Timeout with Dustin Sullivan
Guest – Kris Alge
Podcast Release Date – September 8, 2022
Season 1, Episode 3
Announcer Elaine – Welcome to taking a time out with Dustin Sullivan. A production of the Kan Du Group. Kan Du Group is a 501(c)3 nonprofit provider of day services for adults with developmental disabilities and is pleased to bring you this podcast. Today Dustin’s guest is Kris Alge. Chris Alge is a native of Arlington, Ohio and attended Findlay College receiving his Bachelor’s degree in education. Kris played football for legendary coach Dick Strahm while attending Findlay College. He has been a teacher and coach at McComb high school for 34 years. He has served as the head football coach since 1998. Coached Craig Akerman who went on to become an all-American defensive back at the University of Findlay and serves as an assistant coach in the NFL for the Tennessee Titans. Kris led the McComb Panthers to the 2018 OHSAA division 7 football state championship. And now I will turn the mike over to host Dustin Sullivan.
Dustin – 34 years. That’s commitment.
Coach Alge– that’s a long time.
Elaine – I was actually at that state championship game.
Coach Alge – Were you really?
Elaine - yes
Dustin - I was 5 years old in ’98.
Coach Alge – Were you really 5 years old? I was just getting my career started.
Dustin – I’m ready whenever you are.
Dustin – Welcome to taking a time out with Dustin Sullivan.
Dustin – Are you ready Chris?
Coach Alge – Yes, I’m ready.
Dustin – What’s your hobbies other than football?
Coach Alge – Hobbies…I actually enjoy…you mentioned art. My wife does art and I like doing it’s called alcohol inking. I haven’t done it for a couple of years now. That and I also enjoy hunting arrowheads out in the fields in the springtime so that’s a couple of hobbies of mine get out and take my mind off of football and sports and school.
Dustin – Art’s like therapy. It’s makes you feel like the stress of your life goes away for a couple hours.
Coach Alge – yes it does. I enjoy it and uh your right it does make the stress go away
Dustin – We found something about you liking to do art like me
Coach Alge – that’s awesome. That’s a … you know what
Elaine – There was like a facebook page
Coach Alge – Yea I used to have one. Undercover artist
Elaine – We were trying to find some more about you, yea
Coach Alge – yea undercover artist. I was trying to hide my identity. Didn’t really work.
Dustin – What got you into coaching?
Coach Alge – A you know what growing up in Arlington I always had a ball in my hand when I was little. And my mom said she used to that’s all I would ever do is throw the baseball or a football or basketball. And you know I played sports all my life and in high school I played 3 sports football, baseball and basketball. And I really looked up to Joe Metzger, who was a coach of mine and he was a teacher and I thought back then you had to in order to coach you had to teach. Um. Which is not true but so I went to Findlay College here and pursued my career under Dick Strahm you know played football for him and played baseball here as well for 4 years. Actually Dean Pees he was with the Tennessee Titans and with the Patriots and now he’s with Atlanta Falcons. He actually recruited me, he was a defensive coordinator coach here at Findlay College my freshman year.
Dustin – So he won a couple of championships with Bill Bellachick
Coach Alge – Yes he did he’s got a few more rings than I do.
Dustin – So when you grew up which sports team did you follow?
Coach Alge – I was always a Buckeye fan and I like the Cincinnati Reds
Dustin – Although they’re horrible every year. But you just get through it.
Coach Alge – They’re struggling, but I can remember watching Detroit tigers on Saturday afternoons but I was always a Reds fan.
Dustin – Back when they had Al Kaline.
Coach Alge – Al Kaline , I actually I can’t remember the catcher now either
Dustin – Bill Freehan
Coach Alge – Yep Bill Freehan, I got his autograph in the Findlay mall when they used to have a mall in Findlay.
Dustin – That’s cool. So, what’s your dream vacation spot? If you ever had to go anywhere.
Coach Alge – Oh my dream vacation spot, Well I promised my wife we’d go to Hawaii within 5 years of being married but that hasn’t happened yet
Elaine – and you’ve been married how long?
Coach Alge – Uh 29 years. Twenty-nine years it’ll be 30. So maybe Hawaii. I like anywhere where there’s a beach.
Dustin – Me too. And alcohol maybe.
Coach Alge – No Comment, no comment
Dustin – We’ll cut that out though. If ever went to Hawaii I’d never come back.
Coach Alge – that’s true.
Dustin – If you had a superpower what would it be?
Coach Alge – Superpower… Boy that’s a tough one. Maybe as a coach to know what someone’s thinking before
Dustin – they ask
Coach Alge – yes, that way I know what their plans are you know what plays they’re gonna run their strategy, so that would probably be my superpower.
Dustin – If I had a superpower it would be to be able to levitate so I don’t have to sit in a wheelchair all day or invisibility because no one can find me
Coach Alge – I like that one too I might choose that one also
Dustin – So how many times has McComb won the BVC championship?
Coach Alge – We have won it 22 I believe 22 or 23 years now, the most in the conference overall.
Dustin – That probably makes you feel good
Coach Alge – Yea, yea the league sort of gone through some turmoil here last 4 or 5 years but I think since 65 we’ve had 22 championships
Dustin – That’s awesome. You guys are almost a power house like the New York Yankees
Coach Alge – yea without some of those big dogs
Dustin – So what was the most memorable game you’ve coached?
Coach Alge – I’d have to say the 2018 state championship game against Trembol. It was just an awesome feeling and it was just amazing that whole atmosphere and you know just the town and the surrounding towns.
Elaine – That’s in canton right?
Coach Alge – yea Canton.
Dustin – Gotta enjoy those memories because you never know if you’ll ever get there again.
Coach Alge – Right, that’s the you know as a coach you dream of making it there and once you do its like you want to get back again, hopefully we’ll do it again you never know and with hard work you never know.
Dustin – If you don’t you don’t at least you know you won one.
Coach Alge – Right, yep.
Dustin – If you could eat something right now what do you think it would be?
Coach Alge – Oh man, what wouldn’t I eat right now. No, I would probably go for an egg McMuffin from McDonalds
Dustin – Can’t beat those.
Dustin – A coach for the Tennessee Titans, Craig Akerman was a McComb player of yours. Do you still have contact with him?
Coach Alge - Actually yes, I just talked to him the other day he’s running a football camp the Akerman foundation coming up July 8th. He just started that last year. He does great for the community and he wanted to give back but he was a great guy and a great athlete I can remember he was a little squirly dude as a freshman in high school I coached him in basketball too but I had to set him straight there.
Dustin – So what is this charity for?
Coach Alge – So what they’re doing is they do a scholarship for a McComb graduate going to school.
Dustin – That’s pretty cool.
Coach Alge – Yea, Yea he really gives back.
Dustin – So do you have any children?
Coach Alge – I have four daughters. Football coach with four daughters.
Dustin – Four daughters that’s got to be some tough days long days
Coach Alge – Long days tough days good days though, very good days
Elaine – Now your baby just graduated though right?
Coach Alge – Yea from Findlay high school, she’s going to Kent State she’s going to be a teacher
Dustin – Home of the golden flashers
Coach Alge – That’s right
Elaine – You have another one that’s scary but she’s a pilot right?
Coach Alge – Yes, she actually is flying for sky west right now, I haven’t been up in the air with her I’m afraid she’ll do some twists and turns turn off the engine while dad’s up in the plane with her.
Dustin – We already asked this but where were you born Arlington?
Coach Alge – I was at yea, Arlington I went to actually Genera, I don’t know if you know where Genera’s at but I went to trinity Lutheran school there then went to Arlington High School.
Dustin – Arlington’s got a good Jac N Do’s pizza place
Coach Alge – Yes they do
Dustin – Theirs is better than ours because they have a variety of food.
Coach Alge – Legendary Dave Featheringill is from Arlington so feathers
Elaine – Ok well are we going to wrap it up now
Dustin – Since our time is almost up we need to finish with one last question Chris. Do you consider a hot dog a sandwich?
Coach Alge – I consider a hot dog a meal.
Elaine – That’s a great answer I like that. Well thank you for taking a time out with Dustin Sullivan it was nice getting to know you Chris. And we hope everyone else enjoyed getting to know a little about you too.
Dustin – That’s all folks!
Announcer- Kandu Group provides opportunities and experiences for adults with developmental disabilities. This can only happen with the support of area businesses and community members like you. Thank you. For more information contact www.kandugroup.org.