Most state championship wins in Kentucky State history[5]
Robert Beatty (born 7 June 1955) is a football coach and the former head football coach for the Trinity Shamrocks, a high school American football team located at Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the most successful High School Football coach in Kentucky state history by championships won, with 15 state championship titles and one national championship during his nearly forty-year-long career.[5]
Beatty's coaching career began in 1978, when he began working as an assistant coach and teacher at Clinton High School in Clinton, Missouri, where he stayed for two years until he moved to William Jewell College.[7]
William Jewell College
In 1980, Beatty accepted a job as the offensive coordinator for William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, where he worked until 1986. During his tenure, William Jewell reached the NAIA Division II Football National Championship quarterfinals four times, every year between 1980 and 1983. The team never won the championship; the Cardinals were eliminated in the 1980 and 1983 semifinals, the 1981 quarterfinals and the 1982 championship match.[8] In 1986, Beatty left the college and moved to Blue Springs, Missouri. He was also a teacher during his time at the school.[7]
1982 National Championship
In 1982, while Beatty was offensive coordinator, William Jewell College reached the NAIA Division II Football National Championship, where they played against Linfield College.[9] According to multiple sources, including the Kansas City Star and The Statesman Journal, which covered the event, William Jewell lost mainly because of the team's lackluster defense;[10][11][12] as William Jewell's offensive team under Beatty scored an 86-yard touchdown in the first 19 seconds of the game. After the game, William Jewell head coach Vic Wallace said, "We haven't played against anybody who did a better job of attacking our defense than they did".[13]
Coaching Record at William Jewell
Below is a year-by-year breakdown of Beatty's record while serving as offensive coordinator for the William Jewell Cardinals.
[14]
In 1986, Beatty became the offensive coordinator at Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs, Missouri, remaining as such until 1997. During this time, Blue Springs won the 1992 MSHSAA State Football Championship and came second in the 1995 MSHSAA State Football Championship.[15] In 1997, Beatty was offered the position of head coach, which he accepted and served in the role until 2000, when he moved to Louisville, Kentucky.[2] Beatty was also a teacher during his employment at the school.[7]
Trinity High School
Beatty moved to Trinity High School, Louisville in 2000 to be the head coach of the Trinity Shamrocks Football team. The next year, he led the team to victory over rivals Male High School in the state championships. Beatty's teams also won the state championships in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. In 2013, the Shamrocks finished the season 6–6; Beatty took this as a sign he needed a complete restructure, saying, "It's been a long time since we ended a season with a loss. You find out whether you want to spit that taste out of your mouth or swallow it again."[16]
Beatty removed all but one of his defensive coordinators and hired Jay Cobb—a former head coach at Knott County Central, Somerset, and Campbellsville—as the new defensive coordinator.[16] After the changes, Trinity won the state championship in 2014, 2016, and 2017.[17][18] In addition to serving as Trinity's head football coach, Beatty also works as a teacher for freshmen at the school. He teaches a course that combines physical education and health education.[7]
State championship record
Below is a list of Trinity High School's state championship wins during Beatty's time as head coach:
The official logo of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl
2012 All-American Bowl
In 2012, Beatty was selected to be one of the West's assistant coaches at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was responsible for coaching the team's offensive players. That year, the West won 24–12.[40][41]
2013 All-American Bowl
In 2013, Beatty was chosen to be the East's head coach, where his team won 15–8. Beatty was accompanied to the Bowl by Trinity wide receiver James Quick, who was also selected to be the 2013 MVP.[40][41]
Coaching method
In late May 2013, a Trinity player told Beatty, "I can't wait for practice to start."; Beatty reportedly was surprised by the remark and replied, "You're ready for me to scream and yell and cuss and spit?". "Sure," the player said. "You're not my friend. You're my coach." According to Beatty, he smiled because that is how he approaches his players. "I don't have 17-year-old friends, I have 17-year-old champions."[2]
According to Beatty, his team trains, practices, and plays for eleven months of the year. In 2013, he stated, "If you are going to be in this program, you have to punch the clock". In late April, when Beatty starts practices for the next season, he reportedly tells his players, "You better pray hard, because you belong to me now". He said in an interview, "We try to get more done in two hours than other teams do in two weeks. There are no superfluous meetings. It's all about efficiency and winning."[2]
Beatty coached former Trinity wide receiver James Quick, who graduated in 2013 as a U.S. Army Bowl participant and won the Kentucky Mr. Football award.[43] In 2017, Quick signed to join the Washington Redskins.[44]
During his nearly forty-year-long career, Beatty has sent over sixty former players to the collegiate level and four former players to the National Football League.
Notable former Blue Springs players under Beatty
Below is an incomplete list of notable former Blue Springs players under Beatty:
In 2012, he was named the Russel Athletic Coach of the Year. The award honors the nation's top high school football coach, recognizing exceptional coaching abilities and leadership skills, and serving as a positive influence on the youth of America.[3]
In 2013, he was named by Athlon Sports as the tenth-most influential high school football coach in the U.S.[2]
Beatty and his wife Jayne have two adult children, Jennifer and David.[7] In 2005, David graduated from Trinity High School, where Beatty was the head coach.[7]
Friendship with Bobby Petrino
According to Beatty, he and former Louisville Cardinals head football coach Bobby Petrino have a long history and friendship. Petrino has recruited and coached multiple former Trinity players, including quarterback Brian Brohm[45][46][47] and Washington Redskins wide receiver James Quick. Beatty has also coached Petrino's son Nick at Trinity High School. According to Beatty, the two have reportedly talked at length about football since Beatty moved to Louisville in 2000. Beatty also credits Petrino with helping him through some "growing pains" he experienced when he started coaching at Trinity.[48]
In 2014, when Beatty was asked whether Petrino had ever discussed giving him a job on his previous staffs, Beatty said, "I'm not going to say that I haven't, but it hasn't presented itself yet, so we'll worry about that if the time comes". Beatty also said he has been grateful Petrino has "always treated high school coaches with the utmost respect" and has been willing to swap ideas with them. According to Beatty, "There have been times I would go to (U of L's) practice, and all of a sudden I'll see something that I've done [at Trinity], and he'll look over at me and say, 'Hey, where did I get that?'".[48]
United States
