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Brian Newberry loves his job.
He loves being Navy’s head football coach, loves living in Annapolis, Maryland, loves being surrounded by future military officers who are playing college football at its purest form before going on to serve.
The only downside of Newberry’s job is the distance. Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay is a long way from Moore, where Newberry was raised. Newberry’s parents, now in their mid-70s, live in the same house in which Newberry grew up. Newberry’s siblings still call Oklahoma home. Several of Newberry’s Westmoore High School teammates and coaches are still in and around the area.
If not for his time at Westmoore, which included an improbable state championship appearance in 1991, the former Jaguars quarterback wouldn’t be where he is today.
“That whole experience is really what led me down the path to get into coaching,” Newberry said Monday over a Zoom call from his Annapolis office.
With Navy set to play Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas, Newberry has done a lot of reflecting on his Sooner State roots. And those who know Newberry best? They couldn’t be more proud of Newberry, who in his early 50s is still the same Brian they remember from high school — save for the thick white beard that frames his face.
Now in his second year as Navy’s head coach, and having just led the Midshipmen to a dominant victory over Army, a bowl game against OU — the school he grew up cheering for — is a perfect way to end the season.
“I have these overwhelming moments of gratitude for where I’m at,” Newberry said. “Very, very fortunate that I get to work here, I get to coach these young men and be around this staff on a daily basis. It’s one of those jobs where you don’t feel like it’s work. That’s never lost on me, how fortunate I am to be…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/navy-coach-brian-newberry-facing-120105739.html
Author : The Oklahoman
Publish date : 2024-12-22 12:01:00
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