Today's interviewee is Cecil Flowe, the former Parkview head coach who this week was selected for the GACA Coaches Hall of Fame. Flowe won four state and six region championships at Parkview from 1993 to 2013, during which he compiled a record of 197-67. In 2000-02, Flowe's Parkview teams became the first in state history to finish 15-0 over three consecutive seasons. Flowe continues to work as an assistant coach at North Forsyth, which has a playoff game tonight against Flowe's old Parkview archrival, Brookwood.
Cecil Flowe, GACA Coaches Hall of Fame selectee
1. What was your reaction when you got word that you were selected for the Hall of Fame? How do you feel about it? Did your career flash in front of you? "My first reaction was, 'Wow!' So many other deserving longtime coaches were and are worthy of this special recognition. And yes, it instantly did [bring career flashbacks]. The Parkview family came into clear view."
2. When you came to Parkview in the early 1990s, Gwinnett County football was just beginning to emerge as a force statewide. Then it broke loose and became dominant. How do you explain that phenomenon? "Dave Hunter showed up at Brookwood with a marvelous vision on how to build a successful competitive state title contender year after year. Charlie Jordan was already in place at Shiloh doing the same thing. Then the mastermind - and I mean that with the utmost respect - T. McFerrin would show up at South Gwinnett and begin to do his magic. Chuck Mize and I landed at Parkview in 1991. We were all connected in very successful DeKalb County schools and all took jobs in Gwinnett. When Chuck was killed, I was fortunate to get the job [in 1993] and followed Dave's lead in program-building. He was brilliant. I had a vision of what Parkview should look like, what the program should stand for. I was raised as a competitor. I got an energy boost when people said it could not be done at Parkview. It drove my vision. We tried to do it better than it had ever been done anywhere. Everyone was a part.
"Gwinnett got on the map with Dave and his Broncos going to Clarke Central in Athens and beating them [in 1987]. We followed suit by going to Athens and beating Cedar Shoals. From then, it was game on. Power football had evolved in Gwinnett County. Every week was a war, so physical, so tough, so relentless. Competition breeds competition. I had a sign made for our weight room that said, 'You have to be willing to go anywhere, play anybody and put YOUR STUFF on the line if you want to be No. 1.' It proved worthy. We played South Georgia powerhouse teams in the regular season like Colquitt, Lowndes, Tift County, Northside-Warner Robins, etc., then in region Brookwood, Shiloh, South Gwinnett, Norcross. Football at its finest. Gwinnett was and is on the map to stay."
3. Feeding off the previous question, what is Parkview's legacy during your time as head coach? What do you hope those teams are remembered for? "Some of this answer is probably in question two. The style of play changed to hard-nosed power, strong football players who lived in the weight room and were all scholar-athletes. Brains and power are a great combination for any football program. One of my best hires was Mark Whitley. I hired him at a UGA coaches clinic. He was instrumental in building our kids in the weight room. He was a fantastic strength coach. We might not have been the most talented, but we made sure we were the strongest and smartest.
"Our legacy was 'leave it better than you found it' with an invitation to raise the bar even higher. Even more, the real legacy was to build a total program - not a team - that would feed itself year after year and produce state championship-capable teams. Anyone can come across a group of guys that can win one time. Still, chemistry has to be right. The acid test of program-building is to establish consistency where players care so much for their team and school that they refuse to lower the bar and prove worthy to compete at the state level. We set the bar higher each year. I was driven because I was told by many that we would never accomplish that at Parkview. Those that have played in the Jungle know what it means. Take pride in accomplishment and what the P stands for. Other teams better know you came to play Parkview-branded football. Smart, tough, relentless, in it to win it."
4. You're still coaching today. You're retired from full-time teaching. Why aren't you golfing or fishing or doing what retired people do? "I retired for four days and saw right away. I do not do good just sitting around. It is something I enjoy. Admittedly, you finally get tired of running everything. I did not get in the game to gain personal accolade, rather to invest in kids and grow young men. I had a lot of ex-head coaches on my staff. Now it's my honor to give back and help another rising star. Robert Craft is an excellent football coach. I even had a chance to hire him at Parkview in 2006. Robert and I met up again at Georgia Southern. His QB at North Florida Christian and my son were roommates at Georgia Southern. He told me he was going to get the North job, and I asked if he wanted my help. He said yes. I love to compete. There will be time for fishing one day. I'll always jump in a race car and compete. That's the deal, competition."
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