Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham's 'Goofy' prank was fine with players
Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham doesn't mind a good prank. He gives as good as he gets. He tries to foster an environment of working hard while having fun at the same time so this was just another example of that.
The most recent practical joke involved a popular video game and the infatuation most college athletes have with them. The coach took to the practice field with what looked like copies of the new 'College Football 25' video game, which will be released next month. The games would go to the three players that planked the longest, a conditioning drill made all the more excruciating given the recent heat wave.
The trio left standing included defensive lineman Elijah O'Neal, running back Alton McCaskill and wide receiver Melquan Stovall. When they opened the game cases, they discovered copies of Disney's "A Goofy Movie" inside instead.
Dillingham took some heat on social media for the prank but wasn't buying that it was a "cruel" joke. He said those that thought so needed to lighten up.
"They (the players) thought it was hilarious. People are going to say what they want to say,'' Dillingham said. "We have a really good relationship with our guys. Very natural. If they can play a joke on me they're going to. If I can play a joke on them I'm going to. It's part of the culture we're building here. If you think that's taking it too far, then you're soft. I'm sorry. No offense. This is college athletics. This is relationships with the guys. It's something I'd do with my brother, my sister, my family."
Dillingham said the prank was actually the brainchild of defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington so he deflected the criticism there but didn't back down from his previous statement. He said his players had been talking about the release of the new game so he figured what better way to pull one over on them.
"Every single day these guys are putting in the work and to be able to take nine minutes out of a summer to laugh and have a little fun with your teammates, remember something from college. They're going to remember that one for the rest of their lives because, you're out there planking like its 'Survivor' and you're trying to win a million dollars and you pull the box away and get the roaches to eat,'' he said.
"Anyone who watches 'Survivor' knows what I mean. It's funny. That's what sports are supposed to be all about, experiences, things you remember,'' he added. "Is it funnier for me than the guys that won? Oh yeah, but it was funny for the 110 guys who didn't win. There was only three guys that didn't think it was funny and they still loved it to be honest. If you feel that went to far, I feel bad for you."
Players took the joke in stride.
"I held that plank for a while. I was competing with guys like Clayton Smith, some of the bigger guys so I probably had no chance to begin with but it was pretty funny," senior center Leif Fautanu said.
Sophomore C.J. Fite, a 300-pound defensive lineman, didn't think he was in the running for a top spot either.
"I knew I didn't stand much of a chance but I thought it was really funny," Fite said. "That's coach. He likes to keep things fun and we like that. Somebody will get him back though."
And yes Dillingham is expecting some retaliatory tricks at some point, saying he avoided going into the locker room because he feared getting thrown into the cold tub.
The prank was the first topic Dillingam addressed Wednesday afternoon in meeting with the media after many of his players, led by brothers Trenton and Coben Bourguet, and some coaches took part in a clinic for area youths.
The players are into offseason conditioning drills and coaches are focusing on recruiting although they have some limitations as a result of the NCAA violations that occurred under the previous coaching staff. There also will be a short vacation with Dillingham saying he was looking forward to something involving sandy beaches and clear water.
Dillingham hopes his athletes stay focused on weight room work and other physical conditioning but also wants them to spend time together bonding while away from the facility for bonding purposes.
"The one thing I've noticed, our guys go bowling together. Our guys go to laser tag together. Guys are hanging out in the locker room. It is our off day today (Wednesday) and I was down there at like 9:30 to get a snack and probably saw 50 guys, some in the locker room, some going down to stretch. Just around. They want to be up here. That's the step in the culture we wanted to take this year," he said.
One of the next formal football activities will be the first Big 12 Football Media Days to be held July 9-10 at Allegiant Field in Las Vegas. Dillingham will go and bring four athletes with him, a bit of a change from that Pac-12 media days that featured just two players from each school.
The ASU roster is set with a full complement of 84 scholarship players, one fewer than other teams have because of the NCAA sanctions. Dillingham said he also has a full quota of walk-ons so he isn't looking for players in that area either.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham's plank prank OK with players
