The Commanders' Week 1 Coach of the Week is Loudoun Valley High School's Dave Bishop. During his time at Loudoun Valley, Coach Bishop has worked to build a supportive environment where students excel personally, academically and athletically. As head football coach, Bishop has expanded his role to include academic support, school spirit and mentorship. Beyond the white lines, he is all about promoting a positive school culture and encourages multi-sport participation. In the community at large, Bishop and his staff have worked to organize a year football camp for youth players. His football program is also actively involved in supporting local business while supporting community pride. No matter the arena, Coach Bishop is a consummate leader.
Dave Bishop and The Loudoun Valley Vikings made a statement in their opening game of the season. A dominant performance on both sides of the ball saw them blank the Dominion Titans, 35-0.
Commanders.com sat down for an exclusive with Coach Bishop following his Coach of the Week win.
Q: Congratulations on being named the Commanders' Week 1 Tackle Coach of the Week! How does it feel to receive an honor like this?
A: "It was humbling and surprising, because I don't do it for those kinds of honors or awards. I love the kids and coaching and love where I'm at, but I'm very appreciate to be recognized for the hard work not just from myself but the entire staff, all the players and what we put into the program."
Q: What's the biggest life lesson football has taught you, and how do you pass that lesson on to your players?
A: "Obviously we're trying to coach them up in the sport of football, but with these high school teenagers I tell them every day we're trying to build them into men. Because at some point football is going to end, and we want them to be obviously respected in the community. They're going to be fathers and husbands some day. I tell them that it's all about the culture. If we have a great culture, family and brotherhood and do everything that we're supposed to do, success on the field will happen along with it. That's what we've kind of built up over the last few years and just proud to be a part of it."
Q: Do you have a motto or mantra that anchors you in your work?
A: For me a big one is being accountable for your actions in all aspects. After a loss, I tell players I look in the mirror first. We all need to be held accountable, and it's not just on the football field – it's in the classroom, the hallways, in the community. What we represent is bigger than us. That's something for me, as a coach, I can't just preach it, I've got to model it. If we're held accountable in all aspects of life and we're trying to do the right thing, we're going to have success."
Q: Your Vikings are 3-0. What's been key to coming out with this hot start?
A: Our motto this entire offseason has been 'be different,' because we've gone to the playoffs the last three years and had success but we're trying to go to the next level and compete for a state championship. So we've talked about that, if we want to be different, we got to prepare different. That starts in the weight, the offseason, training and it's really kind of paid off. The kids have been bought in and locked in. They've done everything that we've asked them to do and just so proud of them. We've started 3-0, but we keep talking about how it's one game at a time, and we got more to do."
