs doubled their yardage from the year before.
During his years as a member of Willingham's staff, the two have developed a friendship that is strongly based on their beliefs about football and life.
"[My relationship with Tyrone Willingham] is one of a great deal of respect and admiration," Preston said. "He's a class act. He holds true to all the virtues that I feel that you have to have as a coach and what you want to do for young men and for the game. I consider him a friend and I've just been blessed to have the opportunity to part of his program."
All Sports Stories for Friday, April 26, 2002
