We sat down with Dr. Gary Warford, the new head men's and women's Soccer coach, to get to know him better and ask a few questions.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF:
My name is Dr. Gary Warford, I've been coaching college soccer now for 11 years at the college level, previously at a four-year institution. Before that I was a high school and club Coach in the central Kentucky region. In addition to athletics, I have prior experience as an assistant professor in education. I must also add that I am a proud veteran of the United States Navy as well as the Airforce National Guard.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO START COACHING?
I've always been a fan of athletics, I played sports in middle school and high school, I didn't fancy soccer until I was in the navy and had the chance to play the beautiful game around the world and experience many different cultures. I was a late bloomer to playing soccer, I started playing at the age of 27 years of age. I enjoyed it(playing) and coaching because I've always loved teaching and seeing students-athletes improve and learn new skills in the classroom and on the field. The process of learning has few differentials when assessing both academic skills and learning on the field. I am a huge proponent of discovery style learning both in the classroom and on the field, players-students should be allowed to make mistakes without harsh criticisms. This is an essential key to building confidence and connecting thoughts and ideas, a useful tool in the educational process of learning.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO COME COACH AT SWCC?
Once I earned my doctorate degree I wanted to pursue something more aligned with a representation of my educational background. I missed being on a college campus and in a college environment. There is so much potential when dealing with this level of student-athletes, and their stage of life. The environment at Southwest is very enticing and inviting, the staff is very friendly and I have an athletic director who is second to none, the best I've ever worked for. Campus leadership, including our president Dr. Wright, are the same, second to none. I love the mission of our school and the role of junior colleges, you have two years to develop them(student-athletes) in the classroom and on the pitch; make them better athletes and better people so they can excel at a four-year institution.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN YOUR FIRST YEAR AT SWCC?
They always say winning isn't everything, and it's not, but obviously we set very high standards, and if you do that with your first recruiting class, you meet those standards, it becomes second nature. I have informed my recruits when we conduct zooms and phone conversations, is that we are going to set the standard very high for this class of 2023 so much so that it makes my job even more difficult in 2024 to exceed our previous year, and that will be a continuance in the level of talent and promoting talent to a four-year institution of higher learning.
WHAT IS A MESSAGE YOU HAVE FOR ANYONE THINKING ABOUT TRYING OUT FOR SWCC SOCCER?
If you want to be apart of something special, this place is the place to be. While we are rebuilding our soccer programs we are also building strong students in the classroom and of course strong community relations with our local community. This is genuinely going to be a program worth being associated with, not just for your two years that you have a chance to play here, but for when you get a chance to move onto your four-year experience. I want you to be able to look back at your experiences at Southwest and reflect, That was a really great experience and it really helped me be a better person on and off the field.