Waldrop’s wonderful approach to restoration
COCOA BEACH, Fla. (BVM) — The last time the Cocoa Beach Minutemen had a winning season on the football field, it was during the 2017-18 season when they were 5-4. Since then, they’ve experienced a steady drop off in the win column, hitting rock bottom in 2020. The team finished 0-8, and their now-former head coach stepped down.
Their next hire was going to have to be somebody willing to work through a rebuild. Someone with a well-thought out process dedicated to long-term success. Their search ended when they officially hired the new head man: Ben Waldrop.
A native of Pensacola, Fla., Waldrop was a four-year Division I linebacker playing two years at Florida State University and his last two seasons at Troy University in Troy, Ala. He’s been coaching high school football in Central Florida for the past 15 years, but his journey actually began as a graduate assistant for the Troy Trojans.
After being promoted to linebackers coach for one season, Waldrop decided that that was going to be his last in the college ranks. Although he enjoyed the perks of being at the DI level and the excitement of game days, the job didn’t align with his values.
“I felt called into coaching to make an impact. At that level it’s more of a job, it is difficult to focus on the family,” Waldrop said. “You have to go where the job is, you don’t get to choose where you want to live. I’m a family man first.”
Those values were quickly recognized as a reason for Cocoa Beach’s hire. A coach focused on bettering his athlete’s lives on and off the field; someone selfless.
“If I was always thinking about coaching in terms of what was best for Ben Waldrop and his career, then I wouldn’t have taken the path I have taken,” Waldrop said. “I think about my family first, and then I think about the boys I get the opportunity to impact.”
And the fact that they were 0-8 last year didn’t phase Waldrop, either. In fact, being at Cocoa Beach is something he thought was a perfect fit. Waldrop noted how Cocoa Beach football has proven to have a good tradition in their school’s history but most importantly, they have people within the community that want to see the program turn back around. People who are ready to make the commitment to do the things necessary of a rebuild.
For Waldrop, the first step in that process is what he calls “starting at home.” To him, this means focusing on your community, your school and being motivated to be playing for Cocoa Beach. The shift that the new head coach has seen in high school sports in recent years is something he won’t let happen to the Minutemen.
“It focuses on everything extrinsic, everything that’s hyped, everything that’s flashy. I understand intentions are good and trying to generate excitement,” Waldrop said. “But I learned in sports psychology that if you focus on extrinsic motivators, they will produce results faster but not longer lasting.”
That’s why he wants to bring his players’ focus back to their community. Understanding the privilege of playing for their community and their school, plus the old-fashioned intangibles of hard work. Waldrop will devote his time to making sure his kids’ principles are centered around the right things.
“I believe I don’t need to reinvent the wheel. The old-school mentality is going to be our approach. Establishing a culture from the ground up, building good habits, building character, building enthusiasm, building camaraderie,” Waldrop said. “Building, ultimately, the type of culture that will be sustainable.”
But now being Cocoa Beach’s fourth head coach in four years, Waldrop realizes he has his work cut out for him. Naturally, there will be some skepticism and discouragement. Getting his athletes to buy into what he is selling will be the biggest challenge. First, he’ll need to earn their trust and gain credibility within the program.
His approach to that situation, though, is as down to earth as he is.
“My belief is the only thing that I can do is be myself, and be genuine. There are plenty of people that would vouch for me that I sincerely care about the kids,” Waldrop said. “I’m going to be myself, care about the kids, do things for them, try my best to make their situation better and provide for the needs that they have and I’m hoping that over time, I can win the players over.”
While Waldrop does have plans for the Minutemen in terms of Xs and Os, he’s more concerned with creating relationships. If he can do that, the wins and losses will take care of themselves. He recognizes first that to set this ship straight, everybody will need to be on board. The bigger picture is something he is very serious about.
“If I do the job that I want to do at Cocoa Beach, then one day when I’m gone from this world and there’s a funeral for Coach Waldrop, I’ll have a number of players that I get to coach that’ll want to stand up and say a few words about how I impacted their life,” Waldrop said. “Because ultimately, rings collect dust, trophies collect dust, but relationships last forever and making a positive impact on anyone’s life can have an exponential impact on the world.”
