FAMILIAR NAME BACK WITH WILDCATS
Publication:
Published: 09/13/1996
Page: P1C
Headline: FAMILIAR NAME BACK WITH WILDCATS
Byline: TOM ALUISE
DAILY MAIL SPORTSWRITER
Jack Eastwood is considered
among Nitro High School's best-ever
football players. He was a three-year regular on defense for Coach
Bobby Bowden at
Mountaineer Peach Bowl team.
Eastwood owns a wealth of football
knowledge.
So, when Nitro's coaching
staff asked Eastwood to hop aboard as an
assistant this season, naturally everyone was hoping the popular
ex-Wildcat would say yes.
Everyone
but Isaac Eastwood, Jack's 16-year-old son and a Wildcat
regular on both offense and defense.
Maybe it was a teen-age
thing.
"At first, I really
didn't want him to (coach),' Isaac said. "I guess
all the other coaches asked him to come out. He made a commitment to
the other coaches. It doesn't really bother me as much.'
Isaac was initially
uncomfortable because he feared teammates might
think he was receiving preferential treatment from his dad.
"I didn't want people
to think just because my dad was a coach I got
to play,' Isaac said.
These days, the 6-foot-2,
170-pound junior doesn't have to worry about
behind-the-back whispers of favoritism. The younger Eastwood is
proving himself on the field.
The Wildcats are off
to a 2-0 start and are ranked 10th in Class AAA
in
to the auspicious start by catching seven passes for 101 yards and one
touchdown.
He is the fourth-leading
receiver in the Mountain State Athletic
Conference Gold Division behind teammates Zack Collins, Chris Martin
and Robbie Sigman. Nitro quarterback J.R. House
already has thrown for
more than 700 yards.
The Wildcats face
George Washington (0-1) at 7:30 p.m. today at
Laidley Field.
Jack Eastwood, whose
youngest son Eric plays for Nitro's ninth-grade
team, ran the ball and played in the Wildcat secondary from 1969-71.
He was a rugged and fearless competitor who "would knock your head
off,' said ex-Nitro Coach Pat Vance, now the school's athletic
director.
Isaac comes from a
different mold, his dad said.
"I think we're
different type ballplayers,' Jack said. "He's
more
finesse. I was more of a power type; more bang it out. He's probably a
little better athlete on the field.'
Isaac does possess his
father's instincts on defense.
"He knows where the
ball is going to be. That's probably his best
asset,' said Jack, who started at free safety for two seasons at WVU
before moving to defensive end his senior year. The 6-2 Eastwood
weighed 215 pounds during his playing days.
Eastwood, who spent the
last two years as an assistant at
But he is careful how he
approaches his sons in practice. In fact, for
the most part, he keeps his distance.
"I don't like to coach
those guys directly,' Eastwood said. "I go the
other direction. I let someone else do it. Kids don't listen to
parents. Parents don't know anything.'
The only thing you need to
know about Jack Eastwood is that he was the
star on the last Nitro team to win more than six games in a season.
In 1971, Eastwood's senior
year, the Wildcats went 9-1 under Coach
John Loftis. They lost only to
Smith, 9-0.
"It wasn't Heywood so
much,' Eastwood said. "They were just big and
strong. They weren't a real disciplined team. That just came to play
that night.'
In '72, Nitro went 6-3-1.
Since, the Wildcats have never been better
than 6-4. The school hasn't had a winning season since '83.
If that elusive seventh
victory arrives this year, Eastwood's presence
on the sidelines, no doubt, will be a part.
"We've got a lot of
kids who are good athletes,' he said. "If we'd
had a passing game like this when I played...this offense would have
been suited better for us.'
Isaac Eastwood occasionally
hears stories about his dad. People have
told him Jack Eastwood is Nitro's all-time best.
"It makes me feel
proud,' Isaac said. "It makes me feel like I
might
be able to do that someday.'