Interim Head Coach Adams checks his watch.
Interim Head Coach Ernie Adams ’71 is a legendary figure in New England football. Following graduation from Andover in 1971, Adams attended Northwestern University before beginning his 37 year coaching career in professional football, including six Super Bowl rings over 21 years with the local New England Patriots. After retiring from professional coaching in 2021, Adams joined Football as an alumnus volunteer, before accepting the role of Interim Head Coach last spring. As Football Head Coach, Adams emphasizes the role of Andover in teaching athletes lessons for adulthood beyond athletics. Football (1–1) under Adams is off to an exciting start, with a 14 point comeback win against Hotchkiss and an encouraging battle against a strong Williston Northampton (Williston) team.
During his time at Andover, Adams played under long-time coach Steve Sorota. Adams remembers the relationship as deeply formative, providing exposure to a coaching philosophy that Adams would later adopt. Adams is reminded of his mentor’s legacy every time he walks through the tunnel at Phelps Stadium, passing a plaque commemorating Sorota and the 1970 undefeated team on which Adams played. Adams commented on the guiding principle Sorota brought to coaching football, seeing the game as an experience meant to complement other aspects of Andover’s education.
“When Steve Sorota was hired, the Head of School at the time was Claude Fuess, and Claude Fuess told Steve, ‘your job is not to win, your job is to teach,’” said Adams. “With professional players, you expect them to be full time on the job, and it’s very different from having a high school player who, like every student, has four hours of homework every night. The football program is meant to complement other experiences at Andover. It has to fit within the rest of your life.”
During the transition from professional sports to local high school coaching, Adams was forced to rethink the relationships between coaches and players. Adams values these connections deeply, and also cited them as a reason for his return. Adams contrasted his approach to coaching in the National Football League (NFL) with Andover.
“In the NFL, it’s cutthroat. If a player isn’t doing well, you get rid of him or replace him. That’s obviously not going to happen here. Every student on our team is part of the Andover family, and Andover’s for life. So the relationships with the players are definitely different. But as far as teaching technique, if I go out and work with one of our offensive linemen on pass protection, I teach it exactly the same way I would teach you to an NFL offensive lineman. So the human relationships are very different but the technique of playing the game is very similar,” said Adams.
This dedication to building relationships with his players is a trait that attracted new recruits to the team, with Adams being fully committed to his players’ success, both on and off the field. Ubie Zaid PG’27 pointed to this devotion as the key reason why he chose Andover.
“As soon as we heard that Coach Adams was the head coach, I knew that [Andover] might be the place for me. One of the problems with my old school was that my old coach didn’t advocate for me, but I knew after speaking with Coach [Adams] that he really invests in his players. That’s what really influenced my decision to really come [to Andover]. I felt like it was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up,” said Zaid.
Adams’ philosophy of preparing students for life beyond sports stems from the fact that most high school athletes do not find careers in their chosen sport. Despite Adams being a direct example of extraordinary success in the football industry, he briefly worked on Wall Street, emphasizing the importance of developing well-rounded young adults, and not focusing purely on athletic success. Adams shared the story of Zak DeOssi ’07, a successful Andover athlete who switched careers, an example of why building skills that translate to success off the field is so critical.
“Even somebody like Zak DeOssie, who was the [New York] Giants long snapper for ten plus years. Now he’s 40 years old, and he’s in private equity. So, as we know, to have a ten plus year career as a player in the NFL is an extraordinary accomplishment. But we know that football is just a small part of a student’s life, and will become more limited throughout adult life,” said Adams.
Interim Head Coach Ernie Adams will look to lead Football this season to further success, noting that Andover is looking for a long-term head coach, and that his position is temporary.
