York Gets Plenty Of Homework, Plus Tips From Spouse
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usWhen Rod York needs a sounding board before a game, he knows he’ll always get the unvarnished truth from wife Lynn.
“Sometimes she’s more worried than me,” said Mililani High’s first-year head coach.
“Yes, I stress out a lot about it,” admitted Lynn. “I am his biggest critic,” she added with a laugh. “If there are things I see, I’ll let him know; and yet, I’m also his biggest supporter as well - to even it all out.”
The Yorks have been together for 15 years now and don’t have children yet - biological ones anyway. “We have 75 children, which is the Mililani team,” said York, who was named Mililani’s head coach in the off-season when Darnell Arceneaux left to coach at his alma mater, Saint Louis. He hasn’t broken stride yet as the prep football season rushes toward climax. The Trojans entered last weekend on the brink of another history-making event, needing only a win over Waianae (the teams have already split a pair of games this fall) to advance to this Friday’s Division I state championship game. For York, the time put in has been deemed well-worth it, even if he’s devoting six to seven hours a day to football. He also teaches special education and driver’s ed at Mililani.
“There’s never a day off during the season - it’s seven days a week, but the pros outweigh the cons,” he admitted. “Going from a (defensive) coordinator to head coach, you have a lot more responsibility, and that extends to the community. You learn to make the most of your rest time, and you value your sleep time. There are a lot of sacrifices, but it’s been fun.”
York goes to bed around midnight after watching film, and he likes to say he wakes up around 6 a.m., “but it’s usually 7.”
Ah, yes, the film. Mililani’s football week begins Sunday when York and staff exchange game film with that week’s opponent. After watching it, the staff re-assembles Sunday nights to game plan for Friday. Often, they don’t leave the Mililani campus until 10 p.m. Despite his varied responsibilities, York is a head coach who trusts his assistants to do their jobs. His instruction to offensive coordinator Bobby George earlier was simply that the offense “be balanced.”
“He does a good job of relying on the other coaches,” Lynn added. “He has a lot on his plate - he’s busy seven days a week - but he manages to do it.”
Added York with characteristic humor: “I can’t even remember yesterday, to be honest. That’s why I need film.”
The Trojan Nation will be amused to learn that Lynn is a counselor at Leilehua, which has long been Mililani’s arch rival due to geography and the fact that both are top tier programs. Lynn - she was known as Lynn Kaneshiro before she was married - was an athlete herself, having played volleyball and basketball at Aiea.
“He’s lucky I love football,” she laughed. “I’ve always liked it. I like to watch other sports, too. When he’s watching football (to scout an upcoming opponent), he’ll break down the play for me.”
Added York: “You have to have good people around you. I’ve been fortunate to be in a good situation. My wife makes a lot of sacrifices, and I couldn’t do it without her.”
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