Coach Lockett honored with National Coach of Year award

Upon receiving the National Coach of the Year award, Coach Kenneth Lockett turned his shining moment into a special honor for everyone who has ever touched his life in some special way.
Lockett recently earned the Steve Harvey Neighborhood National Coach of The Year Award at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia stating it was a shocking experience.
“It was shocking as I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do that going up against people from large metropolitan areas versus the small rural areas here, but we pulled it off and it was a pleasant surprise and an humbling experience.”
Lockett _ a 33-year teacher, coach, principal, and supervisor with the St. Mary Parish School Board _ said his winning the award had nothing to do with track and field nor coaching but with the people voting for him as a way of paying him back for his many years of service.
“In my true opinion, my winning the National Neighborhood Coach of the Year Award had nothing to do with track and field or coaching as this is 33 years of service to St. Mary Parish and the people spoke especially under my medical condition,” Lockett stated. “They spoke and said you’ve been good to us for all these years and helped us out along the way and this is our way to pay you back, we’re going to vote for you and we got large, large numbers to vote throughout the parish andfriends so this thing resulted in people all across the nation voting for me.”
Lockett, a man who is as humble as he is kind and motivating, has the uncanny knack to be able to encourage athletes to perform at their maximum levels with simply a direct word in a his low-keyed voice accompanied by a smile. His coaching style could best be described as in-your-face but with a hint of encouragement so that the next time that athlete can correct his own mistake.
Maybe Coach Lockett took a page from Denzel Washington in “Remembering the Titans,” when he displays a coaching style which has a perfect blend of motivation and nurturing while ever building confidence to exceed all expectations the next time around.
Lockett, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, recalls his acceptance speech as being very simple.
“I thanked the people who helped me along the way including Team Lockett, those people who helped out as well as my family,” he said. “Then, I talked about, we are just ordinary people doing extraordinary things as that’s what we’ve done, that’s what we do and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
Coach Lockett was highly impressed with his treatment while receiving his national coach of the year honor: “It was a good experience and they treated us so well,” Lockett reminisced. “We were sitting among the stars _ I sitting next to Judge Hackett, Mr. Brown and his wife from that program and others but I’m not too familiar with the others because I’ don’t watch much TV. I only watch CNN, ESPN and local news and I’m done,” Lockett said while laughing.
Lockett realizes his recent National Coach of the year honor is big and should be held in high esteem.A humble coach who never seeks the spotlight, Lockett is eternally grateful for all who voted for him as the national honor really touched his heart.
“It just set in that this is big,” It took a week plus, for it to set in,” Lockett a member of the Iberia Parish School Board said. “I was acknowledged at the Iberia Parish board meeting with a party, the St. Mary Parish School honored me but I was not present but they acknowledged me and I went to the City of Franklin where they gave me a key to the city.”
Lockett continued: “I asked myself: “Why?” “Then it set in because it’s on a national level and in that point in time it set in – it’s on a national level. So I brought my trophy to the school board office so people can see it because this is big and to the community this is big. They really rallied around it and this is big and I didn’t know that and it just set in,” said Lockett, Franklin Senior High Head Track Coach and former defensive coordinator. “I went to the school board office for a function and I could hear “Hey, Lockett, Congratulations.”
Lockett said he couldn’t help but ask why, and then it set in.
“You know how you can just go along with hearing congratulations, I now realized this is a big honor _ receiving a national honor,” Lockett said in his straight forward voice. “This is truly a big honor.”
Lockett thanks Coach J. Ina with starting the nomination process and he made it all possible.
“I really would like to thank Mr. Ina because Coach Ina is the one who made the nomination as they actually called him and asked if he would be interested in doing it and he said no but I got the right person for you all,” Lockett stated. “ So, he made the nomination process which required voting and we managed to finish in the top four of which I finished first in that voting _ which was good. So I had a little confidence going into the true election, but I knew I had to step our game up because If I knew we finished first, they knew it too and would be stepping up their game. I knew we would have to step up our game. So we got organized in terms of social media and how to get it out there, including family and Larry Guilbeau and Kenny Boo Marshall _ so we had all those folks working on one end and I had my family on the other end so we managed to get a large contingent of people working for us through social media. We knew we couldn’t win it with just St. Mary – we had to get everybody else involved as it ended up being an election thing and I have a little experience with that so we managed to get through the process and I would do that again.”
When speaking of his current battle with cancer, Lockett spoke as a man who has never walked away from a challenge as well as the young man who served as the highly intelligent defensive backs and fierce tackler from the Franklin Hornets’ 1977 playoff team.
“I’m going to keep on going, I’m living, I’m living,” Lockett said. “I’m living with what I got; I’m living with that as several people get it _ some people live long periods of time some others don’t live long periods of time_ I’m going to live ‘til I’m gone. I do what I do as I haven’t basically changed at all except going to work because I decided it’s best for me not to go to work because I have to go to the doctor’s office so often, with one week I spent four days in the doctor’s office so going back and forward to work would wear me out.”
Lockett summed up his overall gratefulness to his many supporters with the following statement released to the St. Mary Parish School Board:
“Where do I start—so many supporters, so many well wishes, so much of an outpouring of love! Let me start with God. You know my situation and God has given me the time to reflect and know that He does not put any more on you than what you can bear. He never promised that I wouldn’t have trials and tribulations: He promised that He would be there for me. He is with me always. My faith is strong and my testimony is one of continued happiness in the state I find myself.
Let me thank next my wife (Kim), my children, my siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends that did just what I expected of them—to be there for me and with me. You know I love!
Now, there is another group of people, those that I don’t talk to every day, every month, or might not have spoken to for years. You proved that you don’t have to talk to someone every day, month or year for love and respect to be shown. Being showered with love and respect is only natural from the great people of St. Mary Parish (those living in or who have moved away), the grand people of Iberia Parish, the tremendous coaches I have coached with and against, and the awesome boys and girls—some now men and women who touched my life on the track field, football field, and even on the basketball court. You have shown me your love and respect and it is something I will never forget. You have my love and my many thanks for all that you have done to make this prestigious honor of being nominated the National Coach of the Year a reality.”
If it had not been for the Lord on my side to enable me to be there and accept the award myself and if it had not been for your support through emails and calls, none of this amazing honor would have been possible. To all—you have my eternal love and gratitude!
Remember: It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish!”