By Steve Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
J. T. Curtis started in 1969 as the head football coach of John Curtis Christian School in River Ridge, La. His team is subject of an upcoming book, Hurricane Season: A Coach, His Team, and Their Triumph in the time of Katrina, detailing the impact that Hurricane Katrina had on the small New Orleans-area high school and how the team overcame it to win a state championship.
MaxPreps had the opportunity recently to speak with Curtis, who will carry a 443-46-6 record into the fall and a 24-game winning streak.
Steve Spiewak: Biggest surprise on this year's team?
J.T. Curtis: I think on this football team, who we really think has a chance to have a big season for us, quarterback Matt Saucier. He played some last year for us, and he's an excellent athetete with the ability to throw the ball and make plays with his feet. He's a guy that needs to have a good year for us and is more than capable.
SS: Biggest challenge to your winning streak?
J.T.C: Our schedule is loaded with good teams. From the first one on, they're all playoff teams that have had success, all the way through Longview (Texas). The first four are really well coached, but it's a challenge that we want. We want to challenge our team and see what our weaknesses are before we get into district play.
SS: Best player you've ever coached?
J.T.C: That's a tough question. Obviously the most recent player is Joe McKnight, a guy who has had tremendous success this year. But he's got to prove over the next four years that he can do what he's capable of and prove he can make it to the NFL. I think that Joe is capable of playing at that level, and maybe surpassing other guys like (former first round pick) Reggie Dupard, (former Michigan tailback) Chris Howard, and (former Ohio State tailback) Jonathan Wells in natural ability.
SS: Biggest thing that has changed since Hurricane Katrina?
J.T.C: To be honest, I don't think the country really fully has grasped the magnitude of Katrina and what it did to this community. The devastation is still in existence two years after the storm. Many people still have not been able to return to their homes because of the massive amount of work that needs to be done. The appreciation for family and relationships, and the love that you have for people who are loyal and committed to your school and your team has been magnified through Katrina. We hope that's something that the book portrays, that it gives people the sense of desperation of the characters of the book, but also a great sense of faith and hope, and that if you walk by faith, you can succeed. If you walk by sight in our community, you would've thrown your hands up and walked away a long time ago.
SS: Most memorable moment as coach of John Curtis?
J.T.C: Well, when the clock ticked off in 1975 and we won our first state championship, I don't think I'll ever forget that. No one expected us to be there, including myself. I was too young and too naive to know what a great accomplishment that was. From that point on, my greatest joy is each year, being involved with each set of kids as they strive to be the best. I don't mean that in a trite way, I believe that. I couldn't tell you one championship was better than another. We've had some awfully big wins, but the joy that has come in victory and defeat has been the most enjoyable to me. The team coming through Katrina is another point of time that you could reference. There are still 12 guys from that 2005 team that are not back because they can't come back. But to watch them trickle back in '05, and as the kids came back (as late as the 10th playing date), to watch that team gel together and pull together, the love and commitment they had to each other was special then. But as you look back on it, it becomes even more special.
