|
| Coach Porter |
Jeff
Porter
Head Coach
Jeff Porter starts his 22nd season at White House
in 2008 as the head coach, with a record of 190-72 over parts of the last three decades at the helm of the Blue Devils.
Porter served as an assistant
under head coaches Robert Lassiter and Bill Locke, before taking the reigns of the program in 1987. He is a 1977 graduate
of Gallatin High
School, a classmate and teammate of offensive coordinator Jim Grantham for the Green
Wave. He and Grantham have been together the longest at White House – with this the 23rd year – and
most of the current full-time staff has been a part of the Blue Devil program since 1992, except for a pair of brothers added
as assistants in the last three years.
Jeff attended Volunteer State in Gallatin and played baseball his sophomore season, receiving his associate degree and transferring to Middle Tennessee State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in health and education. He received
his masters degree in health, physical education, recreation and safety in the fall of 1982, and while attending college,
worked under Gallatin head coach Calvin Short as
a statistician and also served as a TSSAA referee and umpire.
He accepted his first coaching position at Richborough Junior High in Crestview, Fla., but left to return to Tennessee, where he
joined Lassiter’s staff at White House as the linebacker/defensive end coach. He was also head coach of the baseball
team, a position he held for five years with four straight region tournament appearances. Twice the team shared first place
at the end of the season and Coach Porter was named Sumner County’s baseball coach of the year
in 1987.
He now coaches alongside
a former teammate at Gallatin (Grantham), three former Blue Devil players (Honeycutt, Ryan Hamilton and Lamberth, with the
latter two playing under him), and a military veteran (Mike Hamilton).
Coach Porter’s teams have won two District 10-AA championships, two Region 4-3A
championships, two Region 6-4A championships and one Region 5-3A title. They have only missed the playoffs once in 20 years
under Coach Porter, a third place finish in the old district when the TSSAA only took two teams.
The Blue Devils won the state championship in 1997,
have made 16 straight playoff appearances across two classifications, ended the season as a semifinalist four times (1990,
93, 98 and 2004), ended as a state quarterfinalist six times (1994, 96, 2000-01, 05, 07), and have 16 first round playoff
victories under the current head coach. From 1997-98, the Blue Devils won 21 straight regular season games, broken by David
Lipscomb in overtime, and won eight straight playoff games, broken by Roane County in the state semifinals.
Coach Porter and wife Elizabeth, married 20 years, reside
in White House with daughters Haley (17) and Lacey (13).
Q: Did you get into teaching to coach, or did
you want to be a teacher from the start?
A: “I got into teaching to coach. I always wanted to coach baseball and never desired to be a head football coach.
When (then principal Bobby Jo) Mr. Langford told me I was going to be the head football coach, I had to get out of baseball
because it would be impossible to do both and do justice to either one. Baseball was a big part of my life and I started coaching
when I was 16 years old, so I guess it was time to move to the next phase.”
Q: Do you like the football offseason, and what’s it like for you?
A: “Time wise, leaving here at night is the same
as in season, you just don’t have the weekly stress of the game to prepare. But the offseason’s biggest stress
is that it’s a long haul, but it’s a necessity in order to improve the program. I really enjoy seeing our kids
play other sports, I think that’s very important for our overall school and community.”
Q: What is the best part of the week of preparation leading up to the game?
A: “My favorite part is watching a game plan go in and seeing a
group of players buy into it and then them go out and execute it. It’s a process.”
Q: What’s your favorite part of Friday night under the lights?
A:
“I love hearing the motivational talks of the other coaches and just seeing the looks of our players’ eyes before
we hit the field. And then knowing your family is going to be there for you after the game as you come off the field, whether
in victory or defeat, and it doesn’t matter to them. They want to see us succeed, but they are also great encouragers
when we come up short. And I really enjoy the intensity that comes from our players when reciting the pre-game prayer.”
Q: Many fans and media agree the staff at White House is full of potential head coaches, but you all have stayed together
for a long time. What makes it work?
A: “I think
the number one thing is they have a tremendous love and respect for this school. I think there are very strong friendships
and bonds among the staff. We’re just human beings like anyone else and we’ve been together through the highest
of highs, but more importantly we have been there for each other through the lowest of lows. It really is a true statement,
that the highest of highs never equals the lowest of lows. I think being there for each other has been very important to this
group of men. I have the utmost respect for them and I have a very deep appreciation for the job they do and my hope is that
I can always adequately express to them how much I appreciate them and respect them for what they give back to this team,
our school and community.”
Coaching profiles
by Kris Freeman are the property of White House High School football. For more on the coaching staff, visit www.whitehousefootball.com .
