Q: I have to ask... How did you get the nickname "Bear"?
A: I was a large baby and my mom called me Kenny the Pooh Bear. My real name is Kenneth, from there Bear just stuck.
Q: Last summer you took over as lacrosse Head Coach and Athletic Director at Archbishop Spalding, a private high school in Severn, Maryland. Aside from the rich lacrosse tradition at Spalding, what lead you away Robert Morris?
A: Being an NCAA DI coach requires a certain amount of demand that you have to weigh out. After 8 years and a couple kids later the pros were no longer more than the cons. I loved it, will always cherish the memories but felt like it was time to stay home more with my family during these years.
Q: You have started two college varsity lacrosse programs (Wheeling Jesuit and Robert Morris) from scratch and turned them into winners in a very short period. Apparently you like a good challenge. What is your secret?
A: The recipe is different from year to year and certainly program to program. I would say if I had to make a top 3 list I would …
1) Create a vision of where you see the program and build your plan backwards. You need to share your vision in order to gain momentum toward it.
2) Surround yourself with doers, not nay sayers.
3) Never sacrifice character.
Q: One of your former Wheeling Jesuit lacrosse players, and 2002 Hilliard Davidson graduate, Dom Marzano was recently named Head Lacrosse Coach at your Alma Mater, Wilmington College. How excited are you for him? I see Dom has continued the Hilliard-to-Wilmington pipeline that Brent Adams started in 1989.
A: Great story. I would say this is one of my happiest fruitions of my career. I was on the first (lacrosse) team at HHS. Started the club team at Wilmington College, varsity at WJU and Robert Morris. This will be all that wrapped up in one. Dom just hired one of my former players at RMU , Kyle Buchannan! All great people and of course a great school. Should be a real positive experience for everyone.
Q: You helped coach the Czech Republic national lacrosse team. Is that the furthest sports has ever taken you? I know my coaching experiences have afforded me to travel all over the country.
A: Lacrosse has allowed me to meet my wife, travel the world and shape my character of who I am. Yes, it has taken me places!
Q: Back to football... What is your favorite Hilliard football memory?
A: No question all my boys. I love every single one of them. I will be a Wildcat forever, just ask my wife. Just being in the locker room prior to game time knowing that I was privileged enough to play the game with the guys I loved was an awesome experience. My favorite memory however was when I was younger an watching the High School players walk from the locker room at the high school down Scioto Darby to the game field (Memorial Field). There was paw prints on the road lining the way. That was a great tradition. Then hanging out at Luigi’s after the game was always fun.
Q: How and when did your family end up in Hilliard?
A: My dad worked on the railroad, like many of my generation and prior. Hilliards Station used to be up on the old score board in the middle school gym. Ha
Q: Did you have a favorite Hilliard "hot spot" in high school?
A: We would go to Stan's Pizza on Cemetary. Or if we wanted to take over the Dublin McDonalds because we could, we would.
Q: How often do you come back to Hilliard?
A: I come back 2 times a year.
Q: If you could give any advice to the current Hilliard Davidson football players what would it be?
A: Here are two great quotes I live every day by:
1) Make every day count, really count.
2) These are the Good Old Days
A: I was a large baby and my mom called me Kenny the Pooh Bear. My real name is Kenneth, from there Bear just stuck.
Q: Last summer you took over as lacrosse Head Coach and Athletic Director at Archbishop Spalding, a private high school in Severn, Maryland. Aside from the rich lacrosse tradition at Spalding, what lead you away Robert Morris?
A: Being an NCAA DI coach requires a certain amount of demand that you have to weigh out. After 8 years and a couple kids later the pros were no longer more than the cons. I loved it, will always cherish the memories but felt like it was time to stay home more with my family during these years.
Q: You have started two college varsity lacrosse programs (Wheeling Jesuit and Robert Morris) from scratch and turned them into winners in a very short period. Apparently you like a good challenge. What is your secret?
A: The recipe is different from year to year and certainly program to program. I would say if I had to make a top 3 list I would …
1) Create a vision of where you see the program and build your plan backwards. You need to share your vision in order to gain momentum toward it.
2) Surround yourself with doers, not nay sayers.
3) Never sacrifice character.
Q: One of your former Wheeling Jesuit lacrosse players, and 2002 Hilliard Davidson graduate, Dom Marzano was recently named Head Lacrosse Coach at your Alma Mater, Wilmington College. How excited are you for him? I see Dom has continued the Hilliard-to-Wilmington pipeline that Brent Adams started in 1989.
A: Great story. I would say this is one of my happiest fruitions of my career. I was on the first (lacrosse) team at HHS. Started the club team at Wilmington College, varsity at WJU and Robert Morris. This will be all that wrapped up in one. Dom just hired one of my former players at RMU , Kyle Buchannan! All great people and of course a great school. Should be a real positive experience for everyone.
Q: You helped coach the Czech Republic national lacrosse team. Is that the furthest sports has ever taken you? I know my coaching experiences have afforded me to travel all over the country.
A: Lacrosse has allowed me to meet my wife, travel the world and shape my character of who I am. Yes, it has taken me places!
Q: Back to football... What is your favorite Hilliard football memory?
A: No question all my boys. I love every single one of them. I will be a Wildcat forever, just ask my wife. Just being in the locker room prior to game time knowing that I was privileged enough to play the game with the guys I loved was an awesome experience. My favorite memory however was when I was younger an watching the High School players walk from the locker room at the high school down Scioto Darby to the game field (Memorial Field). There was paw prints on the road lining the way. That was a great tradition. Then hanging out at Luigi’s after the game was always fun.
Q: How and when did your family end up in Hilliard?
A: My dad worked on the railroad, like many of my generation and prior. Hilliards Station used to be up on the old score board in the middle school gym. Ha
Q: Did you have a favorite Hilliard "hot spot" in high school?
A: We would go to Stan's Pizza on Cemetary. Or if we wanted to take over the Dublin McDonalds because we could, we would.
Q: How often do you come back to Hilliard?
A: I come back 2 times a year.
Q: If you could give any advice to the current Hilliard Davidson football players what would it be?
A: Here are two great quotes I live every day by:
1) Make every day count, really count.
2) These are the Good Old Days