TC coach does juggling act with a Capitol J

In Tallahassee, Bob Henriquez deals with budgets and laws. In Tampa, he deals with offense and defense.

By KEITH NIEBUHR
Published May 3, 2005

	[Times photo: Scott Purks]
	Monday, Bob Henriquez ran his first practice as part of spring drills.

TAMPA - At 8 a.m. Monday in Tallahassee, Democratic state Rep. Bob Henriquez met with the Democratic Caucus at the Capitol. He later considered bills inside the House chamber.

Then at 11, Henriquez bolted.

When legislators convened again in the afternoon, he was 204 miles away and no longer in snazzy shoes and a suit. He had traded them in for a pair of Nikes, black shorts and a white T-shirt bearing the words "Crusaders Football." Instead of debating life-and-death affairs or helping decide how to spend billions of dollars in taxpayer money, he was on a football field, teaching teenagers the basics of blocking and tackling.

"It took a little bit to switch gears," Henriquez said. "I wish I could be in two places at once."

Welcome to Henriquez's life. It is one in which the duality of politics and coaching makes for long hours and difficult scheduling but rewards him with the unique opportunity to change things for all, and for a few.

He is part-legislator, part-coach.

At 3:45 p.m. Monday, Henriquez, Tampa Catholic's first-year coach, emerged from the locker room, looked across the parking lot at the practice field then began a slow jaunt toward his players.

"It's going to be exhilarating to be out there," he said.

Exhilarating. Emotional. Exhausting.

But worth it.

At a time of day when many wind down, Henriquez, 40, was just warming up. He boarded a plane in Tallahassee at noon so he could attend the first day of TC's spring practice. It wasn't just any practice, mind you, but the first with his new program.

On Dec.29, Henriquez was hired as Crusaders coach for the second time. During his first tenure, from 1991-99, he led the Crusaders to a 63-40 record with 10-win seasons in 1995 and '96 and coached all-state standouts Darrell Jackson and Kenny Kelly. During one stretch, TC made seven straight playoff appearances.

But Henriquez, a 1982 TC graduate who played for the Crusaders and later was an offensive lineman at Princeton, stepped down because of a "difference in philosophy" with the school's administration. Each party has had an empty feeling ever since.

"I left praying I would return," Henriquez said.

Henriquez became an assistant at Jefferson, which twice reached the state final. Back at TC, the program went south. Beginning in 2000, the Crusaders went 1-9, 2-8, 2-8, 2-8 and 1-8. Henriquez never quit following the program and, when scheduling permitted, attended games.

"Every Saturday morning, the first thing I did when I picked up the paper was read about TC," he said. "I was troubled by the results. I could see the legacy slipping away."

When TC released coach Jim Guderian last year after four seasons and a 7-32 record, speculation began to build that Henriquez wanted back and TC wanted him there. Nonetheless, a 12-person search committee was asked to examine the 40-50 candidates who applied for the position. Their conclusion shocked no one.

"Bob got a very strong recommendation," said Patricia Landry, in her second year as TC's principal.

The deal was sealed.

"People knew about (his success) here," said Stephen Kovach, a junior on the football team. "We knew there would be a big change in the football program."

Henriquez's hiring came at an important time because the school is in the midst of a fundraising drive to build an on-campus stadium. TC opened in 1962 but never has had a stadium to call its own. In recent seasons, it has used the fields of schools such as Hillsborough and Plant.

There is a large rendering of the proposed stadium on one of the campus' main buildings. The school needs $1.5-million to begin construction and has about $400,000 in the bank. Henriquez is serving as a consultant in the drive, and that could be good news for the school. The District 58 representative is, after all, used to asking for contributions.

"This is a huge challenge," Henriquez said.

So, too, is the juggling act of splitting time between the important issues that face Floridians and those facing teenage football players. But coaching, he said, is his calling. In Tallahassee, Henriquez affectionately is known as "Coach," and he wears the title like a badge of honor.

"Politicking is what I do," Henriquez said. "Coaching is what I am."

If politics are the apple, then coaching is the orange. Henriquez said it is difficult to compare the jobs, but he believes he can have a profound positive impact on lives with both and can draw many parallels between them. Each, he said, involves strategy, game planning, difficult decision-making, wins, losses, celebration, frustration, joy, sadness and, of course, scrutiny.

"They're both tough, but if you've ever been an athlete at a high level, you live for challenges," Henriquez said. "I'm constantly looking for the next challenge. It's important for a community and political leader to be grounded and firmly have their feet planted in the community.

"When you're in power, you have a lot of people telling you how great you are all the time and it's easy to lose track of what's important. Giving something back keeps you grounded."

Henriquez was elected to the House in 1998, but this is the first time the legislative session has interfered with football (and vice versa). Monday's practice will be the only one he attends this week, and he met with his assistants to plan the team's practice schedule. In the fall, he will travel to Tallahassee for committee meetings a few times a month, making organization between Henriquez and his assistants crucial.

"It's a big-time commitment," said John Rodriguez, Henriquez's legislative assistant. "He has to adjust and sometimes choose between one or the other and balance the two. The Legislature is more stressful by its nature.

"Although he enjoys it, I think he gets a deeper kind of joy out of working with the kids. I've heard him say he can make more of a difference sometimes on the practice field than he could up here."

Henriquez has lofty goals at TC. A state title is not unrealistic, he insisted.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think it was possible," Henriquez said.

A few minutes before practice Monday, he leaned back in his chair inside the TC football office, the same one he occupied the first time he was here.

"There's something right about it," Henriquez said.

The coach was at home again.

This morning at 7:20, Henriquez will board a plane at Tampa International Airport bound for Tallahassee, where crucial decisions await.

The switching of gears is constant.

[Last modified May 3, 2005, 01:18:22]