September 11, 2024

A Lifetime of Lessons in Coaching

Prior to joining Mammoth’s business development team, Mark Littrell was a pillar in the Kansas high school football community. Littrell—Coach, as he’s known around the office—is a hall of fame coach with a storied career. With high school football season upon us, we asked Coach to share some of his favorite memories from his more than 40 years on the sideline.  

Getting Started:  

I grew up around high school football. My best friend’s dad was the head football coach for the Smithville Warriors. I was always in awe of the preparation he put into getting his teams ready for the upcoming season. I was captivated by his knowledge of the game, and his influence made me want to become a football coach. 

1976: Benton High School, St. Joseph, MO  

I started my coaching career in St. Joseph, MO where I coached four sports in six years: football, wrestling, track, and cross country. I know that you look at me and think, cross country!? My cross country coaching career was more about convenience than conviction. The football staff was sitting in the coach’s office on the Friday before our first practice on Monday. Our athletic director at the time came into the meeting and informed the coaches that the school’s Cross-Country Coach had just resigned to work in real estate. I was the only single coach on the staff and the AD thought that I would have the time as well as enjoy the whopping $200 stipend for being the cross-country coach as well as the freshman football coach. All the coaches laughed when the AD gave me a book about cross country that I was to read over the weekend before my first practice next week.  

One of my great lessons from coaching is that “it is not the X’s or O’s, it’s the Jennies and Joes.” That lesson rang true during my cross country tenure, when our team won the city meet, the conference meet, and the district meet before qualifying for the state meet. All that success from a guy who knew nothing about the sport but relied on the athletes and reading a simple book. St. Joseph is a very special place because I met my wife, Debie, while coaching at Benton High. 

1982: Olathe South High School, Olathe, KS  

Olathe was a growing community, and Olathe South was the second school built in the district. I was an assistant football coach, head wrestling coach, and strength and conditioning coach. I was an assistant football coach for 16 years before becoming the head coach in 1998.  

Both of my kids grew up on the sidelines at Olathe South. My son, James would ride the bus with us to games. My daughter, Krystal would watch the high school cheerleaders working out in the commons area (and later became a South cheerleader as well as a Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader). My son followed in my footsteps and became a successful high school and college football coach.   

I attribute my success as a head football coach at Olathe South to the tremendous coaches we had on staff, to the fantastic players we had on our teams, to the supportive school administration, and to our fantastic Falcon Football Booster Club. The other factor in our success was me being married to the best football coach’s wife in the world and the support of my family.  

2008: Birdville Independent School District, North Richland Hills, TX 

Anyone familiar with high school football knows that Texas is one of the most heralded places in the country for the sport. When I got the call from Birdville Independent School District, I was excited for the experience. Texas tested my coaching abilities, and I am grateful for the growth I experienced while I was there, but it never felt like home.  

2013: Leavenworth High School, Leavenworth, KS  

Debie and I moved back to the Kansas City area where I became the head football coach at Leavenworth High School. I learned a lot from my six years at Leavenworth High School and coached some great teams. Leavenworth was where I was introduced to the Mammoth team and was presented with the opportunity to use my experience to help schools all over the state get access to great facilities to help them grow their football programs. A dream come true! 

I have a lifetime of stories to tell about my 43 years of coaching. I have seen a great deal of change in my career. When I started coaching, we would use 16 mm film and then had to take the film in to get developed to show our players and then use that film to trade with our opponent. It then progressed to VHS tapes, to DVDs, and now you just download the film and send it out via email.   

I loved building relationships with players, coaches, and the community, helping young boys grow into men of strong character, and preparing them for real life. I also enjoyed analyzing game films to create game plans for the week’s opponents. There is a coaching truism that you will always learn more from a loss, but I believe it is just as important to cherish the wins and celebrate the preparation that put you in a position to win.