Lakatriona Brunson becoming the first female head coach of a Florida high school football team is a circus. We can all agree on that.
Brunson, better known as Bernice, moonlights as a reality television star -- if there is such a thing -- on South Beach Tow. One of her assistant coaches is Luther Campbell -- the flamboyant record producer better known as Uncle Luke from 2 Live Crew -- who is also a South Florida football impresario.
There just aren’t many of those combinations anywhere in the sometimes-off-kilter world of high school football. A bit of a circus, yes. But Brunson taking over at Miami Jackson High School is not a full-blown carnival because she's making history as the first female coach in arguably the top high school football state in the nation.
“That’s the first question everybody asks, ‘How the hell did this come about?’" Campbell said in a conversation with CBS Sports. “It’s so surreal."
Brunson is well-known in the community, first. She’s also qualified as a coach with plenty of athletic experience. She went on to play basketball at Tennessee State after starring on the hardwood and throwing both the discus and shot put at Miami Northwestern High School. Brunson also played organized football with the Miami Fury in the Independent Women’s Football League.
“I knew her when she was a kid,” Campbell said. “She’s a legend in the neighborhood. She was, like, the girl who played football.”
That's a statement we shouldn’t even blink at these days. Brunson probably doesn’t know it yet, but she is about to become a national story. Or maybe she knows exactly what’s going to happen.
I don’t know Brunson. Neither do you. Her football team, the Miami Fury, has suspended operations for 2016, according to its website. The IWFL is a non-profit organization so no one was playing to get rich.
All of it suggests she knows football. At least we can give her credit for hustling. Not being a hustler -- just trying to get through life with a paycheck or two.
.@Bernice_SBTow says it won't be music (@unclelukereal1) or reality TV at Miami Jackson. It's all going to be football. @HeraldSports
— David Furones (@DavidFurones90) February 8, 2016
She’s just like us -- out there trying to put food on the table. She’ll be backed up by the flamboyant, controversial Campbell. The artist behind 2 Live Crew is also respected by several major-college coaches because of his advocacy for football talent in the region.
He comes to this job having been the defensive coordinator at Miami Norland.
Again, I don’t know Brunson. I do know high school coaches are among the most underpaid folks in the country. Long hours for low pay.
Most of the payoff is helping kids through a key part of their lives. Welcome to that club, Lakatriona.
If the reality TV stuff led to this job, I have no problem with that. If this high school gig leads to more TV work, good on Lakatriona for that, too.
What do they call it? Trying to build her brand. Brunson obviously has something that is valued whether it be by truTV or Miami Jackson.
There have been other women that coached in high school -- though not many. Just the other day, the Buffalo Bills hired the first female full-time assistant coach. ESPN recently elevated a female former softball player to their No. 1 baseball play-by-play crew.
Both women got those jobs because of their knowledge. You know, just like it should be. For Brunson, there are going to be plenty of cameras and Good Morning America appearances. And when it comes time to win games, there’s going to be the usual pressure. Jackson plays in Miami’s public high league, one of the most talent-rich in the country.
She'll be expected to produce or be let go. You know, just like it should be.
How's that for reality?
