THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 15, 1996 TAG: 9608130138
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 23 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, COMPASS SPORTS EDITOR
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 69 lines
DAVID HEATH REFERS to the office inside his Virginia Beach home as the cleanest room in the house.
But upon becoming the head coach of the Norview football team, he decided a little housecleaning - on his staff - was the obvious first move.
And whose name was at the top of the list?
``I fired our defensive coordinator,'' says Heath, who takes over the job vacated by Will Robertson.
An easy decision, considering Heath is still fuming over Norview allowing too many touchdowns on fourth-down plays last season. The fired defensive coordinator was David Heath.
``That,'' says the linebacker-sized Heath, ``was the best move I did.''
Heath, who carries his ``to-do'' list with him everywhere, is ready - giddy almost - about starting anew with the Norview football program. He's wanted to be a head coach most of his life and last spring, athletic director Doug Townsend selected him over 17 other candidates.
Heath, 29, started coaching seven years ago after earning a bachelor's in health and physical education from Old Dominion. In addition to Norview, he worked as an assistant coach at Norfolk Catholic and Bayside.
What drives him is a combination: He loves football and he loves kids.
On football:
``I'm a glutton,'' says Heath, who played both ways on the line at Princess Anne and for two years at Elon College. ``I've got library books at home. Even if it's a book on an offense I'm never going to run, I just want to know about it. I can't get enough of worrying about the game.''
On kids:
``It's all about these kids,'' he says. ``I want any of my kids to be able to come up to me and not so much talk to me as a coach, but as an adult, if they ever need advice.''
Or more. Heath knows firsthand that today's coaches can also become surrogate fathers. He and wife Tia took in former Bayside star Jeff McGowan after McGowan's mother left the area. McGowan, now the starting tight end at Appalachian State, has a room in the Heath household and is part of family dinners and holiday celebrations.
``I would do that for any of these kids,'' says Heath, who also has a 2-year-old daughter, Ashlee. ``These guys give me four years of their life. I'm going to make sure and see through their education and college and jobs.''
Heath inherits a Norview squad that finished 4-6 last season but lost only three starters. Offensively the Pilots should be strong behind senior quarterback James Whitley and senior wide receiver David Martin. Without Dwayne Potts, Norview's ground game belongs to Larry Austin, Erik Hines and Whitley.
``I know what we can do offensively,'' Heath says. ``But we have to improve on defense. Watching some of your great teams - Indian River, Booker T. - the first thing that hits you in your mind is they're very physical. We're looking to establish that.''
One thing is for certain: Heath comes prepared. He's been thinking of his head coaching debut for years, and he promises the night before the season opener against Booker T., he won't get much shut eye. Driving back from a football camp at Notre Dame at the start of the summer, he was wishing the summer was over. The start of practice last week didn't get here fast enough, he says.
``I'm doing exactly what I want to do,'' he says. ``I'm exactly where I want to be. And it's kind of like Christmas time. I can't wait to open this thing up.'' ILLUSTRATION: HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Staff photo by MIKE HEFFNER
Norview High head football coach David Heath surveys his players
during a practice. by CNB