Local Coach takes BGFL team to Championship Game!
“With this team our focus has been and will continue to be; family first and team second, our successes and failures will revolve around this thought…”
Unscripted
By Keith Edmonds
Ink Spot Contributing Writer
The Fort Wayne Wolverines are going to the BGFL (Battle Ground Football League) championship game lead by our own Quinton Washington from Paul Harding High School. The BGFL is a developmental football league which boasts teams from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois. This league was started in 2015 to give players (18 years or older) the opportunity to continue playing the game they love with the mission of the BGFL being: “To give the players a platform to express their craft through community service, leadership programs and sports-related initiatives.” This particular team has advanced to the league championship game February 22, 2022 at Tropical Park Stadium in Miami, Florida. In today’s UNSCRIPTED we welcome Coach Quinton Washington as he shares his thoughts, vision and viewpoints on the BGFL and ALL things Fort Wayne Wolverines!
FWIS: Coach I want to welcome you to Unscripted and tell you that I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished with your team advancing to the BGFL Championship game!
Coach Washington: “ Thank you having me today!”
FWIS: So, tell me how you got started in your coaching career?
Coach Washington: “Coaching is something that I’ve always wanted to do even at a young age, while I was still playing in high school. My mom instilled in me something that stuck with me when she said “Do you want to coach or be a player. You have to stretch yourself even more and see yourself owning a team.” That gave me the push that I needed to succeed in this. When I was younger I would create teams with my video games not knowing that one day I would become a head coach! (lol) I did a little coaching at the middle school level with Coaches Ken Causey and Steve Somers who played a huge role in me becoming a coach because of their influence and trust in me. I’ll always appreciate the opportunity they gave me to get started.”
FWIS: So lets go back before we move forward, what is your background in football?
Coach Washington: “Football took off for me in middle school because of my all of successes early in this game. To be quite honest, anyone that knows me will tell you that my first passion was basketball! (lol) As a kid I used to watch great players like Devin Hester, Charles Woodson and Reggie Bush and that made me gravitate towards football because I wanted to be like them. Moving into high school taught me the importance of taking care of my body, eating right, and the correct techniques that would help me to become successful at Paul Harding High School. My love for the game became deeper during that time in high school.”
FWIS: Who would you say were your influences that pushed you towards coaching?
Coach Washington: “ Wow, there are several people that I’d like to mention. First, I would say that my mom was the biggest influence on me because if you know Denita Washington you know her kids! She told me very early to “Always be a man of value” and that’s something that I try to instill in my players. That means that when you really value something, you’ll give it your all. Also my father Anthony Sr. showed me that hard work and dedication to your craft will take you places. I also have to give credit to my brother Anthony Jr. who knew my passion for football ran deeper than most, and finally of my wife Deamber Fitts-Washington who has been by my side through all of my downfalls and my successes and let me see that through it all I will always have someone in my corner.”
FWIS: So where did the Fort Wayne Wolverines come from and all of the amazing things that you guys have accomplished?
Coach Washington: “I played semi-pro football for about 8 years and gave myself the opportunity to really see how much my passion for football would take me. I remember to this day sitting with one of the owners of another team playing video games and he asked me if I’d ever thought about starting your own team. I said, of course I have! This immdediately took me back to those days when I would create my own teams in video games. So I just presented the thought of starting OUR own team together with him and my mother-in-law (Kelli Parker) and they both agreed to be a part it. As for the name, that was pretty easy with us both being Michigan Wolverine fans we chose Wolverines as our team name and the rest is history. The interesting thing about this team is that we’re self-funded non for profit 501c3 organization, with our roster is being made up of entirely Fort Wayne area players which is something that we’re extremely proud of.”
FWIS: After reading your website, I learned that this is only your 2nd year and you’re headed to a National Championship, is it the coaching, the players or both?
Coach Washington: “I think that it’s a little of both. Certainly I have great talent and though people say I’m too young to be doing something like this so soon, our emphasis has been family first, team second. This success was not unexpected but us because we know how much work we put in to be successful. We just follow our Trifecta Impact of: Pride (Confidance and Self-Respect), Perserverance (Persistence in doing something despite the difficulties) and Purpose (The reason for which something is done). That is something that this team believes in and has gotten us to be in position to win a championship which we fully expect to do while in Miami!”