Latest / MyRye.com Conversations with Doug French / Coach Dino Garr on Rye Football and Community Impact
Transcript
- MyRye.com: Welcome to the MyRye.com podcast, Conversations with Doug French. I'm your host, Doug French, former mayor of the City of Rye. And this podcast is about all things Rye when it comes to the issues and people that impact Rye and our surrounding community. Today in conversation we have Dino Garr, legendary New York State high school football coach. welcome to MyRye.com. Dino Garr: Thanks for having me. It's pleasure. MyRye.com: Really appreciate you joining us. And one of the things that I'd to get started with is, I want our listeners to walk away with really three things. One is the program itself, the accomplishments, and what really makes the foundation of a good, successful program. The second would be some of the terminology. It's not just the mass of humanity in the middle of the field, but what are the X's and O's behind the game and the real strategy. And the third would just be youth sports in general as they've exploded and insights for parents and athletes well as any other personal anecdotes ⁓ we go. So I guess I can start it just by asking you, when you're home watching ⁓ the or college on TV, it must feel really cool to say, wow, I am the winningest coach in New York State High School football. How does that feel? Dino Garr: It feels outstanding and terrific. mean, I'm humbled by it in the sense that been around a long time and ⁓ been fortunate enough to have a great community that stands by me and allowing me to do this. But a lot that has to do with the great teams and coaches that have been a part of my program for so long. MyRye.com: So let's talk about the program itself. When you think about the journey that you've been on, ⁓ are some of the key accomplishments or moments that really stand out in your mind? Dino Garr: Well, there's been tons I mean, obviously the different championships and all the different ⁓ championships and sectional championships stand out. the reality is ⁓ year, it's the fact that I the most thing that stands out for me is that I've been able to survive it. Rye is a great community. There's high expectations. When I was playing, I played for Rye. The traditions were strong then. whole goal was when I was fortunate enough to get the job was to continue that strong tradition and obviously enhance it in my own way. So that's the thing about it. ⁓ been very fortunate to be a part of a great community. MyRye.com: And what are some of the accomplishments? So how many championships? Dino Garr: Oh, geez. I really don't know the number, but I know we have five state championships, and that's since 1993 when they first started the state playoffs. We've had obviously several sectional champions, you know, 20 or whatever more. I don't really know how many there are. I just know that we... MyRye.com: Yeah. Okay. Dino Garr: Basically come in with the same expectations each year and saying that we want to compete and do the best we can and strive to obviously beat Harrison, go to the States and win, you know, whatever we can. MyRye.com: Yeah, I guess in Rye, if you have one winner, at least it's Harrison, then you're a success, I guess, right? ⁓ Dino Garr: used to be that way, I think, but as any now who's coaching, especially in New York State, they want to get to the state playoffs and ⁓ do really well. So we've been fortunate to have five. We've actually been involved with eight. We lost two ⁓ We were state three years. so then we were, eight years that we were in the state finals, which is fantastic. MyRye.com: Yeah. the total number of wins is 375? Yeah, that's incredible. ⁓ so speaking of Harrison, what are the traditions of the Harrison game? ⁓ jump in the brook and things like that? ⁓ Dino Garr: Yep. Well, the tradition is that the winning team in the past, that goes back again, that's part of the great tradition that Rye had with Harrison, especially. I think it's the greatest rivalry in the state personally. That's having played in it and obviously coached all these years in it and stuff. yeah, jumping in the brook is something that... especially if you're the home team and which we are where the Brook is, that's the fantastic, but we'll come back and even jump in after if we win it in Harrison's. We don't like it too much when Harrison jumps in because it's our home field and stuff, but that means they won. But yeah, it's a great tradition. The biggest tradition is that you're really ⁓ representing the community in its highest level. You're to do the best you can and with the pride of what the community represents. MyRye.com: Yeah. No. Dino Garr: You know, when you do that and you do it well, then that's what makes the game so great. It brings all the attention to the game with all the fans that come. MyRye.com: Yeah, the program itself, I read about your program, it's really about character, relationships with the players, commitment excellence. Can you talk about some of the foundation of program that you really try to put in place? Dino Garr: Okay. Basically, call it what we have and we talk about right from the very first time we meet the players as we talk about the four C's and one of the first important C's is the idea of choice. They are making a choice to be a part of the football program and that's a very important thing because when you choose to do that, it involves a whole bunch of other things that go on. It's really what I consider and I tell the players this all the time. It's like you're making choices all the time in life. So this is a choice now when you're 14, 15, 16, 17. years old, 18, to do something that's going to take a lot of commitment. There's the other seat, making a commitment to the program in terms of doing the things that are needed, the time. You know, you got to tell your parents that, you know, I'm going to miss some vacation time. I'm not going to be able to work. I'm going to have to do things, maybe even not be my girlfriend. I'm going to be on the football field doing things that take a lot of commitment. And that commitment is in essence, next thing that I think of that when you start to do that is you have to be courageous because football is a little bit different than other sports. And courageous means that you're going to be willing to sacrifice and be selfless because you're not all been able to be the quarterbacks. You're not all going to be able to carry the ball. Everyone, when we first start out. And we asked players to think about positions they might play. We have like 40 people going out for wide receiver or running and we have nobody who wants to be a lineman So eventually we have to make that all work and get together. So yeah, that's where that courageous selflessness comes in and say, I going to do best for the team rather than for myself? And then the last, not the actually last C but an important part of that C is you have to be compelled. And what makes, think, our program so well. Compelled means that in our way of thinking, that not only are you happy to be here and wear the jersey, but you want to get the best out of yourselves and your teammates. And that's, I think, what separates the programs and an outstanding athlete. MyRye.com: and that really transcends to life lessons as well. ⁓ Dino Garr: Yep, absolutely. And you carry these on. Being a good parent, being a good father, good worker, doing something ⁓ your employer. So you have to make those choices and then have to kind of follow those same things we talked about, being committed and then courageous about how to do it. then obviously being compelled to be the best you can. MyRye.com: So when you see the players come back, a lot of them are enormously successful and very successful just in life and whatever direction they take. Must feel good to see that they're succeeding based on some of these principles you've instilled. Dino Garr: Yeah, they talk about it all the time. That what they found in the football field, sports in Rye, but football field in particular through our program, is that they use it all the time with their families, with their jobs, with the way they treat and look at people and value each other. MyRye.com: Yeah, and that's why I was really excited to have you on the show is because sports as an institution really has a great impact on individuals as well as the community, right? And so it's not just the football game. It's actually instilling a lot of ⁓ collaboration in the community, a lot of sense of community, but also individual skills that people can take in life. And when you have success, it makes it even better. Dino Garr: Yeah. Well, you know, the other part of that is when you, you know, I've been asked quite recently, throughout career, you know, why do you coach? Why do you teach? Because this teaching and coaching is the same thing. I was a social studies teacher and obviously a football coach and other sports too. But it's I was coached and I was taught some of the most important people that had an impact on my values. And what I still feel today were those that coached me in elementary school, Resurrection. ⁓ Pete was outstanding. And when I went to Rye High School, which was rare at that time for somebody going from Resurrection to go to a public school, but Rye was so valued to me that I had person, people, or coaches that had a tremendous impact on me. George Mayer, who coached me in high school throughout, wasn't the head coach, told me I could do it. He was a little guy that was also quite successful as an athlete. And he instilled that in me to be competitive and to work hard. And it kind of took on and then I followed in the sense that he coached in college together. then so these people, like he became my mentor and almost father figure. And that's what I'm saying. So why do I hope that I can impact some of the students in the same way and players that I've had. Again You want to get it back. MyRye.com: Well, I'm sure your are long and wide. Yes, no, I'm sure your coattails are long and wide in community. All right, so let's talk a little bit about the X's and O's. So it's not just a mass of humanity in the middle of the football field. There's real strategy. When you ⁓ look the history of sports, baseball, the pastime started when, you know, the days of agriculture and farming. Basketball was tied to manufacturing and the time clock and punching and punching out. Football was really tied to wartime in terms of the strategy and the flanks and all of that. So a lot of people don't understand. Each player, there are 22 players, 11 on each side. Each player has a different assignment. If you ever hear Belichick talk know your assignment. Can you describe an offensive running and a passing play just so people get a sense of the terminology and the roles? Dino Garr: Yeah, do your job. Well, only, we really don't have a lot of running plays. We actually have maybe ⁓ six basic running plays. Outside we have inside power game, we have So those are basically what we have to look at and how we do it. But they all are dealing with. precision and execution. And that's of course the important part of any sport. And why, as I said, you can't all be receivers, you can't all be quarterbacks. You have to be able to be synchronized. ⁓ Our for me as the head coach, my greatest motivating tool is to get everyone to be a team, to be able to be part of this courageous selflessness that we talk about. Do it so that everyone feels that they're a part of something important. You may not get the acknowledgement, the tackle, or the big reception, but you know that you're a big part of why that's been successful. So for a running play, starts with the center. The center, I tell the center all the time, we can't do anything without you getting the ball back, especially now that we're in shotgun quite a bit. So that's a big, important part of it, and he knows how important he is. Plus he has to do a lot of the calls in terms of the blocking schemes. blocking schemes depends a lot on whether it's an odd front, an even front, a goal line front. Those are the basic three fronts that you have to be aware of. And so when you have that, that means that everyone's on the same page, that the guard knows what you're doing. If we're stepping left, everyone's going to step left. If we're pulling and kicking out, you know, there's the old pin and pull concept that many coaches use, especially with wing tee or offenses that just try to get off tackle. So those are basic plays that we try to do. then obviously how we do that is ⁓ important a way that we can call that. So in the game, believe it or not, much of ⁓ calls are based on what the defensive front gives us. MyRye.com: Alright, so essentially the running back gets the ball and he's looking for a spot between the tackle and the guard. The two gap or the four gap, something like that. Dino Garr: Yeah, well, before that starts, we have to start out with the formation. And I think what happens when you create formations, and there multiple formations, then the defense has to adjust. Defense has always adjusted to the offense. So when they adjust to the various formations that we have, let's say we go with two tight ends, and the defense has to line up a certain way, that's going to dictate what play we're going to run. If we have a spread formation, we have two wide outs, or two by two, two inside wide outs, or split ends, which is happening more and more. because of the ability to throw the ball and run in ways that make more easier to do. Because defenses can't just jam in and looking for the run all the time. Now they have to protect both. And you hear all the time about the RPOs run pass option. So you can do run or pass. And that's basically what we do a lot. We kind of go on the line and we decide here's a running play we're going to call and here's the pass play we can use. ⁓ So we have that option. The players have to know that. That's where that concept of listening and paying attention and communicating, communication, that's the other C that has to be important making a success. MyRye.com: So when quarterback gets to the line, they have both a run and a pass option. And they'll make the call at the line depending on how the defense is set up. Dino Garr: Right, option, yep. And that's obviously taught throughout the week and they can look over. And matter of fact, if you watch our games, a lot of times the players are looking over on the sideline. so I can, because we did all, obviously the coaching staff has done and myself has done a lot of study on the film. So we get an idea of what they're going to be in. And that's what we've tried to do. So we can simplify it in some ways, but you know, it's a lot of, and of course, defense is now, you know, understanding that. they try to give you different looks. MyRye.com: And on special teams, it's not just the kickoff, you catch the ball. There's actually an assignment that you're supposed to go to one side of the field, right? And the blocking scheme is all set up in advance. It doesn't look that way, but it actually is. Dino Garr: No, it's a big part. talk about passing, running, defense, and special teams. Special teams are a big part of success in program. you're kicking game, people don't like to kick. I don't like to kick, but I like to kick if we have a great kicker and someone who's going to put the ball in the right spots. So yeah, that's strategy involved. And punt returns, kickoff returns, those are all a big part. quarter actually you have to have that or else you're not going to you know it's field position all that stuff and you can fumble if things happen where it's ⁓ you know you lose possession of the ball the whole key of football is ball possession. MyRye.com: So you said you have six running plays. How many pass plays? Dino Garr: well. ⁓ MyRye.com: Cause the game has changed, from more passing it. Okay. Dino Garr: Yeah. Passing plays, we have a lot of passing plays. And again, it depends if the team is zone, man, combination of both. So we have, you know, zone breakers. We have man breakers passing. And again, that goes with the weekly study of what the team were playing and what their tendencies are to defend us. Yeah. So yeah, there's, know, I for example, we call pass on one side of the field a certain pattern and on the other side of the field we have another pattern. I'll give you an example. Cod means curl, ⁓ divide. So when we say cod to one side, ⁓ receivers on that side know their patterns that they have to run. And then we might say on the other side, might say. ⁓ Sparrow, which means slant arrow, which means a quick out. ⁓ are what has to be done in terms of the players have to see that and understand it. And that's where the quarterback and the communication comes in and getting that done. And where the hard work of doing things daily and repetitions and doing the timing becomes important. MyRye.com: quarterback has his first option, second option, right? So they know to look, you know, at one receiver first and then go cascade through the other options. Dino Garr: Well, again, that one receiver is, it might be, if it's a quick out, that might be the case, but in most cases is who's the defender that's supposed to do the job. So it might be in a case of a zone, it might be the inside line or the outside linebacker who's going to take away either the curl, the slant, whatever it is. So his first read is not the receiver, but the defender in terms of where he's going. And so from that, then he knows that's the side I'm going with. And again, he might say, I'm not going to that side. I'm going to the other side. because they might overload, say, trips. MyRye.com: Good stuff, good stuff. All right, let's talk about youth sports in general. So when I was chair of the Recreation Commission, we saw an explosion of females into sports, specialized teams, regional teams. So it's really changed in terms of youth sports. ⁓ parent involvement, right? How have you seen it change through the years? Dino Garr: I'd like to say for the good, especially, for example, you just said how many ⁓ sports are, and we have a great program in Rye, not only in football, but in so many other sports, especially in girls, and the girls programs are outstanding. So this year there's even flag football, girls flag football. So shows you again, how many different sports girls used used to just cheerleaders or be part of maybe a basketball team or something, but now they have all kinds of things, crew, all that stuff. So have I seen a change? All right, first and foremost, parents always want their sons or daughters to be prepared and given the best opportunities to do well. Rye is fortunate enough to be able to do that with a lot of youth programs and elite programs and youth weekend programs and stuff. I think in some cases it's done to an extreme of specialization. I think if you a good athlete, especially in high school, because you only go through high school once, you should play as many sports as you can. And not just specialize in one particular sport. that you can't do that, but also realize that if you're a very good athlete, what makes our program so successful is that we do have so many other, so athletes who play two or three sports and they're very good at it. So yeah, when I look at it from a specialization point of view, I think that's a mistake. If I talk to coaches who are recruiting kids, whatever level. whether it's lacrosse, baseball. I mean, our best athletes who've gone on to play professional sports, Surhoff, we have George now. And so they all play more than one sport in high school. They were three sport players or two sport players. And the coaches that recruit them always say, want our players to be playing more than one sport. They're not gonna be just driven by one thing. MyRye.com: Can I be? Yeah, sure. Yeah, I was a three-sport athlete at Rye Neck ⁓ I loved being in the different I learned a lot just having that balance. Has money changed? Yeah, yeah, exactly. Dino Garr: Yeah. Especially with other teams, teammates, especially, you know, just the whole thing about that, you know. MyRye.com: Has money changed youth sports at all? Yeah, just the available and... Dino Garr: Yes. Money. Yeah, I think a lot of people are spending money because they feel that they want to give their sons daughters the best opportunity. But remember, the people who are running those programs are going to tell you how good their players are because they're going to get paid. They're not going to tell you, you know, son's not going to make it here or your daughter's not. We need to keep doing this because that's part of their income. I've been there. I've been to football camps and stuff and I know what you know, why you want the players to keep ⁓ to these things. So that's good. And you know, if your son is excellent at something or daughter is excellent at something, you should encourage that and make it happen. But the overall, I just think that they need a break sometimes too. ⁓ These kids ⁓ in hard all year long. And you know, when they're playing in these elite things or elite programs, those are competitive games and they can get injured ⁓ pretty And you break down, your body breaks down. MyRye.com: Yeah. Have you seen a rise in injuries? Just taxing on the body so much? Hard practices, practicing all done? Yeah. Dino Garr: Yes. Yes. Yep. Yeah. It's practice is one thing because, know, we've actually gotten better with the less stress in practice we don't do as much hitting and contact because you don't need to. But, but I think if you're, if you're playing, because a lot of these, as I say, elite teams, the weekend teams are, these are the best or so-called best athletes. So they're competing against other people and they're games, you know, they, whatever it is rugby. don't care what it is. ⁓ all the different, your body's out there taking the beating. MyRye.com: So any advice for parents, athletes and educators? I mean, you're getting a little bit of advice when it comes to youth sports. Dino Garr: Well, encourage them to participate and be competitive. if given the opportunity, know, here's that I really believe. If your son is that or daughter is that talented, word's going to get out ⁓ and they're to come and they're going to say, look, we're interested and so on and so forth. Having dealt with all these coaches and, if really want you, you don't have to pay for them to, go to these things. They're going to say, Hey, come to our camp and. ⁓ You know, you're going to get known, you're going to be able to get your name around and seen by other coaches. That I understand. But to literally spend this type of money to make sure that your son and daughter is getting the best so-called coaching, I they're looking for exposure, they're going to find out about you. ⁓ MyRye.com: Yeah. All right, we'll take a quick break. And I just want to remind our audience, if you have a topic or a person that you'd like to see on the MyRye.com podcast, Conversations with Doug French, just email me at French at MyRye.com or just let me know when you see me on the street. We're also a lot of great feedback about our theme song. So I want to thank the artist formerly known as Mr. My Rye for the theme song. All right, let's pivot a little bit. on your time in Rye been here a long time, said, right? 75 years? Any reflections? Dino Garr: Well, I've lived in Rye and yeah, I lived in Rye for, this will be, you know, I came here when I was three years old. Um, this one, this community, uh, I was adopted by my aunt, uh, who's my, because my mom, you know, biological mom passed away when I was 14 months old and I was the youngest of four. So I came here when I was three and, and my, my father's sister adopted me. But what really took place is the town of Rye adopted me too. So I've been here for 75 years. 51, this will be my ⁓ year as a head coach, but all those years have been ⁓ just, as I said, just a fantastic opportunity for me to be a part of just a lot of great things that come with it. And as I said, you know, there's, ⁓ for my part why I still continue to coach, besides what I mentioned about, because I was coached, but it's the fact that I want to give back something that was given to me. I mean, I had a great childhood. Fantastic. growing up on Wainwright Street, Playland, all the parks, all those great things that go on. ⁓ now still here and it's just a wonderful community. MyRye.com: Sure. That is great. That is just great. So we're to end with the kind of says, you know, one word reactions. So I'll start with, you know, ⁓ the of 2026. Dino Garr: high We still want to do what we have to do. We have to go out there ⁓ and And means we have to put the time, commitment, the four C's have to come back into play. MyRye.com: Best pre-game meal for an athlete. Dino Garr: Boy, that's a good one. have breakfast at our, that the RFA does a great job. By the way, that's a fantastic group of young parents, of parents who are involved with our program and they give us breakfast and they give us almost everything we need. But they make sure that we get the right foods and stuff. But no, we also go and have a little, some eggs and some other things that are, basically have to make sure we hydrate and stay well hydrated. MyRye.com: Should parents stay quiet after a loss? Dino Garr: it's a humbling experience when you lose, so I think it's probably a good idea. There's reason to say anything that's... We all regret the fact that we didn't win, but that's okay. I mean, life's that way. So yeah, I think it's a good idea maybe just to stay encouraging and just support in that way. MyRye.com: What's the most underrated position on the football field? Dino Garr: Underrated center. MyRye.com: Did you play? What position did you play? Dino Garr: I was running back and a linebacker MyRye.com: ⁓ Natural grass or turf? Dino Garr: Well, obviously grass, if maintained, when we had the field and it was grass and they tried to maintain it, it was just a mud bath. It wasn't good. It wasn't going to be a good thing. But the way they've improved, you know, they, what I don't want to call an astroturf anymore. It's not that, but the turf that they have now and the support with it, that's pretty good. Obviously if you can get the best maintained grass is the best you can have. MyRye.com: So in one word, what is Garnet? What? Dino Garr: But here, but here in Rye, I want to ask, but here in Rye, that's not going to be a reality because all the sports that we have and all the usage that we use on the fields, the grass would never, never sustain. So you have to have a high quality and every year look at the best way you can have turf. MyRye.com: let's just end with this, in one word, what does Garnet mean to you? All right, well, appreciate your time. Coach, it's been very insightful. Love your experience. on all the excellence that you provided the community and the success of the program. Sounds like there's a lot of good pillars in place for continued success. And I also want to thank our listeners for to the podcast. If you have interest in the transcript, it's downloadable at MyRye.com You can find more local news in the full episode transcripts as mentioned. you found this conversation helpful, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And with that, Coach, ⁓ final thoughts? Dino Garr: No, just thanks for having me on. just, obviously you can tell how proud I am, proud I am about this community and what we've done. As I said, we a great tradition, have a great tradition in all sports, but in football and Rye and I'm so fortunate and been gifted to be able to continue this. MyRye.com: Thank you, thank you, and I know the community thanks you a great deal. All right, Coach, we'll see you on the field. Thanks. Bye-bye. Dino Garr: Thank you.