Hart's first game in 1998 was against Quartz Hill. It was Kyle Boller's first start and it was immediately evident that with Boller and Jerry Owens on the field it was going to be a very special year. Hart won easily, 49-13. By the fourth quarter it was just a matter of trying to maximize the playing time of all the subs.

Could Hart go 14-0?

Early the next week, Mike Herrington came into his office and mentioned to one of his office mates that he sensed there was something wrong about the game but he just couldn't put his finger on it. When he reviewed the game film, a sudden realization hit. He had checked the eligibility of the players in the spring and again in June when the summer passing tournaments started. He did not check in September before the first game. That day he looked at the players' academic records. Sure enough, one player, a senior who had never played before and who first showed up during hell week and thus was not on the spring or summer eligibility lists, was academically ineligible. He was buried in the depth chart and had been on the field for the last five plays of the game with no involvement in any play, nevertheless, he had "participated".

Now, no one knew about this gaff. Certainly none of the other coaches or players had spotted it. Probably the kid himself didn't understand that he was ineligible. Coach Herrington simply could have said nothing because the consequences were going to be both immediate and certain: a forfeit. Not only that, but that type of error makes a coach look, well, stupid. There was every incentive in the world to keep it secret.

Mike Herrington is a man of character. He immediately called the Hart principal, Gary Fuller, and they then called the Quartz Hill coach, the CIF office and, of course, the newspapers including the Daily News, the Signal and the LA Times, all of whom ran a story about it. Thus, five days into the season, Hart's hope of a perfect season was dashed. Mike Herrington on the problem: "I used to laugh at the idiot coaches who didn't catch these things. Now, I'm the idiot coach. It's all my fault." In short, he took full responsibility for the problem and did what was right, however uncomfortable the consequences. Character!

If you look at the official record for the season, Hart finished 12-2 and won a CIF championship but every bit as important, the kids learned something about integrity and honor.

A couple of comparisons come to mind.

During the Herrington era at Hart, there has been only one tie on the field. However, if you look at the official CIF record book, there is no tie. Hart is listed as the winner. As it turns out, that opponent, just like Hart in 1998, used an ineligible player. And the coaching staff of that team almost certainly knew it within days after the game, the first game of the season, was played. But they did not report it to anyone that September. Or October. Or November. Or December. They did get around to notifying the CIF in January after the team had won a CIF championship and ended up very highly ranked nationally. One can only speculate that the reason the error was not reported immediately was simply to avoid damaging the national ranking.

Another incident in that same season also comes to mind. The CIF had a contract with Spalding and, as a result had a rule specifying mandatory use of a newly-designed Spalding ball in the playoffs. By all accounts, that particular Spalding model was a terrible product. It had a waterproof coating that had the grip and feel of teflon and was universally reviled by quarterbacks and receivers. Hart got to the championship game and lost in a very close game, using that ball. The other team's coach also recognized that the ball was terrible. His solution: (1) take some Wilson balls down to the school's paint shop and have the folks there paint over the logos to look like the Spalding logo, (2) don't bother telling the other team (Hart) or the CIF about the deception and, (3) when discovered, simply say the deception -- and the obvious advantage it engendered on the field -- was "approved" by a CIF functionary, in spite of the written "mandatory" requirement.

Character. Some people have it. Others don't. I'm happy my sons had the experience of playing for someone who does.

September 2005