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Where Are They Now: Tony Lindsay

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by: Matt Amilian

Amilian: What has your path been since leaving Stillwater?

Lindsay: After graduating I spent the next three years trying to play professional football. I was in camp with two different teams in the CFL, but never made it on the official season roster. Had various workouts for arena league teams but didn’t have the drive that I once had and the shoulder injury I had suffered in college still hadn’t fully healed.

After coming to realization that it was not meant for me to play professionally, I started looking for something I enjoyed doing to make a career out of. That happened to be teaching and coaching. In doing so, I would be able to give back to my community by sharing my experiences, wisdom, and life lessons with the youth. So, I went back to school and got a masters in education as well as a teacher’s licensure. And that’s when my teaching career started.

I have just completed my 5th year of teaching. I am currently a fifth grade teacher at Lowry Elementary in Denver. As far as coaching, I’ve been coaching high school football in Denver for 9 years. I am currently coaching at Denver South High School, where I am the assistant head coach/offensive coordinator/ QBs Coach.

My dad happens to be the head coach. I also coach alongside my three younger brothers (Gabe, Matt, Dom). I am a Denver native, so I eventually ended up coming back home. Most of my family is here as well.

Amilian: Do you and Gabe have position focuses as coaches? Do you and your brothers show some sibling rivalry on the football field coaching the same team, in practice, game or behind the scenes?

Lindsay: It’s really cool to be coaching with family. Football is in our DNA, so it is definitely fun getting together to game plan, make suggestions, and acknowledge each other on things done that have allowed our team to have success on and off the field.

My brothers and I are always competitive on the field, constantly bragging on how our position players are better than the others. Whether it be lifting in the weight room, having races, or comparing our players grades, there is a lot of bragging and trash talking. My dad just sits back and grins (knowing that we got it from him).

Of course there is drama, but when it is all said and done, the head coach (dad) has the final say.

Amilian: One of your students recently had a seizure in the classroom and you were recognized for providing help. What specifically did you do in providing first aid and how did the other students respond?

Lindsay: Going back to the question about the incident that took place at my school in my classroom, I guess you could look at as something heroic, but really I was just doing my job. The student who had the seizure was fairly new to the school. He had only been in the school for about a week. After finishing up on a reading lesson he all the sudden had a seizure. At that time the students in class were not aware of his condition.

I instructed the class to clear the area around him and from there I followed the procedures of making sure he was taken care of until help had arrived. It was the first time that I had performed first aid procedures. I think I was more impressed with how the students in the room at that time reacted. The students not being aware of what was going on could have easily cracked, but they were very calm and composed and handled the situation with maturity.

Where Are They Now

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Amilian: Do you follow OSU athletics now and do you ever make it back to Stillwater for games?

Lindsay: I am always following OSU Athletics. Whenever they are televised, no matter what sport it maybe, they have 100% support from me and my family.

I would say I follow the football and basketball teams the closest. I am definitely proud to be a Cowboy. I haven’t been to Stillwater in a long time, about six or seven years. I’ve heard from former teammates how it has changed. I do plan on coming back soon and showing my family where I played football and received my college education.

Amilian: Since OSU will be starting a freshman QB (West Lunt) this season, I’d like to focus on that. Your freshmen year, we were coming off eight straight losing seasons, how much pressure did you feel to get things turned around in Stillwater?

Lindsay: As a freshman at OSU, I didn’t feel too much pressure to turn the program around. I put more pressure on myself making sure that I made the guys around me better and vice versa. The chemistry was very important to me because I knew it would take more than just me to turn the program around and I was willing to do whatever I needed to do make that happen.

It is amazing to see what chemistry can do for a team and just how far it can take them. When everyone is on the same page and giving all they have, it’s like a well-oiled machine, unstoppable. Going into that season we had nothing to lose. We were viewed upon as a lower tier team in the conference that had a few talented players on the team. That was motivation we needed to get the ball rolling.

Amilian: Lunt is coming into a different situation. He’s preceded by six winning seasons and a BCS Bowl victory. Do you see any major similarities or differences between the pressure he’ll experience and that of which you went through?

Lindsay: Other than the fact that the past six seasons have been very successful, I don’t see too much of a difference between the pressure I faced and what Wes will have upon him this upcoming season. If anything, they will expect more from Wes. The Cowboys have established themselves as a team that not only competes with the best, but beats the best. Being held accountable for playing at the same level that they have been will be what Wes and the rest of the team have to deal with.

Amilian: How many games did it take you to work through the nerves of playing QB for a Big 12 team?

Lindsay: As far as playing in my first season, there were definitely nerves. I didn’t know what to expect going into the my first game. How much playing time would I get, how the speed of the game would be, what would it feel like being hit by bigger, faster, stronger players, and how would I deal with adversity. But, after the first series I was good to go.

Amilian: If you could offer Lunt any words of advice, what would you tell him?

Lindsay: If I could offer any advice to Wes, I would tell him to control the game and not let the game control him. It is so easy to get caught up in the hype of the game and/or expectations put on you, but you’re at your best when you’re comfortable. When you’re comfortable, you’re in control and your God-given talent along with great coaching start to take over.

Amilian: What was the most difficult part of leading the team as a freshman?

Lindsay: The hardest part of being one of the leaders on the team as a freshman was not letting my teammates down. I wanted the upperclassmen to accept me. In doing so I had to bust my ass in all phases of the game to make sure I was on my game. But what I didn’t realize was that I was going to make mistakes and no matter how big or little they were I had support from all my teammates and coaches.

Amilian: Most athletic guy you played with at OSU?

Lindsay: R.W. McQuarters. He was one of the most talented guys I had ever seen. He could literally do it all.

Amilian: Best football memory from your Stillwater days?

Lindsay: My best memory had to be beating Colorado in the 1997 season. We were undefeated, it was homecoming, and I got the opportunity to show the University of Colorado why it was a mistake not to recruit me out of high school. There was not only a chip on my shoulder that game, but a couple of other players and coaches as well.

It definitely made my day to beat CU on national television in front of all my family and friends back home as well as a sell-out crowd at the formerly known Lewis Field.

Amilian: Where would people find you on a Friday night in Stillwater during your playing days?

Lindsay: On a Friday night you would find me probably at home with my roommates or girlfriend at that time just hanging out. Thursday and Saturday nights were another story: Tremors/Tumbleweed, The Strip, Eskimo Joes, and other places around Stillwater where my teammates were.

Amilian: If you have one, tell me one hilarious/crazy story from college. It can be football or non-football related. Something you think that would give Cowboy fans a laugh.

Lindsay: One morning I woke up for class. I went through the morning routine of getting ready for class, then headed out. When I got to class no one was there. I checked my watch to make sure it was the right time and it was. From what I knew class was not canceled for any reason. After waiting for half an hour I went back home. When I walked in the door my roommates were looking pretty suspicious of something. Finally, they told me that they had set my alarm clock and watch back 2 1/2 hours while I was sleeping that night. My roommates where my brother Gabe, Jamaal Fobbs, and Reggie White.

Amilian: Thanks for your time, Tony.

Lindsay: No problem, one more thing…I wanted to give props to the great coaching staff at OSU. Coach Gundy has done a wonderful job. Also, to Marilyn Middlebrook and the rest of the athletic academic department, thank you and keep up the amazing work you all have done.

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