Jodi Baum

Warren High football is under new management as of last week.

“I love coaching kids and the game of football,” said Jodi Baum, the Dragons’ new head coach.

Baum brings to the table 30 years of coaching experience and isn’t wasting any time getting started.

“I came here to be the Warren Dragon head football coach,” said Baum, an Altoona native who has been coaching all levels of football from pee-wees all the way to high school since 1996. “I got into coaching because I wanted to teach kids football the right way and fundamentals of the game — not just to win games.”

One of coach Baum’s main focus is to instill numerous values within the student-athletes, especially accountability.

“Football is a life lesson. It’s not about winning and losing, but about setting them up for the future,” he said. “It’s about making the kids responsible for their actions and representing the school, community, and honoring your town and the ‘W’ on the jersey. Being accountable leads to learning from mistakes. It builds a positive vibe, and you gotta be positive.”

It is no secret the Warren football team has had tough going in recent years. Coach Baum said he is focused on the present and won’t dwell on the past.

“The past is the past, and you can’t look back,” he added. “I don’t want to hear the negatives. We’re going to focus on the positives and talk about the positives. I want these kids to build the program and create the culture. What they put into it is what they will get out of it.”.

One of Baum’s goals is to find a balance between incorporating these life lessons, accountability, and having fun.

“I want the kids to have fun,” Baum said. “I care about them wanting to come to practice every day, wanting to come and play the game we all love, and believing in the process. You have to talk to the kids on the same level — you can’t beat them up. You have to make it fun for the kids and make them learn from their mistakes in a positive way. I really try to emphasize that if you ever give a kid a negative comment, you always build them up by the time they get out that gate and go home for the day.”

Baum couldn’t be any more excited about getting started on his new endeavor. He recognizes the demands of the job, and understands he can’t do this alone.

“This is a great group of kids and a great team,” he said. “There were a lot of positive things I saw last year (as assistant coach) that made me want to come back and grow this team. We are fortunate to have a beautiful field like the War Memorial Field. I want to bring back the glory days of Warren football, and bring back the culture of Toby Shea.”

See BAUM / B2

Baum added: “I also want to involve former Dragon alumni and have an honorary captain at each home game. To do this, we need the community, school district, parents, kids, junior high players, and their coaches to be involved. I just love the colors — blue and white.”