Schuckman: Little’s commitment to building right culture around QHS football program leads to another milestone moment

QUINCY — Rick Little asked the simplest question that had a surprisingly simple answer.

Yet, nothing was going to be simple about the job it led him to take.

In February 2007, Little was a candidate for the vacant head football coaching position at Quincy High School. The Blue Devils had endured a two-win season the previous fall, owned a .204 winning percentage over the previous 20 seasons and reached the playoffs only twice in the previous 30 seasons.

Inevitably, that led Little to ask, “Can you win at Quincy?”

Those close to the program with whom Little sought counsel all gave him a definitive answer.

Yes, they said, with the added caveat they believed the QHS program was a sleeping giant that needed the right person to wake it.

Little proved to be that person, and he has Quincy playing like an ogre.

Friday night’s 43-21 victory over Moline at Browning Field gave the Blue Devils the upperhand in the Western Big 6 Conference title chase, marked their 15th consecutive regular-season victory and presented Little with a milestone moment.

It was the 100th victory of his Quincy tenure as he nears the midpoint of his 18th season. He has compiled a 100-68 record with the Blue Devils, leading them to 10 playoff appearances to date along with the first playoff victory in program history, the first home playoff victory and the first undefeated regular season since 1935.

Quincy now finds itself in the state rankings each week and has prognosticators penciling the Blue Devils in for a deep postseason push.  

Even those who believed Little could win at Quincy never imagined this level of success.

What no one knew at the time was how Little would change the culture by embracing the past, looking to the future and creating stability at every level of the program.

The impact of the QYFL — Quincy Youth Football League — has been immense. It was Little’s way to get grade-school kids interested in football while teaching them to play the game the right way. It also forged a relationship with the high school players, giving the kids student-athletes to emulate.

How well has it worked? The seniors on this year’s team — quarterback Bradyn Little, running back Jeraius Rice Jr. and wide receivers Tykell Hammers and Rico Clay — have been playing together since they were 8 years old and they have won 15 of their last 16 games.

Meanwhile, Little has surrounded himself with a coaching staff that is invested. Five are QHS alums, some have been with Little since his West Hancock days and every varsity assistant has multiple years on the staff. The stability and synchronicity they share is invaluable.

The support from coaches of the past is invaluable, too. Randy Dickens and Jose Quintero, former head coaches who also served as assistant coaches, have remained ardent followers. Jim Wosman, a longtime assistant coach, is part of the staff and a significant part of the culture.

And that culture is different than ever before.

There is an investment from the community into resources, a commitment from the fanbase to show up in droves and a belief something big lies on the horizon. Little had the vision for that and the bulldogged determination to make it happen.

Friday night’s victory won’t be the last milestone he reaches, but it’s a significant one that showcases where the program was and where it is headed.

All it needed was the right leader at the right time. It’s as simple as that.