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  • New Rice coach Jerry Baldridge talks to his players after the morning session of Monday’s two-a-days. The Bulldogs will try and snap an eight-year drought of making the playoffs as they move back up to Class 2A and renew district rivalries with Mildred and Blooming Grove. Daily Sun photo/Todd Wills

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August 13, 2012

TW summer two-a-days football tour: Remodeling

Baldridge returns to Golden Circle to add on at Rice

By Todd Wills Corsicana Daily Sun

RICE — — Every head coach arrives at a new job trying to change mentalities, attitudes and expectations.

It’s kind of like moving into a new house. You remodel the inside. Maybe do a few things on the exterior. And hope a decade or two later it appraises for double what you bought it for.

Jerry Baldridge, one week into two-a-days at Rice, has very obviously made some big strides in-house with the Bulldogs — already.

The mindset was off the charts Monday. Watching the Bulldogs run wind sprints was downright inspiring. Teammates were encouraging each other, at the top of their lungs, pushing them across the finish line.

“We’re here to encourage our players,” Baldridge said. “I’ve told our coaches, ‘let’s be positive.’ I’ve told our players, ‘don’t get down on your teammates.’”

This is where winning starts.

Rice football is a tricky subject for me. David Currey, who has moved onto Eustace since being relieved of his duties at Rice, is a great man. He’s a hard-working coach.

We go to the same church together. He serves and cares for others. We wish him all the best.

It’s not a knock on him — and he’d be the first to agree — that a new coach breathes life into any athletic program.

It’s part of what you get with a change. Baldridge is building off of what Currey started, which last year had the Bulldogs finishing in third place in district.

Baldridge says he arrived in Rice and the first thing he noticed was the work ethic of his players. Rival coaches admired the hard work Currey put into the program. There is a connection.

“I know it’s tough on the seniors,” Baldridge said. “I told them from the start that I would never get jealous of their relationship with Coach Currey. If he comes around here he’ll always be welcomed.

“I told them things happen in life. Change happens.”

Baldridge brings a style that is based on a positive outlook, one that strives for success athletically across the board and one where he lets his coaches’ coach.

He went from the head coach at Frost through the 2007 season to being an assistant at Mesquite Poteet for a few years. He says during that time he learned to appreciate the position of a head coach.

“I learned how to look at the big picture,” Baldridge said.

At Rice, that’s entailed getting coaches in the right place to succeed and beginning the process of players believing they can win.

The first four days of two-a-days — in shorts and helmets — were tremendous, Baldridge said. The first day of pads on Friday brought a little tentativeness from his new players. That’s to be expected.

The mood Monday was one of excitement.

“They’ve bought in,” Baldridge said. “They’re going full speed. They’re flying around. And the new staff is very cohesive already.”

Rice has its first of two scrimmages on Saturday. Game 1 comes at Hubbard on Aug. 31.

The Bulldogs will be a big underdog in that game. They’ve been a big underdog now for years. Most of you don’t have high expectations for Rice.

Baldridge loves knowing that.

“I love being the underdog,” he said.

And in this case, the remodeler too.

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