I sat down for a short chat with Tiger football coach Larry Porter last week, his office still bare as the details of spring practice consume his fifth month on the job. To summarize, Porter’s glad to be home, but knows there’s work to be done.
What has surprised you about the new job?
The kids, how well they’ve embraced the change, this transition. How hard they’ve been working. They’ve made this process . . . not necessarily easy, but they’ve given us a flow that’s allowed us to overcome some things that would have been hard to do. Being new, I was ready to embrace everything. I wake up with a great passion to come and improve this football program. Whatever challenges are presented to me, I look forward to embracing them.
- Tiger football coach Larry Porter
Have you seen anything familiar from your playing days (1990-93)?
I look at things from this perspective: What do we need to do to be an elite program? That’s my vision, completely. I’m familiar with some things, but my vision speaks to what we need to have a successful program. It’s not about the past; it’s what we need to do now to put the program in a position to be successful. Five bowl games in the last seven years; there’s a lot to be said for that. There’s a lot of good that Tommy West did here. I just need to take where he left off and continue to improve.
Your predecessor would tell you this is one of the toughest coaching jobs in America. Why did you want it?
There’s nothing tough about something you love. This is my alma mater, a place I love dearly. I love the opportunity that’s been presented to me. I had some opportunities at other places that I chose not to pursue. When you’re in the position I was in [as an assistant at LSU], you can be somewhat selective about what you want to do. This was a no-brainer for me: the perfect place and the perfect fit. I understand the dynamics of this university, the city, the people.
Are there any Larry Porter rules (or philosophy) that your team has to follow first and foremost?
You have to have discipline in the program. I think the players understand our policy here; they’ve done a good job of conforming. We have a points system, and they understand it. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It’s about creating a culture and environment that you believe in. It’s about decision-making. You impress upon [players] the importance of making good decisions, as opposed to the do’s and don’ts. I could not be in a better situation, the way the players have embraced the staff.
Our program is not based on just developing football players, but developing the total person. When they leave here, we want them to be a better person than they are a football player. Because someday they’ll have to be someone’s husband, father, or boss. When you develop character, leadership, attitude, chemistry, and teach these guys how to work well with each other, it lends itself to being more productive in life.
