Weezy/Whitney Wednesday a staple for Kyle Richardson |
CLEMSON –
Kyle Richardson loves to play music for his tight ends during meetings, and the artists will range from Weezy to Whitney to Tupac. Just don’t expect any Luke Bryan or Carrie Underwood. Country music isn’t in his wheelhouse.
Richardson is in his second year as the Tigers’ tight ends coach, and when he was a head coach at Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, he loved to develop routines with his players. Routine equals consistency equals success. And one of the ways he does that is with music. Head coach Dabo Swinney has always espoused the benefits of Mental Monday, TANOGA (Take Away No Give Away) Tuesday, Working Man Wednesday, Team Thursday, and Focus Friday. Richardson has something similar for his tight ends. “When we go to practice, we have TANOGA Tuesday and Working Man Wednesday and I've always had music and I've always named it,” Richardson said. “It's a routine and I am trying to build a routine with them. To me, we are going to have a routine with music during the season.” The music is confined to the tight ends meeting room, and players know what to expect when they walk through the door. “So you know on Tuesday when we come in here and Tupac is blasting, you know what today is. It's Tupac Tuesday,” Richardson said. “It's also TANOGA Tuesday. So they connect together and they know the routine and they understand the connection and they connect the dots. And they know Friday is Focus Friday. So, on Friday we have a ten-minute meeting - that's all we really get. On Focus Friday there is no music because you have to get them to understand it's Focus Friday, and there is no music.” Thursday is the day that Richardson is allowed to play some of his favorites, but the players are starting to love Weezy (Lil’ Wayne) and Whitney Houston the day before. “And Thursday is Throwback Thursday. That is probably the day they don't like as much because it's a mixture of early 90's and 2000's and they just aren't as hip to that as I am. But they are starting to really come along on Weezy/Whitney. Today (speaking on a Wednesday), we had a 6 AM position meeting and I went to wake them up - I am going to crank something up as loud as we can go - and before I could even hit it, Banks Pope goes, 'I would like to have a little Whitney Houston to get me ready.' So, of course, at the top of our lungs, I Will Always Love You." Just don’t ask him to play Tammy Wynette, or Willie, or anyone else associated with country music. “I would walk out of this session if you dropped a country song right now,” Richardson said, right before breaking into I Will Always Love You as he walked out of the room.
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