Saia to speak at Kansas Football Coaches Association Clinic

Tom Saia, Cowley College athletic director, and member of the National Junior College Athletic Association Football Hall of Fame, will speak at the Kansas Football Coaches Association Spring Clinic held Friday and Saturday at the Best Western Wichita North.

Saia, who spent 12 years as a football coach at the junior college level, will be the first speaker at the clinic as he will speak at 5 p.m. Friday night about "Coaching Philosophy and Principals."

Out of the 12 years Saia spent as a football coach at the junior college level, eight of his teams were ranked in the top 15. His teams played in six bowl games, winning four, and he had an undefeated season with Coffeyville in 1980, capped with a victory in the Beef Empire Bowl in Garden City and finishing No. 2 in the nation.

Saia coached at Coffeyville, Butler, Hutchinson and Independence.

Several top football coaches from conferences such as the Gateway Conference, Mid America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference, Jayhawk Conference, Heart of America Conference, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League, Mid-Continent Conference, and the Big Seven will join Saia.

The clinic will serve as the main membership drive for the Kansas Football Coaches Association. The cost to attend is $10 for coaches that are KFBCA members, or $30 for non-members.

For more information, contact Mark Littrell at 913-780-7877.

Clinic Schedule:

Friday

3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Registration

5 p.m. Tom Saia "Coaching Philosophy and Principals"

6 p.m. Jay Wilkerson-Union High School "Counter and Power Offense"

7 p.m. Jed Stugart-MANU "Pioneer Defense"

8 p.m. Terry Allen-Missouri State "Bear Football"

Saturday

8 a.m. FCA Breakfast

9:05 a.m. Randy Dreiling-Hutchinson High School "Football Program Development Down the Grades"; Brooks Barta-Holton High School "Holton Defense-Defending the Pass"

10:05 a.m. Marvin Diener-Gardner High School "I Formation Run and Play Action Pass"; Roger Barta-Smith Center High School "Redmen Football"

11:05 a.m. A.J. Blazek-Fort Hays State "Basic Inside Zone Schemes"; Monty Lewis-Friends University "Falcon 4-3 Defense"

12:05 p.m. Rion Rhodes-Fort Scott Community College "Greyhound Defense"; Jared Powers-Dodge City Community College.