COMBINED LOCKS, Wis.— This was the day the separation became final. Even when you know it’s coming, and all the details have been finalized, and it’s been as harmonious as you hoped, it still kind of … sucks.
“Honestly, I’m hurting a little bit,’’ said Steve Jones, looking every bit the regular guy relaxing on his backyard patio.
It was the first day of the 2022 high school football season. But the man who put together perhaps the greatest 11-year coaching run ever in the state of Wisconsin — 129-9 record, state-record 70-game winning streak, 10 conference championships and five consecutive WIAA state championships at Kimberly High School — was on the sideline after taking himself out of the game.
“I feel sad,’’ said Jones. “I feel anxious. Yeah, I have a rush of emotions. So, I knew it was coming. When I made the decision, I knew it was gonna be hard. And it’s difficult today. It was difficult all week.”
He would not be attending the Papermakers’ season opener this night. He was going camping.
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This was no snap decision. Like many things in life, a confluence of events leads to change. This was no different for Steve Jones.
The leadership classes he introduced at Kimberly High School became a must-take elective. Two sections became 12. Then students wanted a Leadership 2 curriculum, then a Leadership 3. They came from all walks of life.
“The kids really enjoyed it,’’ said Jones, “and I think it was hopefully good for our school and our community.”
With his team winning regularly, businesses and organizations wanted to take a peek behind the curtain. They began inviting Jones to speak to their employees, asking him to share the secret sauce that made his teams so successful.
He also met Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, a global capital equipment and engineering consulting company and author of the book “Everybody Matters.” He was a people-centric guy who was big on leadership, big on culture — precisely the things that got Jones’ blood flowing. They developed a relationship.
“So about three years ago, he’s like, ‘You know, Steve, you’re doing a lot of really nice things in your football program, and in your classroom,’” said Jones. “‘But how are you impacting this world on a larger scale? What’s your plan?’"
“It was just in a conversation, but that question really rattled in my brain for a while. Like, ‘What more can I do? Can I, maybe, make a bigger impact in some way?’”
He did not want to look back 30 years from now and wonder, “What if?” That applied to his family as well.
“My son is kind of getting to this age where he’s seven-years-old. I didn’t grow up with a dad and so one of my goals in life is to be a good dad,’’ said Jones. “And there’s a lot of people that can do both really well and be a great head football coach and a great dad."
“But I felt like, even when I was home sometimes, I wasn’t here mentally. When you’re head coach, you’re constantly thinking about things. So I just had had the idea of maybe if I can have a little bit more control over my calendar, my schedule, I can be a part of some of these memories that I’ll never get back.”
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Lucas Jadin was the junior varsity girls’ basketball coach at Appleton North. He was no different than so many others, admiring from afar the success of the Kimberly program and wondered, “How do they do it?”
So he gave Jones a call and asked to meet with him.
“I’m not proud of this …” said Jones.
He blew him off.
“So, about two months later, I get a text message from my sister-in-law,” said Jones. “And she said, ‘I’m at this conference, and I’m sitting next to a guy named Lucas Jadin. And he seems like an awesome guy. And he said he’s been trying to get a hold of you. Stop being such a jerk and call him back.’”
They met in Jones’ classroom. Macaroni, meet cheese.
“He wanted to come and learn from me, but I left with more information than he did,’’ said Jones. “I left with like three or four pages of notes of stuff that he was doing. He was really into the mental side of the game. And he is one of the most intelligent, thoughtful people that I know.”
More conversations were had, more ideas exchanged and the idea of writing a book was born – The Twin Thieves.
The reviews on Amazon read like this: “Great leadership message.” “Must read.” “If 10 stars were an option …” “A book that should be read and reread.” “This is a modern day masterpiece.”
Jadin was struck more by who Jones was than anything he had to say in their initial meeting.
“There’s really two things,” said Jadin. “He’s relentless when it comes to preparation, detail and communication. But the biggest factor was how he truly loved his people, and how that was contagious among his high schoolers.”
The meeting that turned into a book was now ready to turn into a partnership. They decided they would help other organizations build successful cultures, teach them to be great leaders, and help them experience success.
Jones said he constantly preached to his students and players about taking positive risks in their lives. He knew it was his time to put that into practice.
“Kimberly, they’ve been able to have him in their kind of little sphere for the longest time,” said Jadin. “And now the world is going to see just how special he is in a lot of ways.”
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You probably know you’ve made a good career move when one of the first calls you get is from the Green Bay Packers, inviting you to speak to their front office, coaching and scouting staffs.
“I got a text from one of their player development individuals,” Jones said, “saying, ‘Hey, do you have this date in June free, coach LaFleur is interested in having you come and speak.'”
Jones said he would find the time.
“A few days later, my phone rings and Matt LaFleur is on the other end and asked me to go down to Kohler and speak to the coaching staff and the scouting department and Mark Murphy and his whole leadership team,’’ said Jones.
“And this happens before I’m even done teaching. So it’s a great opportunity to say the least. Especially for a guy like Matt, who is an unbelievable human being. That’s one thing I found, just an awesome person. And the Green Bay Packers, and being from Wisconsin; if that’s one of your first opportunities, that’s a heck of a deal.”
Of course, he wondered why the Packers would be interested in what a high school football coach had to say. And of course his palms started to perspire when he walked into the room and saw LaFleur, Murphy, general manager Brian Gutekunst and special teams coach Rich Bisaccia sitting in the front row, iPads in hand and ready to take notes.
“And here I am, straight out of coaching high school football,’’ said Jones. “But one thing I will tell you, there’s a reason why the Green Bay Packers are one of the best organizations in the world. They treat people really well. And they didn’t make me feel that way. It was a great experience.”
Jones and his wife spent the night in Kohler, and the next day played Whistling Straits with LaFleur and his wife. Perhaps most important, his message was well-received.
“Yeah, it was great feedback,” Jones said. “It was awesome because that night we got to have dinner and everybody was there for a social. Sometimes when you give a presentation, you leave and you don’t really know. And so I got to spend time and get some feedback."
“And since then, Matt and I have been in contact. He’s invited me over to training camp. I spent the first week of training camp there. And I was just there this week again and so, starting to hopefully develop a relationship with him and the Green Bay Packers.”
Insurance companies, businesses and colleges have also sought out Jones, as well as at least one Power 5 college football program. Last week, he and Jadin were guests of the Los Angeles Dodgers and had a three-hour breakfast with manager Dave Roberts discussing leadership.
“I think the toughest part for me is just those relationships, those bonds you have with the players and the coaching staff,’’ said Jones about high school coaching. “And we’ll always have those bonds, but it’s not the same when you’re not there day-to-day, and that’s what I think you miss the most."
“So that’s where this conflict, the feeling I have of wanting to be around the program and being around these kids. But if I was doing that day-to-day, I wouldn’t have some of these other opportunities.
“So I am extremely grateful for all the people I’ve gotten to meet and the experiences in this short time already. This summer has been remarkable.”
And with that, it was time to go camping.
Story idea? You can reach Mike Woods at 920-246-6321 or at: michael.t.woods1@charter.com