Nathan Butts takes over as North Hagerstown football coach
After 23 years of working as an assistant high school football coach, Nathan Butts finally has seized the reins of a program.
Butts, 42, recently was named the head coach at North Hagerstown, taking over for Greg Stains, who stepped down in March after 10 seasons at the helm.
"I've kind of been planning this for years," he said. "I've always had aspirations to be a head coach. I've had great mentors, and I'm trying to take a little bit from everybody, along with my own vision, and just mold this program into a winning program."
Butts is the Hubs' eighth head football coach since the program started in 1957. He was an assistant at North from 2001-06 under Dan Cunningham and then returned to the school in 2017 and spent seven seasons serving as the offensive coordinator under Stains. In between, Butts, a 1999 Greencastle-Antrim graduate, coached at Clear Spring, Smithsburg, Spring Mills and Saint James.
"This is the place I've always wanted to be and where I've been the happiest," he said of North. "It's like home to me. I'm glad I'm back."
Football: Greg Stains steps down as North Hagerstown coach
The Hubs haven't had a winning season since 2013, when they went 6-4 in Cunningham's final year as head coach. Cunningham, who was 78-58 in his 13 seasons (2001-13), now is the athletic director at North.
Last season, the Hubs finished 3-7 for a second straight year.
"I've been around winning," Butts said. "I've been fortunate enough to see it as a player, and I've seen it as a coach, and I want these guys to experience that. I want the student body and the faculty and the parents and everybody in the community to experience what a winning program is. It sets the tone for the school, and it brings everybody together. That's the goal.
"It's been a while since we won."
Turning North Hagerstown football around
Butts said that a positive approach is a key to success.
"One thing we're stressing is that everything has got to be positive," he said. "Obviously, when you lose, there's a lot of negativity around the program. The kids doubt themselves. When adversity hits, it's kind of that, 'Oh, here we go again' type of mentality.
"The good thing for us is that our young group has won. They were 8-1 last year as JVs. They've experienced winning here."
Being a stickler for the "little things" also is crucial, Butts said.
"We're tightening up on the discipline, just the little things," he said. "The little things take care of the big things. It's as simple as if I say, 'Gray T-shirt, black shorts,' wear what we ask. If we say no Crocs in the weight room, wear your sneakers. They've had to do some Navy Seal pushups because they didn't follow those expectations, but they're learning.
"It's just going to take a little time to do those little things, and that will take care of the big things. I've always been a believer in that."
New coach likes what he sees
Butts plans to remain the team's offensive coordinator.
"I'm still going to call the plays," he said. "If that gets too challenging, we have options on staff. But I still want to coach. I don't want to be the CEO yet."
North's voluntary team workouts began last week, and Butts said he likes what he's seen so far.
"Attendance has been good, and the work ethic has been there," he said. "They've been very coachable. I'm excited about this group and where the program is going to head."
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Nathan Butts takes over as North Hagerstown football coach
