Zube the new face in charge of Stoney Creek football
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — Brad Zube considers himself old school.
His philosophies are of old school, smashmouth football and the days of multi-sport athletes suiting up on Friday nights still fits well into his system.
It is that system that is headed over to Rochester Stoney Creek.
Zube was announced as the new head football coach at Stoney Creek Monday night and he met with his new players officially for the first time Thursday after school inside Stoney Creek’s Media Center.
Dube replaces Calvin Gross, who started the Cougars’ football program in 2002 with only two seniors. Gross was 40-52 in 10 seasons at Stoney Creek, making the postseason in 2006 and 2007. The Cougars had winning seasons each year from 2006-09.
“I really like wrestlers on my defensive line,” noted Dube, who has aspirations of returning the Cougars to playoff contention for the first time in 2007. “I like tough-minded kids.”
NEW SHEFFIF IN TOWN: Brad Zube addressed his new football team at Rochester Stoney Creek on Thursday afternoon. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt.
Getting not only the sub-varsity and middle school football teams on the page, but sports programs throughout the entire Stoney Creek athletics department is among the immediate goals for Zube.
“I am going to try to link the programs together,” said Zube. “In places where I’ve been successful, we’ve got a basketball coach on our (football) staff, a track coach, a wrestling coach. Getting us all to work together, sharing kids. That’s how you build up an athletic department.
“I’m a high school football coach. I coach high school offense and high school defense. We want to win football games. That’s why I was hired,” added Dube. “I am really looking forward to the challenge.
Zube spent the past two years as the head coach at Pontiac, leading the Phoenix to the postseason. He was also the defensive coordinator at Pontiac in 2009, spent five seasons as the defensive coordinator at Waterford Kettering (2004-2008) and one season as the defensive coordinator at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (2003).
He is a graduate at Romeo High School and currently resides in Clarkston with his wife and two kids. Zube is a physical education teacher in Waterford.
“I’ve watched Stoney Creek since the beginning. I grew up in Romeo and I know this area,” offered Zube. “There’s not a lot of jobs that come open every year. It would take me a special place to leave Pontiac.”
Zube is still assembling his staff, keeping a couple of current assistant coaches in the program and potentially bringing over some of his staff from Pontiac.
Zube is already at work, solidifying August four-way scrimmage opponents, summer passing leagues and weight room workouts for his athletes.
“I think Brad is a good fit for our program,” said Shane Redshaw, Director of Athletics at Stoney Creek since its inception a decade ago. “He put together a nice package. He said that it’s really about the kids and that’s something I agree with. It really is about the kids.”
Stoney Creek struggled on the gird-iron the past two seasons, stumbling to a 2-7 mark in 2010 and a 1-8 ledger in 2011, where the Cougars lost their last eight games after a season-opening win against Port Huron Northern. Stoney Creek is being shifted to the OAA Red Division next fall, the same division as Pontiac.
“I am very familiar with the teams in that division, and what type of offenses and defenses teams run,” noted Zube. “That gives me a head start.”
Zube was one of 22 interested applicants for the job and one of nine individuals that received interviews during the past month.
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Not the hire I was looking for. Oh well, when the boys football and basketball teams are heading for a combined one win season, change was needed.