Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 9, 1995 TAG: 9507100056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``He told me at the fieldhouse that he had submitted my name to be one of the coaches on the West staff,'' Miles said.
Under a new program started last year in football only, each all-star team is allowed to pick one assistant coach who has been a member of the VHSCA for at least 16 years. The position is reserved for an assistant coach such as Miles, who has been coaching at Andrew Lewis High and then Salem since 1973.
The rest of the staff consists of head coaches whose teams advanced the furthest in playoff competition. This year, there is one exception - Patrick Henry's Ed Scott, who is a replacement pick for Annandale's Dick Adams.
``We wanted to recognize [assistant] coaches who had put in a lot of years,'' said Mike Smith, who directs the all-star games for the VHSCA. ``Not all people want to be head coaches.''
For Miles, White's nomination was a confirmation of the working relationship that exists between the two men.
``I didn't think anymore about it after Willis told me he had nominated me,'' Miles said. ``It felt real good to be nominated. Then when I got a letter from Mike Smith telling me I was nominated, I still forced myself not to think about it because I didn't want to be disappointed [if another coach was selected].''
Miles wasn't disappointed. The Spartans' offensive coordinator received word that he would be on the West staff, headed by Amherst County's Mickey Crouch, for the football game scheduled to be played in Hampton's Darling Stadium on Thursday night. The football game ends five days of activities that includes the VHSCA clinic and all-star contests in baseball, softball, boys' soccer, boys' and girls' basketball and volleyball.
``I didn't even know they were going to take nominations [for assistant coaches],'' White said. ``Billy's very deserving of it. He's done a good job. He was excited. He shows his emotion whenever he's excited or displeased. You know in a hurry how he feels.''
The Spartan assistant, who has been the offensive coordinator under White, doesn't fit the mold of an assistant who doesn't want to be the head coach.
``I still want to be a head coach,'' said Miles, 47. ``If not here, someplace else. Face it, I'm no spring chicken. But I believe every assistant has it on his mind to be a head coach.''
``There's only been two other coaching jobs I've applied for - the job here when Carl Richards got it and one at Virginia Tech as an assistant four years ago.
``Being an assistant at Salem is better than being a head coach at a lot of places. The reason is that Willis allows you to coach. He gives enough responsibility to every coach on this staff. You feel like you're making an integral contribution.''
Miles' career has been at a crossroads a couple of times. He served the military in Vietnam and came out as a two-time casualty. The second time, Miles was wounded in an ambush when a mine detonated and took out the whole knee joint in his right leg. He walks with a noticeable limp from that wound, but he still can walk up and down the stairs quickly on the occasions he's coached from the press box.
Miles began at Andrew Lewis as a volunteer coach in 1973 and joined the VHSCA.
``For six years, I was classified as a volunteer assistant,'' he said. ``Then the Virginia High School League came up with a rule that to coach, you had to be employed by the school system.''
The VHSL rule, which no longer is enforced, turned out to be very good for Miles, even though it nearly forced him out of coaching.
``It made me go back to school [at Radford University] and get my [teaching] certificate,'' said Miles, who had not finished his course work at the University of New Mexico, where he played football for one year before joining the service.
He got a full-time teaching job at Northside Junior High, allowing him to continue his coaching career at Salem, which then was a Roanoke County school.
``Hal Johnson Sr., [then the Northside Junior High principal] had a teacher going on maternity leave and asked if I wanted the job the rest of the year,'' Miles said. ``I never was sure how good a teacher I could be, but I thought I could be a decent coach.
``I was truly scared to get up in front of a class and teach the first time. Now, teaching is my first love. When you think about it, coaching is teaching,'' said Miles, who teaches world history and an International Baccalaureate class that includes several subjects at Salem.
Miles' joining White's staff is another story. When White moved from Patrick Henry to Salem in 1983, he wasn't sure he'd keep Miles as an assistant.
``I didn't decide until after I talked to Billy what I'd do,'' White said. ``I decided to keep Billy because number one, he loves football. He eats and breathes football. Number two, he's a tireless worker. It's hard to find people like that.''
by CNB