FOOTBALL: Glesing ready for next challenge at Jeff

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BY KEVIN HARRIS

JEFFERSONVILLE – Brian Glesing is a man who embraces a challenge.

Throughout his head coaching career, Glesing has been known for turning lowly football programs into winners. He has accomplished great turnarounds at LaVille in Northern Indiana, Clarksville and Floyd Central.

Now, Glesing faces possibly the biggest rebuilding project in his 18-year head coaching career.

On May 1, the Greater Clark County Schools board approved Glesing as the new head football coach at Jeffersonville High School. The Red Devils have not had a winning season since 2015, as they posted a 4-6 record in 2016 and a 3-7 mark last season. Jeff’s last sectional championship came in 2007 and it has not captured a Hoosier Hills Conference title since 1997.

“When I started coaching in Southern Indiana, I asked some people where the best place is to coach in Southern Indiana. A lot of people said Jeffersonville,” said Glesing, who is a Jeffersonville resident. “It was the right time to make a switch. I’ve always liked the challenge of rebuilding programs.”

LaVille was the first stop where Glesing turned a struggling program into a winner.

After the Lancers went winless in his first season in 2001 at 0-10, Glesing guided them to successful seasons in 2002 and 2003. LaVille went 9-4 and captured a Class A sectional championship in each of those campaigns. Prior to that two-year run, the Lancers’ lone sectional championship came in 1982. In four years at LaVille, Glesing posted a 23-24 record. 

Glesing moved to Southern Indiana in 2005 to take over Clarksville’s football program. Glesing coached the Generals for two seasons, compiling a 17-6 record. His best season at Clarksville was 2006 when the Generals recorded a 10-2 mark and claimed the outright Mid-Southern Conference title.

Before Glesing’s arrival, Clarksville went seven consecutive seasons without a winning record.

For the past 11 seasons, Glesing has been in charge at Floyd Central. He wound up with a 70-51 mark with the Highlanders, including a Class 5A sectional crown in 2009. Prior to taking the Floyd helm, the Highlanders recorded three straight losing seasons from 2004-06 as they went 6-24 in that span.

Jeff athletic director Todd Satterly says he was stunned when Glesing expressed interest in the Red Devil coaching job, especially with Glesing’s success at Floyd Central. But Satterly is thrilled that the veteran head coach is on his side now.

“Yes, it was surprising to us. But after speaking with Brian, all the things he brought to the table meshed well with us,” Satterly said. “Brian’s track record in Southern Indiana is nothing but successful. The attitude, the teaching and the culture he brings made him a lock for us as a hire.”

Glesing’s first meeting with his new team came on May 7. During the meeting, he stressed three things that he expects his players to show every day.

“Attitude, character, effort,” stated Glesing, who has uttered those words to his players thousands of times during his career. “We’re going to take things slow and steady. We’ve got to make sure we’re doing things right.”

Throughout his coaching tenure, Glesing has been known as a person who likes to establish a power running game on offense. However, since he took over the Jeff reins, Glesing has talked about constructing an offense that fits his players’ strengths to move the football and put points on the scoreboard.

“We’re going to do whatever it takes to move the football, whether it’s running the ball or passing the ball,” Glesing said. “We’ve got to establish the running game, but we’ve got to have a balanced attack. We’re going to do whatever it takes to get first downs and score points.”

Probably the largest obstacle Glesing faces is attempting to turn Jeffersonville, a city with a strong basketball tradition, into a football town as well. He plans to get out in the Jeff community constantly and sell Red Devil football to the Jeff faithful.

“We’ve got to make football an important part of the community,” Glesing said. “Getting the community involved in your program is very important, especially in Jeffersonville. They’ve had some good football players in the past.”

Last season, Glesing battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma for the second time in his life. He acquired the form of cancer for the first time in 1994 when he was an assistant coach at Whiteland in Central Indiana.

Glesing says he is in good health and he is ready to coach football at full strength again.

“I’m a lot better. I’m just trying to get back in shape,” he said. “By August, I hope to be 100 percent by then.”

Satterly said Glesing’s health was not a worry as far as affecting Glesing’s job performance. In fact, Satterly did not inquire Glesing about his condition when he interviewed the former Floyd Central boss.

“We didn’t ask him about it. He went ahead and shared his health with us,” Satterly said. “It was a concern for us on a personal level, but not on a professional level.”