VYPE: How many years have you been a coach? How many years at Pauls Valley?
DUSTY RAPER: This will be my 20th season coaching football. I have been in Pauls Valley for 10, 7 as Head Coach.
VYPE: Do you teach? If so, what subject?
DR: I have always taught history. I like teaching. It gives you a chance to be around other kids that aren’t in your program and I love history. I had some really good history teachers, who were also coaches growing up and I think that is why I like it so much.
VYPE: Who or what inspired you to become a coach?
DR: I feel like this is one of the most important professions anyone can do. You get to have an impact and hopefully help your players become productive citizens. Some of the most rewarding times in our profession are seeing kids that had the odds stacked against them graduate and go on to be productive in the world.
VYPE: Why is coaching/teaching important?
DR: My parents are who inspired me to get into this profession and become a teacher and a coach. My mom was a teacher and my dad was a football coach at Davis for 40 years. I also had several other great coaches that I either played for or coached with. I am very lucky in that aspect. I had the opportunity to play for three coaches in high school that are in the Hall of Fame and more will be soon.
VYPE: Why is it important for young people to play sports?
DR: I think it is very important for kids to be involved in sports and for several different reasons. Some kids need sports because they know they will be around people that care about them and are willing to do everything to help them succeed not only in the sport but in life. Some kids may not graduate high school if they weren’t being held accountable by the coaches in the sport. Other kids need it because it teaches you how to handle adversity. I love all sports but I feel like football is the ultimate team sport. There is no success if everyone is not working together. That teaches kids how to be selfless and work for something bigger than themselves. I feel like that is a vital life lesson for kids today to learn. We talk about this with our players often. They are growing up in the me generation and it’s our job as coaches to teach them the importance of we over me.
VYPE: What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced as a coach? How did you persevere?
DR: Without a doubt the toughest challenge for me as a coach has been dealing with players passing away. Unfortunately that is something that we have had to deal with a couple of times over the years. There is nothing that anyone can teach you about how to handle that situation. It is devastating for the parents, players, coaches and the whole community. That is something that stays with you everyday for the rest of your life. You think about them almost every day. I don’t think there is a good way to deal with the most terrible situation you can imagine. My wife and our faith helped me cope during those tough times. Talking to other coaches who have also dealt with this unfortunate situation and also just spending time with the team, coaches and classmates helped us get through those difficult times.
VYPE: What’s your best advice to young coaches?
DR: The best advice I could give a young coach is do whatever is asked. Do the things that people don’t see. Like laundry, cleaning, loading film, etc. X’s and O’s are maybe the least of my concern when hiring an assistant coach. The things we want to know are do you care about kids, are you willing to learn and work doing whatever needs to be done.
VYPE: What are your goals for this year’s team?
DR: The goals for this team are the same we have every year. Be the best team we can be when it matters. Some years the best you can be is different from others. We feel like if we can stay healthy and together we have a chance to have a very good football team. In my opinion class 3A is the most competitive class in Oklahoma. There are so many good teams in 3A and very few, if any, teams that are not very good. You have to be ready to play every week or you’re going to get beat. We do feel like if everything goes right we have a great opportunity to be in the conversation late in the year. Our kids are working very hard and they have a goal in mind and are doing everything possible to give us a chance to achieve it. We are very excited to start the season.
