Father keeps on teaching Napier
Devils OC finds strength in dad’s fight with ALS
Billy Napier is the next man up at Launching Pad U. He’s the new offensive coordinator at Arizona State, a job that offers great weather, great playmakers and a great chance to become a head coach in the near future.
He comes with a thick drawl, a wonderful attitude and a perspective that belies his age.
“You’re not going to catch me complaining about much,” he said.
That’s because Napier, 37, has learned the art of his craft. It doesn’t come from schematics or innovative play calling. It’s rooted in the ability to lead and shape young men, a lesson he continues to learn from his father, Bill, who began coaching high school football in Georgia nearly 30 years ago.
Today, his father’s body has been ravaged by ALS, an incurable condition commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. But his inner strength has never wavered, and he’s never stopped teaching.
“I’ve drawn strength from it,” Billy said. “The reason I’ve been able to do that is the way Dad has handled his situation. His attitude and his perspective is so inspirational. It really opens your eyes to the coaching profession and the tremendous opportunity we have to make a difference. Because that’s what he’s done through-
out all of this.”
Napier and his two brothers were drawn to the coaching profession because of their father. Billy became the youngest offensive coordinator in the nation when he was hired by Clemson at the age of 29. His offense set records in his first season, regressed in the second season and he was fired shortly thereafter. The experience spawned a chip on his shoulder that Todd Graham instantly recognized during an interview in a Dallas hotel room, where Napier told the ASU head coach that he has something to prove.
But his life changed in 2013, when his father began to break down. He had trouble cutting his fingernails. Daily walks became a chore. His calf muscle stopped working entirely. The medical diagnosis shook the family to its core. But the father stayed positive and kept working, prompting his high school to successfully petition the Georgia High School Association to allow Napier to communicate with the rest of the staff while watching games from a hydraulic lift in the end zone.
“Dad was a very healthy, vibrant, energetic, active guy,” Billy said. “He definitely didn’t reflect his age at that point, so the diagnosis was very challenging to all of us. As a coach and a competitor, you always ask questions: What do we have to beat this? What’s the plan? Where do we go? Who do we need to see to make this better?
“Everywhere we turned, the doors kept closing. The most difficult thing we’ve had to do was to come to grips with this disease. It was a challenge to everything you are and what you believe.”
Napier’s father is now 60. His physical skills have been taken away. He will remain involved with his high school program in a limited capacity in 2017, but he’s losing his voice and his ability to call plays. His days as an active coach are over.
But his mind remains sharp, his heart and resolve are unaffected, and his legacy will live forever through his children and the lives he shaped.
The son couldn’t have a better role model entering his second chance as an offensive coordinator.
“I became better at everything because of this experience,” Billy said. “I’m a better coach, a better person, a better father and a better teammate within an organization.”
Napier has also forged an instant kinship with Graham. He says his duty is to highlight ASU’s strengths, getting the football to the right people. He says that Blake Barnett and Manny Wilkins will have “a shootout” this summer to determine ASU’s starting quarterback. He doesn’t want to be known as a “schematics guru,” preferring a team that is tough, fundamentally sound and plays with outstanding technique. And he says the vibe at ASU isn’t that much different than his previous job at Alabama.
“There’s not that much difference,” Napier said. “At both places, there’s a strong emphasis on intangibles, a set of core values and a set of principles that the organization is built around.
“Coach Graham has a really good understanding of what type of identity he wants his team and staff to have, that we’re going to win with great effort, great toughness, great fundamentals and a high level of discipline within the structure. That’s where I see a lot of similarities.”
Four of Graham’s previous offensive coordinators have become head coaches. Another, Chip Lindsey, just left to become offensive coordinator at Auburn. Napier arrives with the same pedigree and the same bright future, a testament to Graham’s keen eye for hiring the right assistants. But few have taken this job with the same level of unwanted maturity, or a path that has been illuminated by heartbreak.
“I want to lead,” he said. “I feel like I’m called to this profession, and my brothers would tell you the same thing. It’s who we are. It’s what we know. It’s the difference a coach can make in the lives of young people.”
Napier’s candor and openness speaks to his leadership capabilities, and underscores the impact he could have on the ASU program. He served under Nick Saban since 2013 and was part of two national championship teams. He has passion, pedigree and a sense of purpose. He’s learned from the best coach in college football history. And a father who taught him so much more.