Hometown Clinton - Fall 2016

Candis Bland
On game day, all eyes are on our
teams and their game day routines.
What’s your usual game day routine?
Almost every home game, we have family or
friends from different states visit—so first I take
care of them. Between making sure I have
enough tickets and meals, I pace, watch college
football and get focused on the Choctaws. It is
never “just a game.” Saturday is the busiest day of
the week!
What’s been the greatest reward of
being a coach’s wife?
I love to go to practice, to the football office, to
cook for players and to be as involved as John
will allow. So getting to know the players and
their families can be very rewarding, especially
ones that stay all 4-5 yrs. They are our extended
family. I have football sons living in Florida,
Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, Canada,
Texas, etc.—and getting a Happy Mother’s Day
text from one of them is so rewarding!
What’s the most difficult part of it?
Well I hate to be cliché but relocating is the
hardest. Selling a house, finding a new one,
searching for new doctors and dentists, finding
a church, making new friends, locating schools
for the children and so much more make
moving very hard. I am fortunate that we
have not made as many moves as some of our
other coaching friends. But with all our moves,
we have friends in 5 different states, football
sons and families all over, our children have
been exposed to everything from a big city of
4-million to a town of 5,000 residents. Every
move has positives and negatives. But as a
family we know God has a reason and a plan
for each move and so we do our best to make the
most of it.
What has been your favorite “perk”
of being the head coach’s wife?
I grew up watching football, cheering on the
Razorbacks and Dallas Cowboys. I do not
remember a time that football has not been in
my life in one way or another so my favorite
perk is that John allows me to be on the sideline.
Of course there is a condition—I cannot yell at
him or at the refs!
How do you deal with vocal fans
who get down on the coaches?
It depends if I feel the same way… just kidding.
To some extent I am used to it. Fans come with
all sports and you just have to somewhat tune it
out. But if I hear someone who is bad mouthing
a player, coach, or the school, I will stand up to
them. I like to introduce myself and see if I can
shed a better light on their comment. For the
most part it is best to ignore it and being on the
sideline I get to avoid a lot of that and I am
grateful.
Do you have any superstitions you
tend to adhere to on game day?
Absolutely! If we lose in the outfit I have worn
that day, I will not wear it again. In the past two
seasons, the transition from D3 to D2 has not
been easy and I have had to throw out a lot of
clothes. But that is soon to change and John will
be happy when I am not shopping as much!
Describe your favorite meal you
like to prepare when the whole
family can eat together.
Homemade spaghetti, Italian dipping bread, and
salad is the most requested. With our busy
schedules I make an effort to at least sit down
twice a week for a family meal. Every-one loves
breakfast food, tacos, and fried fish!
Tell us a bit about how you and
your husband met and what
attracted you to him.
We met in Fayetteville at the University of
Arkansas. He was a football player and I was a
member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. We
were introduced by some friends. We hit it off
and went out the next evening but he was
graduating in 2 days and I had 2 years left. We
got together several times over the summer and
dated over the next two years while he lived in
Auburn, Alabama. He was getting his master’s as
a graduate assistant for Auburn football and I
was finishing my bachelor’s at Arkansas. It was
like pre-game for becoming a football coaches’
wife and here we are 24 years later!
What would you like the fans
to know about your husband as a
coach that they might not know?
John is a very good builder and artist. He has
built several of our decks as we’ve moved. He has
helped build a locker room, built picnic tables
and dining tables. He is very handy around the
house—except maybe with electricity. Also, he is
a good singer; he loves to karaoke.
What’s been your greatest
challenge as a parent?
We have three children. Shreve, 18, will be a
freshman at MC this fall. Jade, 15, will be a
sophomore at CHS in the fall. And Bo, 12, will
be a 6th grader. The greatest challenge for me is
making most of the decisions by myself and
making sure they are involved in what their dad
does. From mid-July to the end of spring ball in
April, I am a single parent for the most part.
Since they were babies I have taken them to
practice and had the players and coaches over for
dinner. I wanted them to be a part of his
football family. If their dad couldn’t be home,
then we came to him—even if it was just to
watch him coach and get a hug afterwards!
When we retire from coaching, I
would like to ________?
Oh goodness. We don’t really discuss it. I am
not sure we would know what to do without
football. We both love it and he makes me feel
very much a part of what he does. But if that
time comes, then travel is what I would like for
us to do more.
What are some things your family
enjoys doing together?
We love sporting events, going to the beach, and
visiting family and friends. But we have a good
time just sitting down to dinner, too.
How does your family celebrate
after a big win?
Aside from hugging everyone and celebrating on
the field, we thank God with our team then we
go home and watch whatever game is on and
discuss the win, the calls, and the plays, etc.
Usually John has to field several calls and then it
is time for bed and get ready for the next
opponent. Win or lose, it’s a long exhausting day.
But we sure do sleep better after a win! n
18 • Aug/Sept/Oct 2016 Hometown Clinton • 19
18 • Aug/Sept/Oct 2016