New Bradenton Christian head football coach Dan Fort shares his program-building plan

Armed with an analytical mind and an unquenchable thirst for football knowledge, Dan Fort absorbed philosophies from college and professional coaches such as Lou Holtz, James Franklin and Pete Carroll in lieu of playing the game.

He’s added his own flavor to those blueprints to create a winning culture wherever he has been.

Now Fort is at Bradenton Christian, where he has a multi-step plan to transform the Panthers into a competitive, state-title contending football program.

“First is teach them how to compete,” Fort said. “Second step is teach them how to win. Third step is teach them how to win championships. And fourth step would be to teach them how to maintain championship level. That is a process. That may take a year. That may take two. It may take longer. It just depends on how soon we get the buy-in, and what kids come in and how much they work.”

Within that framework, Fort is looking to increase the numbers at his disposal for the Bradenton Christian football team. Getting numbers up is imperative to become a team that can compete regularly. Having depth means there are few, if any, two-way players.

Then, it’s about marketing the program to attract even more. From his standpoint, the process has already started.

“It’s been a great time,” rising senior slot receiver and middle linebacker Peter Sand said. “I think we can really develop as a team.”

Added all-district punter Bathie Thiam: “You just got to buy into what he’s telling (you), and just believe in him.”

Fort grew up in Central Florida. When he began his coaching career, Fort was interested in coaching baseball. Dale Salapa was coaching that sport and was the head football coach at Orlando First Academy. He persuaded Fort to coach football with him, in addition to baseball, in 1997.

Twenty years later, Fort is in his third head coaching job after Bradenton Christian hired him at the end of March.

“My message was, ‘We’ve got to get to work right now,’ ” Fort said about his first meeting with the players.

Fort also spent time in Amarillo, Texas, coaching at San Jacinto Christian Academy.

“It’s a different animal,” Fort said. “... Texas is different, because the support level is unreal. What you see on Friday Night Lights? That is not a joke. It’s a reality. Towns will close down. We played a small town that was about 35 minutes away, and it closed down and everybody shows up to the local high school game. It was like a 1 or 2A school. It was a small school, but the place is packed. It’s unreal, and they weren’t even that good.”

The situation didn’t work out in Texas, and Fort returned to the Sunshine State, rejoining Winter Garden Foundation Academy. Fort was an assistant head coach for the Lions who fell one win shy of reaching the Class 2A state semifinals last season. He had served as an assistant there from 2009-13 before making the jump to the Lone Star State to become an athletic director and head coach.

His first head coaching job was at Central Florida Christian Academy from 2005-09.

At Bradenton Christian, Fort plans on making football fun for players, which, in turn, will create more of a buzz around campus for more athletes desiring to play football in the fall.

Part of that fun atmosphere is his offensive and defensive schemes. Fort said his offense uses a spread mentality, but it is a game plan type offense that fits the players he has. The defense is a 4-2-5, which Fort said he picked up from Texas Christian University when he was a high school defensive coordinator several years ago.

“You can always be aligned properly,” Fort said.

The Panthers aren’t playing a spring game this year, so the first look at Fort’s program will come in August.

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 9:30 PM with the headline "New Bradenton Christian head football coach Dan Fort shares his program-building plan."