DANVILLE- As we celebrate the new year in 2024, Danville Little Johns fans will be celebrating the new year with the return of their beloved football coach, D.J. Crane.
Crane, who left Danville in 2020 where he had been successful as the Little John’s head football coach, will return in 2024 after having served as an assistant coach on the Bentonville High School football staff.
RNN Sports brought you the story in 2020 of Crane’s departure from Danville when it was announced he would be taking a position in Bentonville. You can click on the link below to see the story that announced his departure for Bentonville.
RNN Sports had the opportunity to visit with Coach Crane in a telephone interview recently, and the new Little Johns coach shared his story about why he is returning to Danville for a second stint as head football coach.
We began our conversation by talking about what brought Coach Crane back to Danville. Coach began by saying, “Well, just, you know, the River Valley. We have a lot of family that is very important to us, a lot of friends, so, it is a good move for me and my family. We are really happy up here (Bentonville). I work with the best coaches, the best administration, and it is so nice up here. The parents and the people are wonderful. I have made a lot of lifelong friends here. It was just a good time to be up here. But now, I have been pulled in that direction (Danville), so it is nothing big. It has just been kind of a gut feeling that has been leading me in this direction.”
Coach Crane is soley focused on what is best for the student-athletes that are under his direction. And that goes for not just what they represent as athletes, but what type of young men they eventually grow up to be later in life. Coach explained, “In the end, making an impact on kids is more important to me than anything else. It’s not what’s going on, or who is doing what, it’s what kind of impact are you as a coach going to make on these kids in the long run. And we are going to do that. It doesn’t matter where you are at, that is your goal as a coach. To make an impact on kids; it is the long-term impact, not focusing on the wins or winning at all costs. What can you do ensure that kids are going to have their best lives? And be a pillar in the community by doing the right things. That is the most important part of coaching and means the most to me. What have I done as a coach to help them become good husbands, a good dad, a good community member…have I done that? That’s the main issue. Nothing else really matters.”
Danville’s football program has suffered in recent season for much of the same reasons that other 3A programs have to face each season. Participation numbers, the flux of talent that affects 3A-sized programs from year to year, all present challenges for 3A schools that play high school football. Danville is certainly not alone with these issues, but as Coach Crane returns to a school where he has had previous success coaching the Little Johns, his first task may be to recruit students from the hallways of Danville High School to reconsider playing football. When I asked Coach Crane about this, he explained, “I have talked to our coaches (at Danville), and our administration is wonderful at Danville, and they have bought in and are ready to do what it takes to be successful. And our coaches are too; we have a great coaching staff, and I am very excited to work with them, and they are ready. Basically, what we have to do is to go into the hallways and talk to every boy that is in our school and just find out what gets them excited about playing football. Why would you want to play football? And just try to get to know them and see who will come out and join the program. Because basically we want to get kids into the program so we can reach them on a higher level to make them a better person. So that is why you want to get them in (the football program.) So, all around, you have to go, ‘OK, everybody has to take ownership of their actions. Coaches, players, administration, community, and parents…what do we have to do to get these kids back into our program so we can reach them?’ So, we will start in the hallways.”
Coach Crane knows that his players have to love playing the game and they have to know that their coach genuinely cares about them. Coach said, “I am the fortunate one here. I get to take over a program that has a rich tradition and history and I want the kids to be a part of it. I will try to reach our kids that way. If they know that I care about them, they will want to be a part of the program.”
As Coach Crane begins to take over the Danville football program, the existing coaching staff will work with him next season. Coach Crane said, “there are good coaches in Danville. There are a couple of young coaches that I believe are going to be really good coaches, and I can’t wait to work with all of them.”
The new head coach has met with his coaching staff a couple of times and has begun explaining how he wants to do things with the program. They are excited and ready to work with Crane and everyone appears to be on board and ready to go to work.
The Danville school board has met previously and has approved the hiring of Coach Crane. Details are being finalized with respect to the starting date of his contract with Danville. Working out details on both ends involving the hire of his replacement on the Bentonville staff and a start date for his contract in Danville are still a work in progress. The new Danville coach hopes to be on contract soon but will work some off-contract to make sure the Little Johns’ program does not fall behind in its preparation for the 2024 season. Coach Crane explained further by saying, “You win in the weight room, and the weight room has to be a big focus. When we were really good at Danville previously, we were very, very physical and strong and mentally were pretty tough. And that started in the weight room. So, this is what I am excited about now; getting in there and starting our Little John Iron Club going and getting the kids excited about it.”
The period of January through March is an important period for high school football players as they focus on the weight room before the start of spring football practice. Coach Crane will be eager to get on board with Danville in time to get the weight program into full swing in January. Coach said, “As soon as they start (January weight program) I am going to start with them.”
Moving ahead with an eye to the upcoming season, Danville will play in the 3A-4 conference that has a new school addition of the Perryville Mustangs, along with much of last cycle’s 3A-4 teams. It is a very tough conference, and I asked the new coach about his feelings of how he thought his team could compete in the 3A-4 next season. Coach replied by saying that for now, the focus will be on his team and what they do, first. “We are going to apply our program’s core beliefs and start with establishing a firm foundation. That starts with the weight room. It will continue with spring practice, implementing what we do offensively, defensively, and in special teams. Implementing what we do in the community, as far as going out and meeting community members, and doing the things in the community that we need to do, it all starts with that first. That all kind of leads up to summer, and I think we need to focus on getting the summer program back to what it used to be. We want to make sure that our summer attendance (player participation) is very high. We want them there and committed to doing what we need to do. Nothing else matters at this point. The schedule of who we are playing…none of that matters. Right now, it is installing our culture in how we do things and how we approach things. It is about how we go to work, and that has got to start right now. All of this leading into training camp in August is what matters, and then the focus changes to the season. If they are willing to do what it takes, then we can have success once the season starts.”
If this reporter were a betting guy, I would bet that Coach Crane and the Little Johns will have success in 2024. Danville could be one of the great stories of the 2024 season. That is certainly not guaranteed, as Coach has outlined. It will take a lot of hard work and a commitment from everyone connected to the program. But Coach Crane is a winner and I predict that in a very short period of time he will have the Danville program competitive again and the Little Johns competing for playoff spots in the very near future. But most of all, Danville fans can rest assured that regardless of the records, Danville will have players and a program that they can be very proud of. And the players will know that they have a coach that truly cares for them as young men, and not just as football players.
All of us at RNN Sports would like to extend a big “Welcome Back!” to Coach Crane as he prepares to return to Danville and the River Valley! Best of luck to the Danville Little Johns next season, and we are excited for the Little Johns fanbase!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
