Ex-LV coach a clinic regular (15 June 2006)

He says it's one of best in state

By JOE RUIZ
jruiz@sastandardtimes.com or 659-8254

Clovis Hale knows the times he missed the Angelo Football Clinic were few and far between in his 35 years of coaching.

The clinic, now in its 33rd year, brings coaches from across the country to San Angelo to talk about the passing game, being physical on defense and the best way to improve the offensive line's play.

''It's one of the best football clinics anywhere in the state,'' said Hale, the head coach of San Angelo Lake View High School from 1973-77. ''We've seen it go from 30 people to over a thousand people.''

The three-day clinic, which began Wednesday, features more than 20 sessions focusing on offense, defense and improving team chemistry. It also has more than 20 vendors selling training equipment, uniforms, communication equipment and high-tech video systems.

Hale, who retired from coaching in 2000, coached at the high school and college levels and even had a brief stint in the Arena Football League.

Hale said he has missed only one or two of the 33 clinics.

''If a coach comes here to learn football, that's what they come here for,'' Hale said. ''There's a lot of clinics nowadays where this is more of a social deal. This is a working deal.''

The former coach works as a vendor for Odessa-based Athletic Supply. Hale promotes the company's football helmet reconditioning business.

As coaches pass Athletic Supply's first-floor booth at the Junell Center on the campus of Angelo State University, Hale shows off an orange helmet with a number of scratches and talks about how the company helps teams meet a watchdog group's two-year recommendation for helmet recertification.

Working on helmets rather than on the whole business side allows Hale to enjoy his retirement on the banks of Lake Travis near Austin as well as stay in football, he said.

''I was raised in West Texas. I went to school in Abilene - I'm just a West Texas guy,'' he said. ''I just got misplaced in Austin.''