It is 9:30 am at Desert Vista High School, time for the second period of the day. Dan Hinds writes the class agenda on the whiteboard. The bell rings. Students flood into the room. He greets every student by name, jokes around, and begins.  This process is repeated numerous times a day with all of his classes and all 140 students that teaches.

 

This is Dan Hinds, the teacher. This is also Dan Hinds, the football coach.

 

“I’ll just say it. I am a teacher first,” said Hinds.

 

He found his calling after an unsatisfying career in the business world. Hinds transitioned into teaching and coaching at Desert Vista 22 years ago. He now teaches in the business department, and has been the head football coach for the last 16 years.

 

Hinds, a product of Tempe Union School District, has his roots firmly planted at DV. He has turned down multiple coaching offers over the years to a variety of Arizona high schools.

 

“I don’t see myself going anywhere else,” Hinds said. “It starts with the people. I think the relationships I have with people here is second to none. Especially with my coaching staff. The respect we have for each other and the brotherhood we have created amongst our staff, doesn’t exist within other programs in my opinion. I like what I have set up here. It feels good.”

 

That feeling is shared by Dr. Anna Battle, now assistant superintendent of district operations. Battle was the athletic director when Hinds was hired for the varsity coaching position.

 

“It is easy to say he was adored and loved by everyone— from students and teachers, to parents and our administrators. Even though he was an automatic first pick, he went through the interview process and rose to the top of all candidates,” Battle said. “He was hired for his teaching abilities as well as his coaching skills.

 

“He is very consistent, the kids know what to expect from him in the classroom and on the field and that creates a wonderful atmosphere for the kids at DV. Sometimes people forget, in order to be a great coach, you have to be a great teacher. Dan has always had his priorities in place.”

 

Hinds embodies a certain confidence in the reputation he has built for himself at DV, because of the relationships he has created over the years.

 

"When I decide to be done coaching here at DV, I plan to still be a teacher here. This is my job,” Hinds said.  “Coaching doesn’t pay my mortgage; it is something I just really love doing. If I stepped down as head coach I would hope that my reputation within DV as a teacher would allow me to continue on here, which I know I would be able to, without a doubt."

 

Because of this attitude, Hinds has always approached teaching and coaching as the same task.

 

“Everything depends on the relationships you create,” Hinds said. “So when you have to correct kids or get on them they will listen to what you’re saying and (have) the trust to where they aren’t going to just shut you out.

 

“Teaching and coaching are so similar. It takes time. It takes time to create a good game plan or practice schedule to have a successful end result on Friday night – just like it takes time to come up with a good lesson plan that will successfully prepare students for that summit of assessment. The only difference is the whole state isn’t watching you give a test.”

 

Although Hinds and the Thunder finished 5-5 this season, their record does not show the lasting impact Hinds makes on the young men he coaches each year. Hinds coaching style reflects that of his teaching: build relationships that will establish respect and trust to create a successful environment for players to grow and learn. These relationships show the true impact a coach has on his players, an impact that goes far beyond the final score.

 

 One particular focus as a coach this year was about creating brotherhood.

 

“He created a ‘Big Brother’ program with his team where older players worked with freshman and younger kids to show them our expectations and kind of the DV way,” current athletic director, Thomas Eubanks said.

 

This type of program displays the attitude of a coach who cares about the development of the social, academic, and athletic areas of each of his players— developing the whole athlete.

 

“It is really refreshing to work with someone that wants to build character first and refuses to sacrifice anything that will compromise that,” Eubanks said. “If there was a right way to teach and coach, he does things the right way.”

 

Senior Jacob Schamante is familiar with both sides of Hinds, playing strong safety on the football team and taking Hinds’s advanced business course.

 

“In the classroom coach Hinds is a lot more relaxed compared to how intense he is as a coach,” Schamante said. “He knows he has to approach students differently than he does his players and he does a really good job of that. In the classroom and on the field he expects a lot from the kids he works with, but the fact he approaches the two differently is what makes him a great teacher and a great coach.”

 

The commitment to his students is obvious. The investment he makes by creating solid relationships with his athletes and students allows him to continually push both in his classroom and in his huddle. 

 

“It is really cool having him as a teacher,” Schamante said.  “I got to know him as my coach first and then by having him as a teacher, I have created a better relationship with him. As a coach his goal is to help me become a better football player and athlete. And as a teacher he really is interested in how I am doing in other aspects of my life, like school.”

 

This caring attitude by Hinds is one of the driving forces behind his dedication, both on the field and in the classroom.

 

“I know it sounds like a cliché,” said Hinds. “But I have always been the type of person to do the best job I can do, no matter what is in front of me. Like anyone else, I feel good when I do as good as I can. The reward I get when I am teaching a concept and I see the entire class get it, is always a pretty cool feeling.”

 

Battle added:

 

“He is a teacher in an area in which one might not find a head football coach. His credibility even exceeds him beyond the expectation.”

 

His background and experience with working in business allowed an easy initial transition into becoming a business teacher at DV.

 

“Given his business background prior to teaching and coaching, he has owned and managed businesses and has utilized those skills of customer service,” Battle said. “As a coach, he manages a team and by instructing them he uses those managerial skills to ensure his customers, or players, receive the very best service. You add all that together and add in his football knowledge, you have the best guy leading.”