Carroll synonymous with Glads

Carroll quotes

"My dad's support for the kids of St. Francis is only outweighed by the support he has provided to his own two sons, me and my brother Scott."

— Michael Carroll, his son

"Having had two sons play under Jim Carroll, a big part of them learning to strive for perfection came from trying to meet the expectations Jim demanded, through repeating the little things over and over until it became second nature."

— Dr. Vince Prusick

"He was and still is one of the best coaches to come out of St. Francis. A lot that I know about sports, coaching and life I've learned from Uncle Jim."

— Chris Ludka

"Jim spends his time coaching the whole person and not just the athlete."

— Mary Ann Dutcher, his sister

"I have always had a lasting memory of my father being a part of the St. Francis High School athletic program, from the times I carried water bottles and rode on the bus with him, to the opportunity to play for him, and wondering if my son (5th grader Gunnar) will have the same opportunity."

— Scott Carroll, his son

"He is the common thread woven through the historical fabric that makes up Traverse City St. Francis Gladiator football, their playoff runs and state championships."

— Fellow assistant Craig Bauer

"He is one of the few people I can confidently say would do nearly anything for any of his ex-players."

— Travis Sivek

"He's a quiet leader. He doesn't say a whole bunch, but when he does, he's usually right."

— Former head coach Larry Sellers

"He wants to make sure it's the way it should be."

— Current head coach Greg Vaughan

"All of the guys who Jim has previously coached with and the current coaching staff will definitely be his friends for life."

— Carolyn Carroll, his wife

"You have people who think they bleed blue and gold. But I think if you could cut Jim open, he would indeed bleed blue and gold."

— Athletic director Tom Hardy

TRAVERSE CITY -- It's not too hard to believe that Jim Carroll's been married for 46 years.

After all, one would expect the Traverse City St. Francis football institution would know more than a few things about the institution of marriage.

For 47 seasons, Carroll has been an assistant football coach for the Gladiators. A 1959 graduate of the school, Carroll started working with the Gladiators the following fall.

"I've either played for, or coached with, every coach they've ever had at St. Francis," the 67-year-old Carroll said.

While his tenure hasn't been continuous, he's always been there. Head coach after head coach has had Carroll by his side and has come to count on the quiet leader.

And it's yielded four state championships and three runner-up finishes.

"The one constant that we've had with the coaching staff at St. Francis has been Jim Carroll," St. Francis athletic director Tom Hardy said.

That's why when it came time to search for a new football coach this spring, long-time team physician Dr. Vince Prusick wasn't concerned. Prusick, who had two sons play at St. Francis under Carroll, knew that as long as a certain assistant coach was there on the sidelines, the search committee would have no problems.

"We have nothing to worry about no matter who we select as long as Jim Carroll stays part of the program," Prusick said. "He is the glue that has kept this program together for a long time."

It comes as no shock to his immediate family that he's helped hold the football team together, continuing the tradition that has made St. Francis one of the most successful programs in the state. Unfortunately, Carroll got some practice being the tie that binds at an early age.

"When our father died at a very early age, leaving my mother with three bakeries to operate and six children, it was Jim who would get up hours before school started to work at the bakery," younger sister Mary Ann Dutcher said. "So, in many ways, Jim was helping to hold things together long before his coaching career at SFHS started."

Double duty

In fact, the first time he ever met his long-time assistant, former head coach Larry Sellers wasn't sure exactly who this person was when he arrived from Muskegon Catholic Central to serve as Waldo Keating's coach in 1972.

Sellers later went on to be the longest-tenured coach at St. Francis.

"I wasn't sure if he was a football coach who happened to be a baker, or a baker who happened to be a football coach part-time," Sellers said. "I found out that he was both. He was qualified to do both and he did a pretty good job at both."

While Carroll marches closer to a half-century of coaching, there are no plans to stop anytime soon.

Besides, says wife Carolyn, why should he stop?

"He just gets such a satisfaction out of it," Carolyn Carroll said. "It keeps his mind working, it keeps him young, it keeps him happy, it keeps him productive. Why would he not want to continue doing it?"

"As long as I feel good, as long as I feel like I'm contributing ..." Jim Carroll said. "I love to do it, I really do. I really enjoy the kids."

That has been, and always will be, the bottom line with Jim Carroll. It's all about helping kids grow, not only as football players, but as students and people.

"He just gives back," said current Gladiators' coach Greg Vaughan, who also played for St. Francis. "He doesn't do it for the money at this point. He just loves St. Francis and what it's all about.

"It's hard to put into words, but you know he's there for all the right reasons."

In addition to football, Carroll coached basketball at the school for 27 seasons and served 14 more in track.

Football is like life

But it's in football where he continues on. Carroll said all the different people he gets to work alongside -- and the teamwork that it teaches -- keeps bringing him back to the practice field every August and to stadiums every fall Friday and Saturday.

"In basketball, if you don't have a kid that can dribble or shoot, you're going to struggle," Carroll said. "But you can take a football player that isn't the best and you can excel, more so in football than in any other sport.

"Football is more like life. You have to work at something to achieve what you want. If you don't work at it, you won't succeed."

Carroll doesn't totally dismiss the talent portion of a successful football program, but he credits work ethic, and having kids who are willing to listen, as the biggest factors in the Gladiators' state-best 19 straight playoff appearances. The school's 23 total postseason appearances are fifth-most in state history.

"Right now we have a great program," he said. "It's top-notch It's the best. We've won, we've been there and we've learned. That's the reason our success is what it is. We know what it takes to get there.

"Winning and being very successful is real simple when you know how to do it."

Carroll, who's always coached the offensive and defensive backs, added football is a very top-down sport. It's just that the bottom is just as important at the top.

"It's a great staff and great people," he said. "All the coaches have been super, super good. I just try to help out and do what I can do. It's working and that's the key. If it's working, don't change it."

"It all worked when Larry was there. It all worked when Josh (Sellers) was there. And it all works today with Greg," Carolyn Carroll said. "Those guys all know what it takes. They all have their jobs and they just get it done. They're just real committed and they really respect each other."

Current assistant coach Craig Bauer said the staff leans on Carroll often.

"Our coaching staff looks to him to keep us focused and on-task," Bauer said. "Among chaos, he is the voice of reason and calm."

While all the coaches get a lot of the credit, Jim Carroll also knows none of its possible without kids who are willing to work at it.

"Success is getting better every day," he said. "That's what we stress. It doesn't matter who you play on Friday night as long as you keep getting better every day."

Travis Sivek, a former St. Francis running back who went on to re-write the record books at Carnegie-Mellon, attests to that.

"He never stopped trying to make all of his players better everyday, whether it be during films, at practice, or during a game," Sivek wrote in an e-mail.

More than a coach

While Carroll holds the title of assistant football coach, several people said he's so much more than that.

"It's huge for me, especially as a young coach," Vaughan said. "They are little things he'll pick up on that I won't even think about. Playing for him, having him as a coach and now coaching with him, I've gained more and more respect and appreciation for what he does."

"He's a head coaches' dream," Sellers added. "You ask him to do something or you show him something you wanted done and it got done. He's one of those guys you don't want to do without. He's one of those guys you can't do without."

When there was the need for having a reliable water source available, Carroll came up with the concept and helped construct a portable wagon. He even secured sponsorship for the equipment.

When Vaughan said he was buying an overhead camera, Carroll built a wooden structure complete with portable flaps that could be lowered to protect the camera operator.

Vaughan said Carroll is probably the only coach that can tape an ankle, build whatever is necessary, drive the bus to practice and then coach the team.

"There were times when my duties as principal in the 1970s and '80s would not allow me to get out there on time," Sellers said. "Jimmy always picked them up and got them there. He picked them up, started practice and I jumped in in progress."

Vaughan said he figures that Carroll drove a bus for "some 30 years" before someone realized he didn't have certification. After getting sent to take a class, Vaughan said the instructor told Carroll that he knew more than the teacher.

Larry Sellers also said there were times when the coaches would gather to watch game film while Carroll worked at his other job.

"There were times I would go into the bakery and we would watch film on the wall in between him making baked goods," Sellers recalled.

Chris Ludka, Carroll's nephew, also remembers those film sessions.

"I remember him being a 24-hour coach," Ludka recalled. "While working down at the bakery standing around the big table -- Mark Lederle, John Meachum, Scott Brady, Scott Carroll and me -- rolling hamburger buns as Uncle Jim drew plays out in the flour."

In addition to coaching his nephews, Carroll also coached his two sons, Scott and Michael. Now it's the great nephews and the grandchildren coming up through the school system.

Of course, whether it's coaching his own relation or someone else's kids, most who played for Carroll remember as much about life as football.

"This is a man who is a true teacher and coach," Bauer said. "Hundreds of young men, players and coaches, have learned the game of football from Jim, but more importantly, how to be a respected man of integrity."

"One of the things I thought coach Carroll was best at was building mental toughness in his players," Sivek said. "This is something I have been able to make use of even after my years as a player have ended."

Support at home

In addition to having a support system on the field, Carroll said none of it would be possible without a support system off of it.

Jim Carroll said his long coaching career would not have been possible without his wife by his side. Jim Carroll said Carolyn was the one who allowed him to continue doing something he loved, a fact he tries to instill in the younger coaches of today in a humorous way.

"I tell all the young coaches, the first 25 years (your wife) gets on your case, asking 'Are you gone again this weekend?'" Jim Carroll said with a laugh, at the same time his wife is packing for another trip to Marquette for another game in the Superior Dome. "The next 25 years they kind of mellow out and let you do it."

Of course, Carolyn Carroll wouldn't want it any other way, especially when she sees both sides of St. Francis football.

"When you have been a coaches' wife for decades, you certainly do your share of complaining about the commitment of time that is involved in being a high school football coach at St. Francis ... that is until you finally realize just how much the coaching and the relationships that were built mean to him," Carolyn Carroll wrote.

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