Our ITG Next Florida 4 Questions with the Coach segment this week is Destin High School head football coach E.G. Green. The former Fort Walton Beach Viking standout returned to the Panhandle to lead the all-new Destin High Sharks football program two seasons ago, and it has not taken him long to produce a winning program. After posting just one win in their first season last year, the Sharks have improved tremendously under Green. They are off to a 6-0 start this season, and one of those wins came against traditional state power Baker High in Week 2.
After leaving FWB, Green played under the legendary Bobby Bowden at Florida State, where he was an All-American, then he went on to enjoy a successful professional career in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts. Let’s find out more about Coach Green, how he has built Destin football into a winner, and his plans for the Sharks beyond this season.
Q. Coach Green, it’s an honor to have you as our guest this week. As I mentioned in the introduction, your background includes a successful high school career at Fort Walton Beach, then successful careers at FSU and professionally with the Colts. What was your path to becoming the first-ever head football coach at the upstart Destin High School?
A. The coaching community is a lot smaller than one would think. Now, take that pool of coaches and narrow it down to an individual sport, football. Thankfully, God aligned everything to my favor – me being a local, a local name, from Fort Walton Beach, being a part of the FWBHS 1991 football championship, my football career at FSU, my professional football career, my career at American Heritage, IMG, etc., and being the son of the Coach Green and Dr. Vivian Green – it was God who put my name in the hat, not me.
So I prayed about it. Prayed about it some more. Asked my mom and my wife about it. I asked God to lead me, and He showed me how everything He exposed me to led to this very point. So with His confirmation and with my wife, family, friends and community’s support, it was fairly easy at that point to say yes. I was blessed with an amazing opportunity. I’m all in. Locked in, at that.
Q. How did you approach the job, being that everything is new? What were your expectations right out of the gate, and what was that first-ever team meeting like?
A. Thankfully, as I said to your last question, God exposed me to similar situations, including being the interim head coach at IMG. I love building, especially ground up – so much so that I dabbled in construction after my professional football career, was a superintendent for 10 years. I love mentoring kids, especially, student-athletes. Having parents who were both God-fearing, successful educators who mentored in the community and who were both athletic competitors, I was given a baseline from day one of my life.
My approach to matters is very much inherited. Although I am far from the beings that my mom and dad are, there’s no denying that I am from them. With that said, it is part of my normality to have high expectations. I say that because not everyone has the same baseline or definition. I don’t believe that I’m better than any man or woman, I’m just speaking my truth. If you were at all familiar with who my parents were, let alone had ever met them, honestly, you’d understand my philosophy of life. The first meeting is equally as important to me as last week’s. We’re growing and will continue to grow. We, both the school and the football program, have the support of the community, so we will continue to grow. My goal is to see our game on ESPN. That’s the potential [growth] that I see and believe we have.
Q. Congratulations on the great start to this season. What has been the catalyst behind the rapid rise of your Destin football program, and what are your goals for the Sharks moving forward? Are there specific criteria with your goals, such as winning the district or the region, or even competing for a state championship within a certain time frame?
A. Talented kids need talented coaches. Period. My team of coaches not only support my vision but share my vision. How many head coaches can say that? God is just an intentional and amazing God. This is only part of His plan. Without God and the support from our school board, administration, staff, parents, the community and the sponsors, we wouldn’t be as successful.
I think my dad has something to do with it too. The weight room and nutrition played a role as well. Honestly, I have great, hard-working kids – some played, some never played, but regardless, they are willing to put in the work. And what we are all watching are the results of my coaching staff, the kids and all the work they pour into it. But again, that’s God putting everyone in place and putting the will in their hearts and minds to make this thing happen.
Q. What players have been a part of this startup Destin football program? They are and will always be trailblazers for getting this program up and off the ground right? Feel free to name as many of them as you like.
A. Naming names is hard, because you don’t ever want to leave anyone out, right? Last year, our varsity team was made up of about 75% freshmen. But man, did they fight. All of them. If you watch the films, they gave it their all. Twice we went to overtime. With that many freshmen? Look, we were outmatched in size and experience, but I did have some dogs. Dogs with heart. I love all my kids and I hope they know that. I asked for them to give me their all, and they did just that. I want to leave my kids with memories, moments, that they can have stored when they need a little boost in life. I pray that I’m planting seeds that are simply pleasing to God.
If I was to name the trailblazers, Sonny Taylor, Nick Latson, Brick Larabee, Ethan Ramsey, Jared Cutts, Deshawn Ford, Christian Harnish, Brandon Harnish, Price Bowen, Greg “Junior” Harris, Gabe Escalera, Dalton Taylor, and Tracen Traham are definitely among them. Some have since graduated, but thankfully, I still have most of them for another year or two. This year, our quarterback, Hugh Bordeaux, is one to watch. How blessed am I to have him added to our roster of talented young men? God is good – and He has to be a fan of football.
