Coach Oscar Dillard Discusses his Relationship with Pacman Jones, Building Character in Young Men, and Preparing Players for the NFL
Oscar Dillard takes pride in guiding young men toward greatness. During his 17 years as a high school coach, Dillard has steered several players to the NFL and made sure that all of his players understood the importance of being leaders on the field and in the classroom. Now the owner of Oscar Dillard Football Academy, Dillard operates several football camps during the spring and summer for young men from the ages of 6 to 18. Rolling out sports caught up with Dillard during a training session to talk about the particulars of coaching. –amir shaw
Why did you decide to become a high school football coach?
I saw that a lot of kids didn’t know the fundamentals of football. I wanted to help the young players from my community learn the game. So I attended a coach’s camp directed by coach Bobby Bowden at Florida State University. He told me that you have to teach young men how to be better athletes and individuals. I’ve mentored NFL players such as Jamal Lewis, Keyaron Fox, Ahmad Carroll, and Sean Jones. I told them that they must have character, believe in God, and put in the hard work to be successful.
Talk about the impact that you have had on players
The impact [on] kids [from] by being on a football team is tremendous. You don’t have to be the best player on the team to benefit. It’s [been] proven that kids who are on sports team were more involved in school than kids who don’t play.
You have coached NFL player Adam Pacman Jones. Do you think there was anything you could have done to steer him away from the troubles he has encountered?
Pacman is like a son. I’ve known him since the sixth grade. It hurts me to see him in the news and in trouble. I’ve tried to work with him by bringing him closer to Christ. He basically didn’t have the foundation of a father to tell him what’s wrong and to shut him down when he thinks about doing something wrong. That’s what happens to a lot of young men who make mistakes. They don’t have that mentor or father figure at home.
Do you enjoy taking on the responsibility of teaching life lessons off the football field?
My role is to be a father figure. I try to let the kids know that they need God in their [lives]. I let them know the importance of family and being around people who are positive. You have to train yourself. If you don’t study, you will not be prepared to focus on the task. You have to be mentally and physically tough.
