Another @Go_Rout Coaches Corner “Conversation with Coach” – Andrew Erby, Steelton-Highspire @SteeltonRoller @AndrewErby

Tagged under: Coaches Corner, District 3, Gameday Hub, News

Phil Myers | September 9, 2021

(Editor’s note: PFN has interviewed 11 legendary Pennsylvania high school football coaches the past two and a half years plus another one this fall, so we thought it would be a nice change of pace to talk to a couple younger coaches that are going to be future legends.  Andrew Erby of Steelton-Highspire is the first of those two.)

Andrew Erby is a student of the game, but it was what he implemented off the field that went more into winning the 1A state championship last year than anything he could have drawn up on the chalk board.  What he did enabled Steel High to endure the hardship of losing people close to the program and, of course, dealing with the pandemic.  The interview with Coach Erby also revealed something many outside the Steelton-Highspire community may not know, which is his love for the game is only surpassed by his love for his family, his players and the community in which he grew up.  Erby was a fascinating interview and was one I thoroughly enjoyed.  The following is the bulk of my 45-minute conversation with the Steamrollers’ head coach in which he reveals what he did that helped his players cope with tragedies of life.

Erby attended Steelton-Highspire, where he played football and basketball.  Coach Erby was a running back on offense and played linebacker on defense.  In fact, he was an all-state linebacker as a senior and his team won two district championships.  He was coached by Rob Deibler.  Mr. Erby was a member of two state basketball championship teams, in 1998 and 2000.  His coach was the incomparable Rick Binder.

He attended Delaware Valley University where he became an All-American linebacker and to this day is the all-time leading tackler in Del Val University history with 367.  In 2015 he was inducted into the Delaware Valley Hall of Fame.  Erby said he learned a lot from his college coach, G. A. Mangus, who played quarterback for Steve Spurrier at Florida and later coached with Spurrier at South Carolina.  Mangus is currently the offensive coordinator, quarterback and tight end coach at Kutztown University.  Coach Erby graduated from Del Val in 2005 with a degree in Criminal Justice.

Erby’s parents, Alex and Susan, attended Steelton as did his older brother, Brian, and his twin sister, Leigh-Ann.  Erby is married to his wife, Tar (pronounced tare).  They have four children, twins Andrew Jr. and Alex (15), Alexa (14), and Mia (3 months).  When I exclaimed that has to be pretty exciting with the new addition, he said ‘we got a lot of help now, right?’

PM: “How did you get into coaching?”

AE: “I knew I wanted to be a coach in high school because there was something about football.  I always wanted to be around it.  I was a captain at every level of football from peewees to ponies to middle school to high school and to college.  I love the game.  I love learning the game.  I love the process and the grind and the Xs and Os part of it.  I thought the biggest difference for me as a high school athlete was the way I prepared.  I would watch VHS tapes at my house and I would draw stuff on my papers.  It really interested me and I got the knack.  Some people have hobbies and things they like to do, I was just really interested in football.  A lot of that came from my dad to be honest.  I came from a sports family in a sports town.  My dad was a good football player.  I also had cousins and a brother who played.  And I played for some really good coaches.”

“I was an assistant for Rob Deibler coaching linebackers starting in 2008, and then in 2011 I became the defensive coordinator.  I eventually became head coach in 2014.  To me coaching includes being able to understand the kids and to help them become well-rounded young men.”

PM: “How are you able to continue the great tradition that Steelton has in football?”

AE: “Well, I think the biggest thing is to teach it to every new group of players that goes there.  I’m obligated to go over our core values, pride and effort.  So, I think that having our former players and actually teaching our kids history is important.  We have a leadership meeting in the mornings.  Every Monday we go over our tradition.  We go over players, we go over uniforms and helmets, and we have speakers come in.  Actually, having alumni involved by tying it in and giving the kids their experience is very, very important.”

“Some of these kids I have on the team now I had as peewees and actually coached their fathers when I was a young coach.  Some of them I’ve been coaching since they were 5.  I taught them how to snap on the helmet and put on their shoulder pads.”

PM: “How do you measure success?”

AE: “I measure success by making sure our kids are well-rounded and that the culture of our kids is set upon positive standards.  So, I look at it like this, our program is based on core values.  Our core values are our language, our core values are what we believe, our core values are how we treat each other.  When the kids set the standard by doing positive things, doing their school work, working hard, doing community service, that sets the standard for me making well-rounded student athletes that are going to be productive, not only on the football field, but in the classroom and the community.”

PM: “What do you find is the toughest thing about coaching?”

AE: “I will say the toughest thing about coaching is not being able to always get to every single kid, to help every single kid.  That’s always the toughest thing because we spread ourselves so thin, that there’s always one or two you can’t get to, that you can’t see, that makes a poor choice or goes the wrong direction.”

PM: “Does that bother you as a coach or do you just have to move on?”

AE: “I will try to do everything in my power to help this poor kid or work with that kid.  But the line becomes this, if your behavior changes the culture of the team, then it’s probably not a good place for you.  If you continue to work and you’re a work in progress, then we will help you into our culture.”

PM: “What’s the most important concept you and your staff try to teach your players?”

AE: “The most important thing we’ve been talking about is how to handle adversity.  Over the years after going back and reflecting and getting feedback from players I started to realize that kids don’t know how to handle adversity.  Whether it be a disagreement with a teacher, a peer, a friend, a break-up, or a situation in games…so, what we did was we installed an adversity class.  Our first step is laser focus.  It tells kids your brain should be where your feet are.  In other words, if you are at practice that is where your brain should be.  If your feet are in the classroom, that’s where you should be.”

“The second part of that is your job.  The last part of it is effort.  You can control your effort no matter what.  I would say that adversity, handling adversity is the biggest part of not only playing, but in the classroom, at home, and the community or in any scenario.  As coaches, we must model that and instill that because we’re going to face adversity at some point in time whether in real life, practice, or the classroom.”

PM: “So to back up a bit, my understanding is that you have meetings in the morning with your players.”

AE: “Yes.  I actually started it last year before Covid.  My school district allows me to start a daily Leadership Academy for student athletes.  Mondays are Roller pride and effort, Tuesdays dominate, Wednesdays is laser focus, Thursday is for the room, that’s the hashtag you see everywhere.  It’s about doing what’s best for the team in the classroom, in the community, and on the field.  Friday is do your 1-11.  Every single person has a job, that’s kind of our motto we use.  Dominant players don’t need reminders to work hard.”

PM: “What motivated you to coach at this level and what do you find rewarding about coaching?”

AE: “What motivated me was my upbringing and the tradition of being around football.  I just like to be around the game.  The most rewarding thing is talking to a group of kids that need a lot of work and working with them to become not only better football players, but better people.  I just like taking a younger kid, teaching him the fundamentals, and also teaching him how to handle adversity.  So, to be able to shape and dictate a lot of young men’s futures in positive directions and being able to have an impact over a young person’s life and have an impact for their success, that’s rewarding.”

PM: “What’s the biggest thrill you’ve gotten out of coaching so far?”

AE: “The biggest thrill for me was being able to win a state championship and my twin sons being present, going through the process together as a family.  I thought that was really special.  When you look around at how many people win a state championship during a pandemic and also have twin sons on the team that are freshmen, that was a huge part of it all.  I thought that was a once in a lifetime thing.  We were blessed as a family.”

PM: “A little off topic, but does your daughter, Alexa, play sports?”

AE: “She’s a cheerleader.  She was on the sidelines at the state championship.  She was behind me and those two (Alex and Andrew Jr.) were in front of me.  So, it was an awesome feeling to have them all there at one time.”

PM: “What do you want your legacy to be at Steelton-Highspire?”

AE: “I want my legacy to be a coach that was committed to the program on the field and in the community.  A guy that was committed to the kids.”

PM: “Speaking of the community, do you see a lot of support for the team or is there some apathy these days?”

AE: “The last couple of years has been awesome.  Our nickname is ‘Title Town.’  The expectations are high.  I wouldn’t want to coach at any other place.  The support for us has been amazing.  They do a lot for us.  They love us and the feeling is mutual.  Even the old-timers come out!”

PM: “How do you personally account for the success you’ve had?”  (In his seven years of being the head coach, Erby’s Steelton-Highspire teams are 49-33 and have steamrolled to three district 3 titles and the 2020 state title.)

AE: “To be honest, the biggest change was being able to implement the Leadership Academy.  From the coaching staff to the players, we’re all broken down into groups and every group has a mentor.  The biggest part of it is being able to install our mission statement, our core values, and setting the standards outside of football.  That has been the difference.  The time we’ve spent not even doing football has made the difference because we’re teaching our kids skills and then when you get into the games those situations are a lot easier to handle.”

“We had a rough year.  We had deaths (6) throughout the season.  We lost a player.  We lost a coach.  We lost fathers.  We really had to lean back on real life situations.  That’s where the Leadership Academy and how to handle adversity helped.”

PM: “Are you involved with the youth program?”

AE: “Yes, that’s a good question.  I’m still involved, helping out coaching.  I think that’s a big part and a big foundation for our program.  Those younger kids are our future, so they’re very important and a very important part of the process coming up in the next couple years.”

PM: “Is there anything you’d like to see changed in the high school game?”

AE: “Good question.  You mean as far as rules change or fundamentals?”

PM: “Either or both.  Whatever you think.”

AE: “Well, one thing I think we’re going to have to consider changing is being able to look at how we do spring football because a lot of other states around the country have spring football.  The biggest thing, with that being said, is while they’re (other states) having spring football, college coaches sometimes, and those are open dates, can come out and get out and about.  The way teams are working year-round it kind of puts Pennsylvania at a disadvantage because we don’t have it (spring football).”

It appears from some research Coach Erby has a point.  Of the top ten states with blue chip athletes in total from 2015 to 2019, only Ohio does not allow spring football practices.  Texas, California, and most of the southeastern states allow spring practice, but each state varies in the number of days permitted to practice.

PM: “Great point, coach!  I’m going to assume that last year (2020) was your favorite year of coaching so far?”

AE: “I would say it was because it pushed every one of us and the pandemic put a lot of things in perspective.  We kind of took things for granted before.  It let us know how thankful we should be for the opportunities that we have.  It reminded us don’t take life for granted.  I thought the year was very special.”

PM: “In your years of coaching, do you have any fantastic or favorite games that come to mind?”

AE: “I would say last year against Old Forge.  We had a 95-yard drive with no huddle the whole time with a freshman quarterback (Erby’s son Alex) where we went down and won the game (39-36) with no time left on the clock.  I thought that drove was special and I thought it was even more special with a freshman QB where he just managed the field and managed the game.  And we did it against a really good football team.”

PM: “I know that Andrew Jr. doesn’t get as much publicity, but it appears to me that Alex is a little like you in that he’s beyond his years, a student of the game I presume.”

AE: “Absolutely.  He’s a little too much like me.”  (We chuckle a bit after that comment.)

PM: “Coach, let me ask you this.  You’re thirty-nine, can you see yourself coaching till, say, you’re 60 or beyond.”

AE: “I can see myself coaching as long as I have the drive and as long as the team support and commitment is there.  I can see myself coaching till I’m 60.  I sometimes get offers to go coach in college, but I think this process of coaching my kids is fun.  I’m blessed that I’m in a really good situation.  So, I turn down those college offers.”  (This is not good news for Steelton-Highspire’s opposition for the next 20 or more years.)

PM: “Now time for what I call fun questions.  If you could meet and talk to any football coach past or present, they don’t have to be living, who would it be?”

AE: “Mike Tomlin.  I like how he carries himself.  His teams play and have fun.  I like how he manages his players.  He’s down to business, but he’s also a guy I could see who opens up his doors, and cares about his players.  I like how he carries himself as a professional.”

PM: “Coach, what do you do with your spare time?”

AE: “I enjoy working out and family time.  I do a lot of professional development as far as coaching.  I pick other coaches’ brains and have conversations on programs and such.  I always want to grow as a coach.  I don’t want to stay stagnant.  People don’t understand that your biggest coaching clinic is actually when you have college coaches come in for the recruiting process.  When these guys come in, I’ll ask 2 or 3 questions.  Why not take advantage of it?  To get another person’s perspective is an easy way to learn.”

PM: “Anything else, hobbies?”

AE: “I enjoy playing basketball.  I enjoy family stuff too.  I’m really a boring guy.  I don’t stay up real late.  I get up early and enjoy working out.  Learning the game is also a daily thing.”

PM: “What does Coach Erby’s favorite meal consist of?”

AE: “My favorite meal would be hot wings and a side salad.”

PM: What would your favorite dessert be?”

AE: “Simple old chocolate ice cream.”

PM: “Do you have any favorite movies?”

AE: “My favorite movie is Gladiator.”

PM: “Is there a favorite thing or TV show you like to watch?”

AE: “The Big Ten Network.”

PM: “If you could go back in time, is there anyone you’d like to meet?”

AE: “My grandpa on my mother’s side.  His name is Leroy Ross.”

PM: “Is there something most people don’t know about you?”

AE: “Most people don’t know I have a twin sister.  They always forget that.”

PM: “Any other thoughts you have or comments you’d like to make?”

AE: “I would like to acknowledge the importance of my coaching staff and how hard they work.  Also, we have a team mom, Leane Thorn-Beckey, who does a lot for our program.  I’d like to recognize our academic advisor too.  His name is Ryan House.”

PM: “One more thing, coach.  What’s the outlook for the upcoming year?”

AE: “We’ll be young, we’ll be a young football team.  We’ll have to find our strengths in all three phases.  We’ll just have to work and continue to get better.  We might have some growing pains, but we’ll just have to improve from week to week.”

All of the coaches I have interviewed have made their mark, not only because they are great coaches and have a plethora of victories, but because they coach in a way that the game of football prepares their players for the game of life.  They relate well to most kids and have dedicated themselves to helping those kids become young men.  Coach Erby has taken that philosophy and developed a different strategy.  He started a non-football program where kids learn to deal with life’s adversities, which in turn can help them on the football field.  Erby also stated, “for us Covid-19 turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  Bad things happened, but we drew closer as a family.”

If I was a football player in high school today, I’d love to play for every coach I’ve interviewed.  But I would especially want to play for Coach Erby.  Adversity and hard times are a part of life and to be able to deal with them in an appropriate manner would be priceless.  Add to that what he can impart about football, as a student of the game, to those willing to learn would be invaluable.

A betting man would wager that the Steamrollers are going to be a threat to go deep into the playoffs most years.  They play a demanding schedule though, being a 1A school.  They play few single A schools during the regular season, but that’s okay with Coach Erby.  The schedule prepares them well for the playoffs.  A glimpse of their 2021 schedule shows two 4A schools, two 3A teams, and four 2A opponents.

Erby thinks his team may have some growing pains in 2021, but this writer is predicting some good things are going to happen and the crystal ball says the ‘Rollers may be in for another deep run in the state playoffs.

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