4 Questions With Kirk Mitchell,

Hamilton County Football Head Coach

ITG Next does 4 Questions with Hamilton County football head coach Kirk Mitchell.

Q. How long have you been involved in coaching high school football, and what or who got you started?
A. “I’ve been coaching for nine years and was called to coaching by the influences of the men who coached me.”

Q. You recently completed your first season as head coach at Hamilton County. Was this your first head coaching position?
A. “Yes, this was my first head coaching job.”

Q. What’s the biggest difference between being an assistant coach and being a head coach?
A. “The biggest difference is learning that you have much more to manage. You have more people to manage, more of everything to manage. It’s a huge jump to go from coaching as an assistant and being responsible for one thing, or one area, to being responsible for many different things and many different areas. The buck stops with you when you’re the head coach. (laughs)”

Q. What lessons did you learn as a head coach this past season?
A. “Patience. The biggest thing I learned was patience. I also learned to be a good listener. You have to understand that each one of your assistant coaches will have ideas and thoughts to share with you, and you have to employ those two skills: Patience and listening to what they have to say.”