The Sand Springs Board of Education hired Owasso Defensive Coordinator Bobby Klinck as the new Charles Page High School Head Football Coach at their January meeting, replacing 13-year coach Dustin Kinard, who was fired in November. On Thursday Klinck held a public meeting at HillSpring Church to share his vision for the program with the community.
Klinck comes from Championship stock, both as a player and a coach. He was a three-time State Champion and Oklahoma’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a starter under Allan Trimble at Jenks. He played for Bob Stoops at the University of Oklahoma, redshirting on the 2001 Cotton Bowl Championship team, and playing special teams on the 2002 Big 12 Championship and Rose Bowl Championship team. He then played two seasons under Steve Kragthorpe at the University of Tulsa, winning the Conference USA title and the Liberty Bowl as a senior starter. He received Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week honors during that campaign.
His coaching pedigree includes stents as a graduate assistant under University of Central Missouri’s Willie Fritz and under Tulsa’s Todd Graham. He coached receivers under longtime Owasso coach Bill Patterson and was Defensive Coordinator under Muskogee’s Josh Blankenship before getting his first Head Coaching job at East Central. In his first year he went 9-5 with a District title and State Finals appearance, but they were actually 13-1 before forfeiting four wins due to an ineligible player. He graduated 21 starters and went 4-7 his second year.
He was Defensive Coordinator for two years at Broken Arrow, working under David Alexander, helping the Tigers to a District title and State Finals appearance. Then he was Defensive Coordinator at national powerhouse Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas under Hal Wasson. Finally, he spent three years as Defensive Coordinator under the legendary Bill Blankenship at Owasso, winning two State Championships.
On Thursday he stressed that he wants to bring a Championship pedigree to Sand Springs. “It wasn’t too long ago that we were competing for State Championships here, and we’re hoping to do that very shortly here.” He also introduced a new mission statement for the program.
“The mission of Sand Springs Football is to create a championship culture within the program by instilling the 6 Standards of the Sand Springs Man. These standards will produce a quality produce on the field of play that will make the Sand Springs community proud, and in the process of creating this culture, will provide a unique football experience for its participants.”
“That last part is the most important thing to me,” said Klinck. “We’re going to ask a lot of these kids, and it’s my job to give these guys a wonderful experience…that’s my ultimate goal.”
The six standards Klinck laid out are intelligence, vision, service, warrior, pride, and passion.
Intelligence - Approaching a situation in a thoughtful way.
Vision - Our vision becomes our WHY, the reason we do what we do.
Service - We over me. Creating leaders who serve others. If you’re not ready to serve, you’re not ready to lead.
Warrior - A warrior’s heart drives us when things become difficult.
Pride - Taking great care in our program, school, and community.
Passion - Gives us the ambition to excel at our chosen endeavor.
“The vision that we have for this football program is obviously that we want to win State football Championships. Another vision is that we want to create wonderful men for our community. Loving fathers, really good husbands, and pillars in this community. That’s our vision, and that’s our why we do what we do.”
Klinck also laid out “The Sandite Experience.”
“When a young man decides to become a Sand Springs football player, a lot will be expected of him, but a lot will be given in return. It is the goal of this program to build quality young men by giving them a college football-like experience. From the demands, pageantry, relationships, and the game itself, a young man who completes his football career at Sand Springs will treasure his experience and want to return for years to come.”
Klinck didn’t go so far as to quote the old adage that “defense wins Championships,” but he clearly believes it. He pointed to the final scores of his two most recent Championship appearances at Owasso. They won their 2017 title 21-14 and in 2019 they won 14-6.
“Great defense is played right on the edge of out of control. Fanatical effort and pursuit are cornerstones of championship defense. Through discipline we are able to stay on that edge without falling off. Every offensive play is designed to work, so technique and physicality are stressed more than scheme.”
“A highly productive offense will dictate to the defense via formations and motions and stretch them with vertical shots. The ability to snap the ball with tempo and utilize screens will keep the opposing defense off balance. Getting playmakers the ball in space will be a priority and creating a culture of physicality up front will be the foundation of our offense.”
“We will go as far as the guys up front will take us. The thing that separates really dynamic football programs are the bigs up front. We’ve got to develop a mentality of physicality up front on offense. We’ve got skill guys out the wazoo. We’re going to get those guys the ball in space and we’re going to make plays. We’ve got to do a great job up front with our offensive line.”
“Special Teams have the ability to shift a game in either direction. Either negatively from failed preparation or positively from precise execution. Hidden yardage is the biggest advantage we will look for in Special Teams. Time is short when working on these units, so we must be extremely efficient, as well as complex, so our opponents must spend extra time on our units.”
“The Strength and Conditioning program will be designed to push the body to its peak physical condition, instill mental toughness, and create a culture of physicality. Player development is a mark of a great football program and Sand Springs will be no different. Players will be pushed to their limits, but will learn to love the process of becoming a Sandite Football Player.”
“When I first met the guys about a week and a half ago, I told them that you’re going to be pushed as hard as you’ve ever been pushed, you’ll be worked as much as you’ve ever been worked. The thing is, you’re going to enjoy coming and doing the work. I know it sounds crazy… The reason you can is because when you build a brotherhood, when you build a bond and you’re working toward a common goal you’ll look forward to that. You’ll want to be a part of something like that.”
“That’s the thing we’re trying to do with the strength and conditioning program. It’s not so much what we do…Everyone’s doing squats. Everyone’s doing bench. Everyone’s doing the things that you have to do to get bigger, stronger, faster. It’s the way we do things that’s going to make us an elite program.”
Finally, Klinck announced the new mantra for the team of “Deserve victory, whether it’s on the field, whether it’s off the field, or in the community. We’ve got to practice, we’ve got to put in the time, the effort, and the work. The only way you can ever achieve victory, you’ve got to deserve it first.”
Sand Springs is coming off three-straight losing seasons, but made a State Finals appearance in 2015 in the middle of a six-year streak of playoff appearances. In 2020 they will play in a district with Bartlesville, Bixby, Booker T. Washington, Muskogee, Ponca City, Choctaw, and Putnam City West.
