Former NFL player Dewayne Washington settles in as Heritage football coach

Balanced on his feet, legs creating an absolute 90-degree angle to mirror his arms, Dewayne Washington demonstrated flawless running form for his Heritage football players.

He also showed the Huskies how to breathe during sprints in the steaming weather last Tuesday morning.

Washington knows a thing or two about training for football.

In the weeks since Washington joined Heritage, he has learned more about the impact of a being head coach than in the 12 years he spent playing in the NFL. The upcoming season will be his first at the helm of a high school football program.

Throughout his professional career, Washington always had a piece of home with him and he visited North Carolina often. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft and went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs.

He also started Carolina Skills Academy, a program to teach area youth the fundamentals of the game.

“This has always been home,” said Washington, who played at N.C. State after graduating from Northern Durham High School.

But it was during his three-year tenure as a Ravenscroft football assistant that Washington saw how influential head coaches can be. Even though his son, D.J. Washington, will enter his senior year at Ravenscroft, Washington still felt he had to accept the opportunity at Heritage.

D.J., in addition to being his school’s student body president, plays outside linebacker and wide receiver for the Ravens.

“To be honest, I don’t know how much he’ll miss me,” Dewayne Washington said of his son. “I think it was time for us to separate, if you will. I’ve always been there with him, ever since Pop Warner, as his coach. I didn’t really have any reservations about leaving him, especially when he became student body president over there. I knew that was more important than him coming over here and playing some football.

“We sat down and had a great conversation. He said ‘Hey dad, go. Take advantage of the opportunity; I know this is something you want to do.’ I looked him in his eyes, and I felt from him that it was OK.

“If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have done it.”

In a light gray Huskies-branded shirt, Washington was perched on the edge of the grass last week while the skills group sprinted 40 yards down the jet-black track.

He seemed to have already asserted himself as the Huskies always answered him with a robust “Yes, sir!”

Heritage sophomore quarterback Gunnar Holmberg, who was pulled up for the playoffs last season under former coach Jason McGeorge, is a Steelers fan, so he was thrilled when Washington came aboard.

The news of the new coach created a buzz, but Holmberg said Washington handled it well.

“I think he wants us to see him as much like a coach, not really a superstar NFL player,” Holmberg said. “He’s really down-to-earth, which is a good part, too. But that experience, you can’t get anywhere else.”

Washington, a defensive back, recorded 707 tackles and 31 interceptions in his 12 seasons playing pro football. He also started in 171 games before retiring in 2005.

He said his early coaching influences started on the high school level.

“Coach (Ken) Browning at Northern Durham taught me the most life skills at an early age,” Washington said. “I could have gone either way, but he wrapped his arm around me and really taught me how hard work can pay off.”

With the Huskies, Washington hopes to reciprocate the actions of his coach.

“I’m here to try to be a vital part of your life and get you to wherever you want to go, whatever your dream is,” Washington said of his message for the players. “My dream happened to be the NFL. Your dream could be something different, which is fine.”

This story was originally published July 12, 2015 at 8:31 AM with the headline "Former NFL player Dewayne Washington settles in as Heritage football coach."