PROVISO WEST HIGH SCHOOL
Teacher: Famous Hulbert
Famous Hulbert Head Football Coach and his staff
Teacher Complaint About: Proviso West High School - Famous Hulbert
Author: Undisclosed
Grade: N/A
Occur date: Jan 30 2012
Post date: Jan 30 2012, 10:16:25 PM
Teacher Complaint: Famous Hulbert - Proviso West High School
Re: Proviso West Football Coaching
It is with great disappointment that I submit this letter as a parent of a Proviso West High School student-athlete. This is regarding Famous Hulbert and the coaching staff of Proviso West High School football program. I would like to begin by saying that as a former student-athlete, it was an honor and a pleasure to represent Proviso West and my home town of Bellwood, Illinois. The dream of attending college plays a major part in the time and effort that these student-athletes put into each football season. We believe that everyone who has put in hours and hours of blood, sweat, tears, torn ACL’s, broken legs and concussions should have that opportunity, starting with the College of DuPage (Junior College) up to the Powerhouse University of Alabama (Division I). We recognize that there are below average players, average players, above average players and great players. These players no matter what level they play at should be given a reasonable amount of effort and support from their coaches.
I did not find this support from Proviso West Head football coach Famous Hulbert or his coaching staff. For four years our student-athletes have put everything they have into playing for Famous Hulbert. Proviso West has been in AWS (Academic Watch Status) due to the failure to make AYP for two additional years after being placed on Academic Early Warning (or four annual calculations of missing AYP) and are eligible for additional state sanctions. These young men have struggled to maintain the required GPA with the hopes that even with only maintaining a 2.0 GPA, my coach will at the least help me get into a Junior college. Proviso West has numerous parents who have never stepped foot on a college campus and don’t have a clue of what it takes to prepare for it. These student-athletes help line the pockets of many coaches, schools, districts, and towns with no reward in the end for the student athlete. This has led to my complaint and disgust with the Proviso West Coaches and Administration.
The Proviso West football team has numerous players who will be graduating in the senior class of 2012. Out of this class, the coaching staff of Proviso West has “NOT” assisted any of them in preparing for the next phase in their lives as College Student Athletes. I speak on behalf of many of our parents who are trying to find our way through this process with no help from Famous Hulbert or his staff. Famous Hulbert has not practiced what he has preached. After attending games for four years, we have come to the conclusion that if your student-athlete is not a top recruit, Famous Hulbert will not put the effort into helping with the college process. (EXAMPLE)
In 2010 Famous Hulbert had a top recruit receiver named Kyle Prater who was awarded a scholarship to the University of Southern California. During the 2010 and 2011 football seasons following Kyle Prater’s departure, Famous Hulbert has made many comments about how he forced the ball to Prater to pad his statistics while leaving the other players to fend for themselves. Another statement that he made to his team was after fall practice in 2011 “He stated that if USC doesn’t start to give him more time “WE” are getting him outta there”. This sounds as if he is his “Agent” and not just a former coach. We as parents are very confused by what is taking place.
As of January 10, 2012 Kyle Prater has decided to leave the University of Southern California and Famous Hulbert has placed all of his efforts into making sure that Prater is taken care of. This also leaves the parents who have no experience with college recruiting to be in charge of the recruiting process for their student-athletes. These student-athletes have to be in school at 8am and get out at 3pm, then they have to be at practice from 330pm until 8pm. On Friday nights they have their games and they do not see their homes until after 1030pm. The Saturday after the game, they have practice again at 8am until 1pm. Anyone who puts in that amount of time should have someone in their corner to help them. This football team has a variety of different road blocks and hurdles that these student-athletes run into. Single parent homes, Grandparents raising grandchildren, Homeless, and not to mention educational and financial disabilities just to name a few. These student athletes have put all those issues to the side to play a game that they love, they deserve help in the planning the next steps of life. For one man to have the control of so many futures and not have their best interest is wrong. All the RED comments in the following articles are the words of Famous Hulbert. He has not practiced what he has preached. Only if you are Division I material will he give you the time of day.
The question that we should ask Famous Hulbert, Is it really about the student-athletes, or is it about WHAT CAN THE STUDENT-ATHLETE DO FOR FAMOUS HULBERT?
Famous words
Coach says star player torn between schools
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By Scott Powers
ESPNChicago.com
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CHICAGO -- There are plenty of 4-0 teams remaining in the state, but Proviso West's perfect record is one of the more monumental.
The Panthers are off to their best start in school history and could be on the verge of reaching the playoffs for the first time. It's been a long time coming for Proviso West, which has had only one season in the past 10 years with more than two wins. A major reason for the program's rise is Panthers coach Famous Hulbert. Hulbert, who played at Proviso West and the University of Illinois, took over the program in 2006 and slowly has gotten it to where it is.
On Thursday, Hulbert had a few minutes to discuss Proviso West's success, the play of his star receiver Kyle Prater and Saturday's big game against No. 4 Glenbard West.
Scott Powers: What were some of the keys to get this program to this point?
Famous Hulbert: Getting the players to make football a priority in their lives and changing the culture of the football program.
SP: What has changed this season even from last?
FH: Senior leadership and the fact that my players are bigger, stronger and faster than ever before. This is my first group of seniors; we arrived together in the summer of 2006. These kids have logged countless hours of practice, film study, weight training and conditioning.
SP: What has impressed you especially about Kyle Prater's play this season?
FH: Kyle Prater makes everyone around him better. He has totally grasped the entire offense, and he knows all of the skilled positions.
SP: Where does his recruitment stand?
FH: He has a "soft" verbal commitment to attend the University of Southern California. Being that he is not 100 percent sure about USC at this time, I am insisting that he take a minimum of three official visits: USC, Oklahoma and Illinois. He will only be afforded the opportunity to go through the recruiting process once during his lifetime; I want him to enjoy the process and be able to live with his decision.
SP: You being an Illini graduate, do you feel they still have a chance with him?
FH: Yes. Kyle is torn between attending one of the top-five football programs in the country or representing his home state.
SP: This is obviously a big game this week. Do you play it up or down with your team?
FH: This is the biggest game in school history. We embrace this opportunity to make our entire community proud.
SP: How much does this game mean to the season, program, etc.?
FH:This game will serve a measuring stick of how far we have come as a football program. However, this game will not make or break our season. Both teams will compete for a state title, being in 7A and 8A.
Scott Powers covers high school and college sports for ESPNChicago.com and can be reached at preps@espnchicago.com.
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Updated Sep 25, 2009 2:30 PM ET
FAMOUS HULBERT HEAD FOOTBALL COACH - PROVISO West Your team is 4-0 and off to the best start in the school's 50-year history. How do you explain it? Hard work is starting to pay big dividends in the win-loss column, countless hours, and countless sacrifices. I took a $25,000 pay cut to come here. But it's the only place I wanted to be head coach. It was the opportunity of a lifetime that I couldn't pass up. People said I was crazy to come here. They said we couldn't win because of the conference and lack of support. We proved them wrong. You have one of the best players in the nation in receiver Kyle Prater. But it takes more than one player to qualify for the state playoffs. Who else are you counting on? Quarterback Malik Thurman is a dual threat. Cornerback Darryl Johnson and wide receiver Julius Shelby are Division I prospects. Also running back Julius Johnson and linebacker Khari Washington. How good is Prater? He will have a chance if he goes to the right school (Illinois, Oklahoma or USC) to be the No. 1 player in the NFL draft. He has size, speed, dedication, desire and discipline. He is the greatest receiver this state has ever produced. He reminds me of Randy Moss with a better attitude. What is the key to beating Glenbard West on Saturday? It is the biggest game in school history. We have to play mistake-free. We played against the best teams in 7-on-7 in the summer. We beat East St. Louis. We know we can play with anyone. We just have to execute. What is the key to turning Proviso West into a consistent winner? Locking the gates. We have to keep Catholic schools out of our backyard. (St. Rita's) Jahwon Akui should be here. So should (Nazareth's) LaSteven McKinney. Imagine our team right now with those two kids. How would you change the recruiting process for the better? Allow college coaches to make more visits. It is one thing to talk on the phone but another to look at each other eye-to-eye. Kids should have more time to get to know the recruiters. What is the toughest aspect of coaching? At Proviso West, it's off-the-field stuff. The most challenging part is trying to make football a priority in the lives of players, parents and some assistant coaches. I want my players to be winners on and off the field. I coach to change their lives. I have to be more than a football coach. I must be a father, uncle, big brother, mentor and counselor. If you could pick the brains of four coaching gurus, who would they be? (Grambling's) Eddie Robinson, (East St. Louis') Bob Shannon, (Evanston's) Murney Lazier and Vince Lombardi. What is the best advice you have received? Dan Disch, the defensive coordinator at Illinois, told me: ''In times of crisis, think players, not plays.'' In other words, find a way to get the ball to Prater and your horses. What is the story behind your unusual name? I was born on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. My mother had a dream that I would be famous. Hence the name. I had a lot of pressure growing up. I'm driven to live up to my name.
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Famous Hulbert has talked the talk but he has not come close to walking the walk. Anyone associated with the Panther Football knows that these student-athletes have made the commitment to being football players. While he is putting hours and hours of phone time, traveling all across the country, and showing concern about someone who is an established COLLEGE athlete, while these senior student-athletes are left to fend for themselves. Even three years after that player has left, the coach has put more effort into the welfare of a player who is already at USC rather than the players who are trying to fulfill their dream of playing at College of DuPage, Elmhurst College or even Triton College. When I look at this situation, I wonder is there more to this relationship. Even at the end of practices when he is addressing the team, his mind is more focused on that one kid.
This letter is not to show envy of a player who is better than my student-athlete but to say that coaches should give every player on his team the same effort when it comes to getting them to the next level. These kids may not be the best student-athletes in the classroom or on the field, but they are student-athletes who have put in more time at their school than they have been at their home. If it is the case that only the students-athletes who can go to Division I or Division IAA get the attention of these High School coaches than it should be told to the athletes and their parents before they commit to that coach/program for four years. Thank you for your time and I hope that this matter is looked into so that future student-athletes of Proviso West High School are given the same chance to be the first in their families to attend college.
THANK YOU
Cornelious Johnson
A Concerned Parent
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Famous HulbertTeacher In Complaint
Jan 31 2012, 01:26:55 PM
"The only failures are those that try to please everyone." Bill Cosby
For the record, I often tell the story about how we needed a shining light at PW; a player that could put the school back on the high school football recruiting map. The school had only won 11 games in the 10 years prior to my arrival. In fact, college coaches weren't even returning my phone calls when I returned in 2006; PW was the laughingstock of the western suburbs. Kyle Prater played a major role in making PW relevant on the local and national scene for the first time in over a decade and as a result, several players have cashed in with scholarships.
Research my statements, talk to my former players (PW and LT), come to practice, attend games, and let me know what you think.
It's time for me to go back to work!!!
Famous Hulbert
708-202-6312
Former StudentTeacher In Complaint
Feb 01 2012, 04:29:25 PM
Proper education starts as young as the age of 2. Coach Hulbert gets these young boys TWELVE years later. What parents do in those twelve years will determine how well they do in high school, not what a coach can do on the playing field for FOUR years. It is asinine to expect a coach to pick up the pieces of a parents failures for over a decade in four short years.
I can tell you as a former student that Coach Hulbert shaped my PHYSICALLY as a coach and gym teacher should. He also increased my ability to understand my own mental strength. He did not, however, teach me how to excel in algebra or English; nor should be be expected to. He did as his profession requires. In fact, he EXCEEDED as his profession as a coach and gym teacher required.
Keep up the good work Coach, unlike this man, you have a visible army of supporters!
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