SE: K-State WRs Coach Jason Ray Continues to Lean on Early Advice: Be Yourself
Jan 30, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Before Jason Ray started his first coaching job at the University of Wyoming, he straight up asked his position coach at Missouri, Andy Hill, for any advice that might help him.
Hill's response: Be yourself.
"I've taken that with me," said Ray, now K-State's receivers coach. "It makes sense now that I've coached (10 seasons): Be yourself, be true to who you are."
The advice, Ray said, all boils down to one word: Authenticity. Ray added that being as real as possible serves as a good first step toward building a strong level of trust with players, coaches, recruits and their families.
For him, that means sharing not only his passion about football but also those interests that lie outside of it.
Ray said his conversations with players will include everything from music interests — his range from Red Dirt country bands like Turnpike Troubadours to classic rock artists like Jimi Hendrix — to movies — he prefers "arthouse films" and anything directed by Wes Anderson — and even cycling.
Soon, Ray said he hopes to know the same types of things about each of his players as well.
"He relates well with his players," said K-State defensive backs coach Van Malone, who coached with Ray at Oklahoma State. "The thing about Jason, as a coach and a friend, that I found is he is a very adventurous person. You'll see Jason riding his bike to work in 30-degree weather."
Malone remembered one time in particular.
"When we were at Oklahoma State, Jason was riding down the road one day. I'm in my car and I pull up alongside him and honk my horn as loudly as I can, and Jason, he didn't wince at all," Malone said, laughing. "He kept going."
Ray has continued embracing his other interests because of the early career advice he received. It shaped what's become an important approach of his, which hinges on finding a balance between football and life outside of it. Sometimes, the two can even cross over. Cycling, for example, contains lots of leadership principals that can be related to football, Ray said.
"I meet a lot of people in cycling and have learned a lot of leadership and teamwork techniques that guys utilized in the Tour de France, in the peloton. I've given leadership talks on cycling, how guys used drafting and what it means to be a guy that makes a sacrifice on a team because you're carrying guys' water or you're going to be the guy that takes on the headwind and allows for the team leader to conserve energy. Things like that," Ray said. "It spans across different deals, whether it's cycling or music or film. When those opportunities come up, I try to throw them in there as best I can."
On the field, Ray can also relate well to his K-State players because he was one, not too long ago, in the same conference as them.
The Oklahoma native played wide receiver at Missouri from 2003-07. His first year, he redshirted and, when it came the week to play K-State, he served as the scout team quarterback in charge of emulating Ell Roberson. By the time he was done playing, he had experienced four bowl games, been named a team captain and also the Missouri SAAC president.
Still, his life in football seemed to be over as he began a career in Missouri's Tiger Scholarship Fund, akin to K-State's Ahearn Fund. Then, one day in 2008, Dave Christensen, the Tigers' offensive coordinator at the time, asked Ray to come into his office. Everything changed in that meeting for Ray.
The conversation started with Ray's life goals, of which he was uncertain of at the time, and ended with Christensen, who was set to become Wyoming's head coach, offering his former player a job as an assistant coach. Ray said he took about 10 hours to think it over. Eventually, he realized it was a "no-brainer."
"I wouldn't change it for the world," Ray said. "It's been a great ride so far."
After three seasons as Wyoming's running backs coach and another coaching the wide receivers, he worked two (2013-14) as Oklahoma State's wide receivers/kick returners coach. From there, he coached one season at Northern Iowa and two at Missouri State, where he was introduced to Chris Klieman for the first time. Last season, Klieman hired Ray on at North Dakota State.
Ray, one of four NDSU coaches to follow Klieman to K-State, said teaching technique tops his list of on-field priorities. Every fine detail will be drilled into his players, a product of both his playing days and lessons he's picked up along his coaching journey. But, he added, he also wants to allow a certain amount of "creativity" from his players to be an "athlete."
Knowing the difference, Ray pointed out, goes back to knowing his players on a level beyond the football field.
"It goes back to what Coach Hill said, 'Just be yourself,'" Ray said. "There's times when you have to get after a kid. Then there's times you have to put your arm around a kid. So, it's understanding that not every young man is the same, every personality it different and every situation is different and may call for a different response and different action."
Before Jason Ray started his first coaching job at the University of Wyoming, he straight up asked his position coach at Missouri, Andy Hill, for any advice that might help him.
Hill's response: Be yourself.
"I've taken that with me," said Ray, now K-State's receivers coach. "It makes sense now that I've coached (10 seasons): Be yourself, be true to who you are."
The advice, Ray said, all boils down to one word: Authenticity. Ray added that being as real as possible serves as a good first step toward building a strong level of trust with players, coaches, recruits and their families.
For him, that means sharing not only his passion about football but also those interests that lie outside of it.
Ray said his conversations with players will include everything from music interests — his range from Red Dirt country bands like Turnpike Troubadours to classic rock artists like Jimi Hendrix — to movies — he prefers "arthouse films" and anything directed by Wes Anderson — and even cycling.
Soon, Ray said he hopes to know the same types of things about each of his players as well.
"He relates well with his players," said K-State defensive backs coach Van Malone, who coached with Ray at Oklahoma State. "The thing about Jason, as a coach and a friend, that I found is he is a very adventurous person. You'll see Jason riding his bike to work in 30-degree weather."
Malone remembered one time in particular.
"When we were at Oklahoma State, Jason was riding down the road one day. I'm in my car and I pull up alongside him and honk my horn as loudly as I can, and Jason, he didn't wince at all," Malone said, laughing. "He kept going."
Ray has continued embracing his other interests because of the early career advice he received. It shaped what's become an important approach of his, which hinges on finding a balance between football and life outside of it. Sometimes, the two can even cross over. Cycling, for example, contains lots of leadership principals that can be related to football, Ray said.
"I meet a lot of people in cycling and have learned a lot of leadership and teamwork techniques that guys utilized in the Tour de France, in the peloton. I've given leadership talks on cycling, how guys used drafting and what it means to be a guy that makes a sacrifice on a team because you're carrying guys' water or you're going to be the guy that takes on the headwind and allows for the team leader to conserve energy. Things like that," Ray said. "It spans across different deals, whether it's cycling or music or film. When those opportunities come up, I try to throw them in there as best I can."
On the field, Ray can also relate well to his K-State players because he was one, not too long ago, in the same conference as them.
The Oklahoma native played wide receiver at Missouri from 2003-07. His first year, he redshirted and, when it came the week to play K-State, he served as the scout team quarterback in charge of emulating Ell Roberson. By the time he was done playing, he had experienced four bowl games, been named a team captain and also the Missouri SAAC president.
Still, his life in football seemed to be over as he began a career in Missouri's Tiger Scholarship Fund, akin to K-State's Ahearn Fund. Then, one day in 2008, Dave Christensen, the Tigers' offensive coordinator at the time, asked Ray to come into his office. Everything changed in that meeting for Ray.
The conversation started with Ray's life goals, of which he was uncertain of at the time, and ended with Christensen, who was set to become Wyoming's head coach, offering his former player a job as an assistant coach. Ray said he took about 10 hours to think it over. Eventually, he realized it was a "no-brainer."
"I wouldn't change it for the world," Ray said. "It's been a great ride so far."
After three seasons as Wyoming's running backs coach and another coaching the wide receivers, he worked two (2013-14) as Oklahoma State's wide receivers/kick returners coach. From there, he coached one season at Northern Iowa and two at Missouri State, where he was introduced to Chris Klieman for the first time. Last season, Klieman hired Ray on at North Dakota State.
Ray, one of four NDSU coaches to follow Klieman to K-State, said teaching technique tops his list of on-field priorities. Every fine detail will be drilled into his players, a product of both his playing days and lessons he's picked up along his coaching journey. But, he added, he also wants to allow a certain amount of "creativity" from his players to be an "athlete."
Knowing the difference, Ray pointed out, goes back to knowing his players on a level beyond the football field.
"It goes back to what Coach Hill said, 'Just be yourself,'" Ray said. "There's times when you have to get after a kid. Then there's times you have to put your arm around a kid. So, it's understanding that not every young man is the same, every personality it different and every situation is different and may call for a different response and different action."
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