The new Winter Springs head football coach is Steve Michaels, transferring from Hagerty High School after four years of being the defense coordinator. Although this is Michael’s first season being the head coach, he has had years of experience in coaching for 28 years and playing football himself. He has also coached Lake Brantley for four years. Michael has always wondered why Winter Springs High School football never exceeded and taken off; he would look over and see athletes who had untapped potential.

Michaels was raised in Springdale Arkansas. He played football in high school for three years and won 39 games total. He has a master’s degree in teaching and teaches math for college readiness and an SAT prep class at Hagerty. Michael is a family oriented man. He has a wife, and 2 girls at the ages of 5 and 9 years old.

Michaels’s track record is quite a long list. He started in his small town of Arkansas, then moved to coach in South Carolina. He then coached at the University of Florida and became the defense coordinator at Lake Brantley High.

Michaels is a firm believer in four main topics: faith, family, academics, and sports. He wants his players to remind family and friends that you truly love them. He encourages players to pay attention in class and get the best possible grades they can get. He encourages players to play whatever sports they want to play, even if that includes sports other than football. Finally, he encourages players to be involved in the community. Not only will Winter Springs students show up to the games but people from the Winter Springs community will be welcomed to be a part of this team.

“Believe in you, believe in us,” is a quote Michaels lives by.

Jeff Demps, a previous running back for the Gators, Patrick DiMarco, a fullback for the Buffalo Bills and Tion Green, a running back for the Detroit Lions are a few players Michael has coached before coming to Winter Springs.

Steve Michaels believes the football team needs school spirit to create culture, so if the school lacks spirit, the football team will lack spirit as well and he hopes to change that.  Off season conditioning will begin in January and spring football begins on April 20^th. Spring football will take three weeks, then he will run summer offseason conditioning.

Being head football coach for the first time, he knows that his players will not win right away rather; it’s a process and he knows it will take a while but in the end it will be worth it for the WSHS team.